When looking to buy from a list of used station wagons, you have, much like when buying any car, a number of services at your disposal. The key to finding a good car at a good price is research and patience, and once you have those, there are several ways you can go about finding one of the right used station wagons for you.

• The first and most obvious way is to look local. Canvass your neighborhood for wagons sitting in driveways with "For Sale" signs in their windows and go knock on a few doors. The classified sections in local papers are good places to look, as are community bulletin boards. Check out local gas stations as people love to display cars there. The benefits of looking local first are twofold - most people like selling to people around them and will give you a good price, and chances are the seller took the car to a local service station for maintenance and has good references and documentation of the car's repair history. If you want to go through commercial channels and have a specific make of car in mind, like a Dodge Magnum or Volvo V72, you can use the Yellow Pages or Google Maps to look for local dealers in your area.


• If there are no wagons for sale in your area, you can turn to the Internet to continue your search. Check Craigslist.com for regional or statewide sellers, and eBay.com, AutoTrader.com or Cars.com for listings of used cars from both individual sellers and dealerships. Always remember to see the car in person and test drive it before you buy it. As a general rule, avoid offers from private sellers to ship cars.

Used station wagons offer increased storage space for the same footprint as a sedan, and are a great alternative to an SUV. When buying one always remember to do your research ahead of time, start looking local, and gradually increase your search radius. Use all of the Internet search and comparison tools at your disposal, and you will be sure to find the car you are looking for.