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Last Saturday the most terrible thing happened... it is the moment no fiddler can ever live without crying... My old violin broke into pieces... Thank god i am no professional ( imagine the money this would cost !! ) but yet, my violin ment a big deal to me. It was an old handmade one. Anyway... never cry over spilt milk.
I would like to ask the fiddlerman community about the things i need to check in a violin before buying it. My teacher has a friend of his who sells violins but i haven't met him yet. Probably sometime next week.
May no similar accident ever happen to none of you 
Thank you for your time.
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Just curious, how did it break ? Did the wood actually split or crack or did it just come loose at the glue joints ? If so it can probably be fixed with some hide glue.
Far as a new instrument goes, are you looking for a student grade instrument ? If so there are a lot of good brands available, i.e. Eastman, Cecilio, etc. I would recommend buying through a reputable and skilled luthier so they can set it up for you. Regardless of the maker or quality you want a good set of strings put on, the bridge set properly, sound post properly positioned, pegs adjusted for smooth operation, etc. Proper setup greatly affects the sound quality of the instrument.
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Yeah... um i acidently steped on its case ( !! ). I was on my way to turn on the lights and i didn't see it in its black case... such tragedies do not happen everyday.
As far as i know im looking for an intermediate violin ( im no pro yet :p ). A handmade one ( im now playing on my secondary, not-handmade one, aka my first violin ).
My violin turned into pieces. Its entire body is cracked in a million places and has a huge crack in its back that could tear it in half if touched... i doubt its fixable.
But i do have a secondary viola as well i could sell in order to save some money for the new violin... do you think a luthier may lower the price if I gave it to him? ( jot down it is not a handmade instrument ).
Anyway, thanks for your advice 
Honorary tenured advisor
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sounds like you already have experience in buying violin since it's not your first that died (moment of silence here for the poor soul 
). You said you want a handmade so paying a visit to the luthier is your best choice!
"It can sing like a bird, it can cry like a human being, it can be very angry, it can be all that humans are" Maxim Vengerov
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Here are a couple of Luthiers I have either met or done business with and who I highly reccommend.
http://www.masterviolinshop.com/
I remember this Luthier from the days of the New York Violin Shop.
and, I recently bought an instrument from here and got excellent setup and service.
But there are of course many others. These are just 2 that I have done business with.
Sorry to hear about the loss of your violin. I don't mean to make light of it, its always sad to loste a good instrument but, may it rest in peacem or should I say... pieces. Anbd may it's spiirit lead you to a new and wonderful experience in violin playing.
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Depends on how much you are spening but try to find a violin with a hand oiled varnish as apposed to a hard factory varnish. Check the pegs that they don't slip or stick.
Try playing both loud and soft on the it. Both close to the bridge and away. See that the strings vibrate easily without too much effort.
Test out playing way up on the strings to see if it can still sing up way up there.
Inside the peg box check that the carving is all the way in past the A string peg. Often machine made violins are not.
The best is if they allow you to test it at least a week before buying it.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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