Seven steps to buying a used car

Is your car a rolling embarrassment? Or maybe it won't even roll anymore. If a fresh set of wheels is on your shopping list but your wallet's feeling wafer-thin, take heart. There may be no better time to buy a used vehicle. With automobile reliability better than ever, inflation on the rise and consumers feeling pinched, Americans are flocking to used cars. In 2007, we bought 41.4 million of them -- compared with just 16.1 million new vehicles, according to CNW Marketing Research Inc.