Give me 30 tips for buying a used car!

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Cano

Cano

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Cephiro
So, there is a special issue about buying a car coming as a suplement mini-mag in the magazine I work for, and one of the topics I need to write down are 30 tips about buying a used vehicle. I was wondering who to ask about this stuff when it hit me, it was right in front of me, in my monitor.

So shoot away people.
 
Here's my small contribution:

Investigate the use that was given to the car before sale: A car used for racing or for making deliveries really differs on potential issues than those used as a daily driver.

👍
 
Check the undercarrage for rust.

History reports are always good to have.

Test before you buy. If the person selling the car doesn't want you to test it, they might be trying to hide something.

Do your homework. Know what kind of prices similar cars sell for so you know if the price is fair or not.

I'll probably think of more later.
 
My contribution is...

Have good budget keeping. If you don't have this upfront, don't even purchase the car. Not the only quesion is how are you going to afford the car, the costs with it (insurance, work performed on vehicle), and your rent/mortgage, utilities, groceries, and gas? -- Randy
 
Research the problems with the model. You don't want to find out that a common problem with the model is the head gasket goes, which is pretty expensive, amirite? Like the early model Legacies.
 
Do we get 1/30th of your pay for each suggestion?
 
When in doubt, don't.

When in doubt, don't.

When in doubt... (repeat thirty times...)

-----

And if you have no doubts, get your head checked.
 
Check every square inch, really check it all.

When i was looking for a used EK civic 1 came up that was a good price, but the owner said never been in a accident but their was shotty work done on the passenger door hinge area where the filler was visible and the door was having issues closing cause of it.

So check every little bit that you can.

Bring up history reports if you can
Get a friend or family relative that knows about cars.
 
Do not forget to check all the electrics.

Double check the front steering and suspension from underneath for obvious signs of excessive hard driving.

Come up with a budget you can afford and knock off $3,000 to allow some room for repairs after purchase. Trust me I know, my SVT is literally back in the shop again. Nothing sucks more than buying a used car within your budget only to have to spend money repairing it...
 
As Red Green suggests, kick everything. Kick the tires, kick the doors, kick the fenders, kick the dash, even kick the salesperson if you have to. :lol:
 
Do research to see what kind of recalls may have happened and what kind of resale the company has in general.

Make sure you test drive carefully, any tiny hint of a problem will grow to pain-in-the-wallet size very soon after purchase.

Honor your gut, a deal is only a good deal if you can live with it and your gut will tell youif you are making a mistake.

Find out the demographics on the previous owner, fast cars and young kids regularly abuse each-other, end the cycle and baby a car but dont buy a beat down dog to start.

Avoid letting less than 5k be a deciding factor, save up a little longer and get the better car.

Avoid mods and look for warranties.
 
-Used car sellers like to draw your attention to cool things like a new carpet, sport exhaust, or nice wheels. Try to look past the shiny bits and look for things like rust, leaks, and damage.

-Ask someone who has owned the car to accompany you. If they've worked on the car themselves, even better. They know what sort of things to look for.

-Every used car has been "lightly driven" every "once in a while" on "city streets".

-Examine the owner. If it's some kid with spikey hair who rebuilt the engine on his front lawn, forget it.
 
SVX
Research the problems with the model. You don't want to find out that a common problem with the model is the head gasket goes, which is pretty expensive, amirite? Like the early model Legacies.
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+1

The owners forums are a great place to go read about all of the things that go wrong with that particular make and model. For example, in my E46 I discovered that the control arm bushings go bad. This was something I checked before purchasing and something I can budget for and be ready for by the time they're needed. Other things that I discovered go bad early and often:

- Expansion tank
- coolant fan clutch
- water pump
- rear view mirror
- DISA valve
- VANOs seals
- Subframe structural damage
- Pulleys
- Window motors
- Tire pressure sensors

This kind of information allows you to make a more informed purchase when considering the model AND when considering the specific car. Also, dealer pre-purchase inspections seem to be quite thorough. It's a well spent $200 to take the used car over to the appropriate dealer and have it checked out.
 
