What do you check for when buying a used car?

Answer 1

When looking at used cars check for records of reliability, safety and fuel economy.
Toyota, Honda, Subaru are probably your best bet.
Research-service history, consumer reports, safety ratings, fuel economy.
Check the body-frame, undercarriage, wheel wells, under the doors, trunk lid, hood, tires, paint.
Check all the fluids for look and smell.
Check the engine-how does it sound when you start it, check for leaking of fluids(coolant, oil, tranny and brake fluid. If the engine is super clean ask why. They maybe trying to hide a leak.
Check the transmission-how does it shift when driving, how's the clutch (manual)
How does it drive?
How is the interior?
Take it to a mechanic you trust to check it.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Unless you bring it to a mechanic there is only so much you can check. That being said, you should always have someone with you when you take a test drive, and do it during the daylight hours if possible. Have this "someone" watch for smoke from the exhaust as you decelerate then accelerate again. You shouldn't see any smoke at all. Doesn't matter if it's white or black, both signify different problems. Either way, you don't want it. Make sure the radio is off while driving so you can listen for anything suspicious. Brake hard a few times and see if the brakes start to "fade" after getting warm. Make sure it doesn't pull to one side or the other, which could signify a variety of problems. Listen closely for grinding or squealing while braking too. Squealing may or may not be anything serious, grinding is definitely a bad thing. Listen for squeaks as you go over bumps too. The car should handle bumps with ease and you should feel in control. If it's difficult to handle and makes lots of noise going over bumps, pitches or rolls badly while cornering, the shocks are most likely shot.

Pay special attention to the transmission and how it shifts while driving. Probably one of the most expensive fixes is replacing a transmission and you REALLY want to avoid that. It should shift smoothly while taking off from a dead stop. No slipping of the tranny should be noted. If the engine revs between shifts (automatic trans) it's slipping, walk away from this one! Get it out on the highway and make sure it downshifts properly while passing a car. Obviously you don't have to pass a car, just mash the accelerator at about 45-55 mph. It should downshift. If you have lots of road ahead of you keep it there until it upshifts. You shouldn't have to let off the gas to "help" it upshift. If you can't do this due to where you are driving then just slowly lift the gas and it should upshift smoothly. (Do not get a speeding ticket. I can tell you first hand that test driving a car isn't a good defense in court. Hehe..)

Walk around the car and make sure all the lights work, including headlights, blinkers, tail lights, brake lights, reverse Illumination lights, parking lights, and side markers.

Take a look under the hood. Obviously the age of the car makes a huge difference here, but is it extremely dirty for the age of the car? You might think that was actually good since it means no work has been needed on the engine, but I think not. An engine compartment that is clean signifies that it has been taken care of and probably serviced regularly. You may notice certain parts clean and the rest very dirty. This would signify that service was performed in that area. There shouldn't be any fluids leaking anywhere. Nothing, notta, zilch. Pull the oil dipstick and see what the oil looks like. Most people check and/or change the oil shorty before selling a car, in which case it won't tell you much. But, if it's low on oil and very dirty that should tell you something, This person either doesn't care or doesn't know how to take care of a car, or how to sell one for that matter. Look at the color of the coolant/antifreeze in the reservoir. It should be a relatively bright green, not crap brown or rust colored. If it's empty and the engine is cool you can pop off the radiator cap and check it, but you have to ask yourself why the reservoir is empty. The battery should be clean with NO battery acid deposits on the posts, or anywhere else for that matter. While the hood is open look at the body parts that surround the engine compartment. Mismatched color on the fenders, hood, or front end may mean the car was damaged at some point. Pop off the oil filler cap which is usually on a valve cover and take a look inside. It should look relatively clean inside with no black or grey deposits, just a golden brownish thin covering of oil.

When checking the interior of the car, look for clues as to what the actual mileage is. For instance, look for excessive wear on the accelerator and brake pedals. A car with 40,000 miles shouldn't have much wear. A car that says 40,000 on the odometer but has 140,000 miles on it will show significant wear. Not only on pedals but on the seats, steering wheel, and carpeting. Even the auto mats if they are still there. Of course a Car-Fax report might make this a lot easier. A history of the car would be a good thing if you feel like spending the money.

Finally, if you are buying from a dealer, ask where he got the car. Was it a local trade? If so, ask if they'll give you the name of the previous owner. Surprisingly they are willing to give you this information more often then you might think. If they do, give the previous owner a call. You can ask them all sorts of questions and since they no longer have an interest in the car they will volunteer all sorts of information. Just reassure them it won't get back to the dealer! Oh, and they will probably be willing to tell you what they got for the car on a trade, so you can use that to wheel and deal. (You'll know what the dealer is going to make on the deal ahead of time.)

Good luck, and remember.... If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Answer 4

I just purchased not too long ago. I would definitely check the vehicles history. The seller should offer the report for you, any accidents, repairs, engine changes, etc. Also, how many previous owners/states owned in. This tells a lot about if it was an auction vehicle or privot owned.

Answer 5

If you're really interested in the car, it would be worth the money they charge for a mechanic to check it out........

Answer 6

Any complete carrier automobile fix store can participate in the carrier. Ask them to do a used vehicle pre-acquire mechanical inspection. It must fee anyplace from $seventy five - $a hundred and fifty for this carrier.

Answer 7

I check the compression on the motor.
look at the frame to see if it was bent.
look at how much dirt it has caked up
underneath to see if it was driven on dirt
roads.while driving look for out of place noises
or trany problems.

Answer 8

every thing the miles, the motor, if it runs good, the horsepower, so in other words everthing

Answer 9

does it come with an engine?