The second worse method is by general appearance. Depending on your budget, you may opt to go ahead and buy a car that is in need of some repair because they are going to compensate you by lowering the price. The trick is to know just WHAT repairs are needed, and HOW MUCH should be deducted from the overall price of the auto. This is important because some of you can make the necessary repairs yourself, but may not know the retail value of repairs for cars. Even if you are shopping the dealerships, it is a wise choice to have your mechanic look the car over.
Most shops have some sort of similar program.
If you are trying to inspect the car yourself, look for signs of overall abuse. If he says no, he probably knows that it won't pass or he has no confidence in the car. You might also ask him if you can have the car for a couple of hours to take it to your mechanic. People often ask me where to look for a used car. Believe it or not, the new car dealer's used car lot is a good place to start if you need to finance.