Danoff
+1

The owners forums are a great place to go read...

...Also, dealer pre-purchase inspections seem to be quite thorough. It's a well spent $200 to take the used car over to the appropriate dealer and have it checked out.
Click to expand...

👍
So true, did that when looking into previous car and found out older 8th gen civic si can have problems with third gear.
 
Never look at/buy a used car at night. Makes it very hard to see the puddles of oil, tranny fluid and coolant under the car.

A tip from the guys on Car Talk:

Check the radio presets. If it is all rap, hip hop and heavy metal the transmission is probably shot.
 
Buy a car you would love to own, and will love owning, that way, when you do have to spend proper money on it, you won't resent it, you'll think of it as an investment, and want to frame the receipts...

... I recommend a 1983 BMW 635CSi.. it worked for me. :D
 
Certain brand-new parts on the car can hide bigger issues. Tires, for instance, won't yet show poor alignment, etc.

If it's an older car, try to talk the owner into paying for compression and leak-down tests.

Pop the hood to look for lighter leaks.
 
My thing I tell all of my friends is that you need to be willing to walk away from the deal. You have to separate yourself from it, even if you know that it is the car you want. I've had too many people get screwed, myself included, if you aren't willing to go and look for a better deal.
 
Check around the edges of the body panels for signs that the car was repainted.The guys that doing the taping will always miss spots and its easy to tell by checking the edges of the chrome/rubber around windows etc.Also check near the top of the C-pillar for changes in the paint texture.If the rear quarter panel was been painted the blend is usually in that spot.

Also check the under the hood and trunk lid for changes in the paint along the edges of the fenders.Inside the doors too.

A refrigerator magnet is handy to check body panels for body filler.

NADA guides.Know what it's worth before you show up to look at the car.

Always be prepared to walk away.Trust your instincts.If you get a bad vibe from the salesman/individual,leave.
 
JCE
Do not forget to check all the electrics.

Double check the front steering and suspension from underneath for obvious signs of excessive hard driving.

Come up with a budget you can afford and knock off $3,000 to allow some room for repairs after purchase. Trust me I know, my SVT is literally back in the shop again. Nothing sucks more than buying a used car within your budget only to have to spend money repairing it...
Click to expand...

How many miles on yours before things started going haywire?

I've been trouble free with exception of the O2 sensor going bad. Cleared the code and it hasn't come back. I've put about 6k on it, so it's at 61k.
 
:0 man, some of these are good. Stuff like the radio presets are borderline crazy but effective, indeed!

Unfortunately, I won't be able to put any of these to good use. Not me anyway. Due to time constraints there was a role change and the used car piece will be written bu someone else -_- while I'll do something on insurance. But I'll give these to the other guy, there are great tips in here.
 
Car insurance? Here in Mexico? Bro, that's going to be cool to read. :lol: What magazine do you work for? :)
 
Racedude
Car insurance? Here in Mexico? Bro, that's going to be cool to read. :lol: What magazine do you work for? :)
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hahaha, silence. It will all be oficial info so I'm not gonna invent anything.

I work for Automovil Panamericano and Maxi Tuning.... basically anything that Editorial Televisa whips out that has to do with cars has something by me in it.
 
Cano
hahaha, silence. It will all be oficial info so I'm not gonna invent anything.
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Yeah, I know. It's just that insurance here is either "It's cheap, almost no damage coverage and suggests totaled for hitting a stop sign." or "Good coverage and pays for repairs, but to pay us, you'll probably have to sell one of your lungs." so unless the gov makes it obligatory, few people will buy one, unless they frequent the US or have an expensive car. At least is like that in my region.

I work for Automovil Panamericano and Maxi Tuning.... basically anything that Editorial Televisa whips out that has to do with cars has something by me in it.
Click to expand...

Good. I'll look for that article. 👍
 
Adamgp
Never look at/buy a used car at night. Makes it very hard to see the puddles of oil, tranny fluid and coolant under the car.

