Here's the problem with the checklist. The average seller is not a
salesman. The average seller feels judged as the sale progresses
through a checklist.

For that reason I've never tried to sell a car.

I did give my bus away, for free, and the "buyer" used AAA to tow it.
The tow truck driver criticized my bus. I didn't need to hear that,
and five years later it still steams my hide.

If someone gives you a van, and it has to be towed, pay full price to
tow it and tell the tow driver to keep his mouth shut.

I don't know what the answer is, for everyone. I agree that if you're
spending thousands of dollars you should know what you're getting for
your money.

I believe in the gut feeling (see Malcolm Gladwell's book "Blink").
Since I've only once bought a car for a price over $3000 (my GTI when
it was two years old, from a dealer), I already know that I'm going to
apply a checklist to anything I buy after the purchase. I will go over
everything, and get everything working (even the things that people
tear out on purpose, like the seatbelt light). I'm 57, by the way,
just in case anyone thinks that I'll learn from experience.

And I know that I'll never sell what I buy. I might give it away, or I
might drive it until it's boneyard worthy.

Bottom line, compared to a well-loved car, bus, or van, your cash
ain't nothing but trash.

Mark