Hey guys

So to set the mood, imagine violins from the philharmonic playing in the background.

My wife and I are a little tight for cash right now thanks to the visa process, and need to get a midterm car. Our current one (known as Bob) is dying , poor guy. Having just emigrated to the USA I am finding a very different standard of car on the road. This makes it tough for me to want to sink $1500 (about what we have) into a used car that may just end up right on death row beside Bob.

What I would like to know is ... does anybody know a good used car dealer in WA. What sort of things do you guys look for in the cars to make sure you are buying something that is just old and not dying. We don't really have automagic transmissions in the UK, mostly manuals and my wife wants an auto tranny. How do I know an automagic tranny is still good?

Thanks gents!!

Carl