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I've been going back and forth with my older brother about this car search for weeks now. He thinks I'm being ridiculous by spending so much time looking at private sellers and getting all worked up about inspections and service histories. He keeps telling me to just go to one of the big dealerships in Al Quoz, pay a bit more, and be done with it because they have reputations to protect and they wouldn't sell a bad car. I get what he's saying but I've also read enough threads on here to know that dealerships aren't immune to selling cars with hidden issues, they're just better at polishing them up and making them look perfect on the surface. The way I see it, whether I buy from a dealer or a private seller, I'm still the one who's going to be stuck with the car if something goes wrong, so why wouldn't I want to know exactly what I'm getting into either way? I'm not saying dealerships are all bad, but I also don't think paying a premium automatically guarantees I'm getting a car without any problems. I'd rather save a bit by buying private and use some of that savings to get a thorough check done so I know the real condition instead of trusting a salesman who's just trying to make a commission. I found a service that does Pre Purchase Car Inspection and I'm planning to use them regardless of where the car comes from because I want my own information, not someone else's sales pitch. Has anyone here actually had a bad experience buying from a reputable dealership, or am I being too paranoid and should just listen to my brother?