Where is "this area"? That's not much to go on. It gives no clue whatsoever about location.

Did not dream the area would apply since everyone is in different states. We are in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area.

It would be very hard for people on a national forum to be able to recommend a local used-car dealer.

However, there are on-line sites which rate businesses, like Consumer Checkbook, Angie's List, yelp, and even local sites with forums where rating businesses is not the primary reason they exist but conversations still lean that way (Nextdoor, city-data.com, etc.).

Speak to friends and neighbors in the area. You could contact the Better Business Bureau, but what they can tell you about businesses is limited.

Good luck!

I won't be able to make a dealer recommendation because I am too many states away from your location. I can only offer a few general hints.

1. Check the local Better Business Bureau (BBB). Don't expect to see a perfect record of no complaints because there are a few car customers who can never be satisfied and who go looking for trouble. Compare the number of complainants against other car dealers of similar size. The ones with the lowest number of complaints are usually the better ones. Also, look to see how many complaints were satisfactorily satisfied. If the dealer has a used car lot, that can generate complaints.

2. Look at the front row of his used cars. These will be the best ones he has to offer. Now, go to the rows behind the front row. Are there a number of models from other brands that are similar models to the popular ones he's offering in the front row? This is not a solid rule, but can be indicator of a popular dealer. Many of those other brands were trade-ins from people who were switching to his brand and/or dealership.

3. Talk to your neighbors and associates at work and ask their opinion of local dealers. Everyone has an opinion; Some will be biased, some not well informed, and a few, accurate. Its up to you to sort out the grains of truth from the chaff.

4. If you have a credit union, go talk with the loan officer to see if he has recommendations. Due to etiquette and legal practices, he may not be able to be specific, but he might mention if he's had trouble with a particular dealer.

Thank you one and all for very helpful information.