i am terrified to buy a car with ^ 1000 miles?

Question

is there any thing i should look for when buying a used car with high mileage. make & model

Answer 1

The best is to get someone who is at least mechanically minded to have a look at it for you. A few pointers though: The transmission and engine are high cost items and should be checked thoroughly. Check if the transmission shifts smoothly and at the correct speed. Also do a torque converter stall test. Check the engine for oil leaks with special emphasis to the area where the transmission and engine meet underneath. Sometimes the odometer is turned back not necessarily by he seller but previous owner etc. so check the rubbers on the Brake and Accelerator pedal, if they show extensive signs of wear, and the vehicle only has 20-30 thousand miles, beware! Another giveaway is how the trunk looks. If it is neat inside and well kept then you know the previous owners probably took care of the rest of the vehicle. When you have made up your mind that you have found the vehicle you want, check the following: 1) go to www.kbb.com and check the suggested retail value of this specific vehicle - - it will enable you later negotiate an adjusted price with the seller and you definitely do not want to pay more than book value. (do this once before you go and look at the car to get used to the system using a friends car as example 2)Go to the Manufacturer and get a vehicle recall and specification report - it is normally free (you will need the “vin” number so jot it down when looking at the car – normally on the drivers side at the bottom where the windscreen and body meets on the inside of the dashboard – barcode strip with numbers. 3)Get someone to do compression test on the engine. 4)You could get a report from www.carfax.com to get the title history as well.(this might cost you a little but well worth it)
Finally make sure to take the vehicle on a bit of an extended drive to make sure it does not have overheating or other related problems – any honest seller will let you do that if you leave another vehicle with him as security. Finally speak to the owner and find out what the primary use of the vehicle was – if it ran for long trips a lot it is much better than just around town. I have bought many 2nd hand cars with high mileage as high as 150 000 Miles! Now running at 238 000 miles and still going strong!! Good luck

Answer 2

If worried about it - take it to a trusted mechanic and pay an amount to have them do a diagnostic test on it- check it over. They can tell you if it needs anything.
My father once bot an 85 Ford LTD - it had like 80,000 original miles on it - alot of parts had been changed - new shocks- new starter/battery - had a well documented list of repairs/ maintence record. The car ran like new for many trouble free years , until it was involved in and accident. I wouldve liked to restore it - was in really great shape.
Dont be afraid to look the car over - DONT look it over at nite - in rainy weather - if its been run/warmed up before you get there.
Check the fluids- for any contaminants - such as water/foaming , ect - check how clean they are -ie dirty oil/transmission fluids. Check for leaks when the car's idling- ask to drive it around the block - if they refuse - DONT buy it. Try all the gadgets in the car - all the windows - doors- a/c - heat- lights- seats- seatbelts- wipers/washer fluid- heck even tap the horn. Check for wear on the pedals/seatbelt - more wear- then its been used alot.
If in anyway you dont feel comfortable - DONT buy it. Take a freind with you knowledgeable about vehicles for a second opinion.

Answer 3

You need to find out what particular car make and model you are looking for. The other thing is what is the price range you want to be in. The thing you need to realize if the vehicle was taken care of or not. I would buy the carfax report and reasearch the vehicles you are interested in and what vehicle fits your needs and budget. Good Luck!

Answer 4

as the proud owner of a Dodge pickup with 432,000 km I'll tell you that you have few worries with a car with 1000 miles on it. If you mean 100,000 miles then it's a different story, engine, transmission, drive line, well just about everything should be checked out. As far as which vehicles to look for it all depends on how the people that owned them before hand treated them.

Answer 5

You might want to get this book called Consumer Reports for Used Cars. It is available at your local library or you can buy it at your local bookstore for about ten dollars. Also you might want to check the car's history by Carfax. It is free from car dealers. I bought my used car this way. I have not had a problem with it at all.

Answer 6

Wow......
There are HUNDREDS of answers to that question.
Why don't you find out what kind of car interests you first, then ask another question about that car in particular???

Answer 7

Ask your question again, explaining better what you are afraid of...