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It's fairly easy to identify the dirtballs on CL from the better sellers. A good seller takes the time to describe the item, including the negative things such as dents and scrapes. They include photos that are in focus, and clearly show the condition of the vehicle.
I've had nothing but positive experiences by paying attention to the queues people give. I bought a Subaru for $1k under it's value, and could tell from the quality of the advertisement that the seller was aware he was undervaluing it, but was willing to do so to not mess around with flaky buyers. He just wanted to spend as little time as necessary to sell, and he still got more than a dealer would have given him on trade in.
In turn, I drove the car for a month and decided I didn't like the automatic, and didn't need such an expensive and nice vehicle, so I sold it for $1k more than I bought it for, which was the fair market value for it. I sold to the first guy that responded to my ad and he didn't haggle the price because he knew it was fair.
Xist- Why are you still looking at expensive cars? We've established that Dave is wrong about some things, but not about how poor a decision it would be for you to purchase an expensive car.
I don't know what your Mom's love languages are, but even if it's gifts, I think you can probably find less financially burdensome ways to express that to her. If she's ok with you being burdened by an extravagant gift, then that wouldn't be right. Parents want to see their children in good financial standing and capable of contending with the unforeseen future problems that inevitably show up.
You're already doing great by visiting her all the time, fixing things around the house, and caring for your brother.
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