more risk to the seller than the buyer if you use a cashiers or personal check. If you are financing, I've done the final transaction at the credit union I financed with. It was super easy and way better than a dealership.

I called them with the loan and final price info and they had the paper work ready. I met the seller in the parking lot of the credit union, which was nice. We did the test drive, agreed to purchase, walked in the credit union, they talked to them for a few minutes to transfer the title and then to me to setup the payment plan. Very easy and definitely not worth a $400 "doc fee" you get hit with at the $tealership.

As for the car itself? The best way to avoid getting scammed (or just buying a clunker) is to know everything about the car/model/issues/etc and what to look for. Plenty of forums will have that detailed information. Notice I said forums. Not facebook, not JD power, and definitely not consumer reports. If you want to know what really goes on with a particular make/model/year, then you need to browse the forums. All the common (and even some uncommon) issues will be there.

And that's about it. Honestly, buying private party is almost always better (other than losing the convenience of trade-ins and quick financing). The seller will know the history of the vehicle and if you question him you can easily get the vibe if it has been a good car or not. A salesman doesn't know anything, nor care, about the car....new or used....he/she just wants to make the sale.