The influx of quality used cars on the market makes it a good time for people to purchase a used car at a reasonable price, but there are some things to look for before handing over the cash.

According to Car and Driver, there are some telltale signs of a bad used car that every car buyer should know.

The first tip from the magazine is to avoid any car without a service history. It’s very easy these days to get the background history on a used car, but if a car doesn’t have one it should raise a red flag.

“Look for a long service history in any used car, with most of the servicing done by the same mechanic or dealership over time,” suggest the magazine. “There are simply too many good used cars out there with such a background to settle for anything less.”

Another thing to look for, according to the magazine, is brush strokes on the paint. If a car looks like it hasn’t been maintained well on the outside, that’s probably a sign of the same on the inside, says Car and Driver.

It appears that now is a good time to make a used car purchase with the Dow Jones recently reporting that used car prices dropped 8 percent across the board in 2008.

Find New York Used Cars with New Jersey State Auto.