Driving the car long enough tells me almost everything about it. Still, I wanted to see the condition of the CV joints, exhaust, and rubber suspension parts. People who don'y know much about cars should definitely have a car checked, but only after a knowledgeable person looks at the car first. If it doesn't get past that person, the looker should walk away from the deal. But if the backyard mechanic likes it, the risk of having a mechanic advise against it is low. The good thing is that if the mechanic finds something like torn CV boots, the buyer can often haggle the price down, which recuperates some of the mechanic's fees.