A tip from the guys on Car Talk:

Check the radio presets. If it is all rap, hip hop and heavy metal the transmission is probably shot.
Click to expand...

And if there are no presets and the battery isn't brand-spanking new, then the electricals are shot.

-

I like the C-Pillar thing... that's a pretty quick and easy way to look for body damage. I mean, you can almost see the weld lines on my C-Pillar.
 
Might be a bit late, but always useful to share ideas:

Know the car - do research. Find out as much as you can about the make and model and related cars, for instance Skoda and Seat use VAG parts, Jaguar / Land Rover use PSA-Ford diesels etc. BMW 8 speed gearbox is the same ZF Box as Jaguar will be using etc. A Mazda 3, Volvo S40 and C30 are essentially a Ford Focus underneath.

Visit owners forums for real world experience, but remember they may be biased or unrepresentative. Use them as a guide only, not gospel.

Warranty - a long warranty is good, but check what it covers. They all have clauses in them.

Check the car out on Fuelly for real world, owners MPG figures. Manufacturers figures are not always as realistic.

Find out about the seller - some have dodgy reputations (Evans Halshaw) while others are good.

Check the service intervals and pricing - this is often overlooked. Does it need a service every 10k or 20k? How much are they? When does the cambelt need doing / has it been done?

Get an insurance quote first - don't want nasty surprises after buying the car.

Does the car have any finance outstanding or accident / theft history?

If possible, drive a similar model somewhere else and compare them. Might show up irregularities that you might have missed.

Check all electrics and toys thoroughly. These should all work perfectly every time.

Loose the salesman for a bit and look around alone. Take a friend for a second opinion. You might have already fallen for the car and need some objectivity.

Stick to the budget and walk away. Push hard for a deal and don't worry about offending them with a silly offer. Aim very low on your initial offer. Avoid giving away your actual budget for as long as possible.

Check the returns policy carefully. Even if you have bought the car, you may still be able to reject or return it.

Hope these are useful to someone!
 
Bones Brigade
How many miles on yours before things started going haywire?

I've been trouble free with exception of the O2 sensor going bad. Cleared the code and it hasn't come back. I've put about 6k on it, so it's at 61k.
Click to expand...

Sad thing is I've had it less than two years and have driven barely 6,000 miles per year on it. The previous owner really lacked routine maintenance and must of auto crossed the damn thing monthly.

62,xxx Factory car alarm went haywire. Cut it out and moved on. This was literally less than 24 hours after purchase...

63,xxx replaced the ignition cylinder (common issue). Had to be drilled out and replaced whole plus re-cutting a new key.

65,xxx Front calipers needed replacing.

68,xxx Needed basically a new transmission.

69,xxx Needed a new half shaft and something else I'm forgetting.

70,xxx Needs (haven't replaced) the shift bushing that apparently lives inside the transmission. Yup, that means a new transmission has to be installed and the old one sent back to Germany. Damn Getrag.

71,xxx Needed a new passenger front wheel berring, a new battery and the alternator is still dying.

72,4xx Oil pan gasket, power steering pump, needed spark plugs and the half shaft I didn't replace has a busted seal so that needs to be replaced too.



That's all that I can remember off the top of my head. There's more that needs to be replaced too...

*edit*
The good news is I have a stack of Ford Service receipts that will serve the next owner good since I replaced all this stuff and they won't have to.
 
Some of these have probably been stated, so I apoligise.



  • Know your budget.
  • Dont get drawn in above your means. You know what you 'need' and what you would 'like'.
  • Always view the car in clear weather, not dark or raining.
  • Try and make a surprise visit, to view the car.
  • Have a good walk round the car, and observe that all the panels have even gaps and are level with the adjoining panel.
  • Check the wheels and tyres for damage (lightly scuffed, not a problem, major dents and chunks missing, could indicate poor driving and problems elsewhere).
  • Check the engine bay, before starting it, the engine has to cold, if its warm, it will be harder for faults to show up (in general). The engine bay should be tidy, in relation to how old the car is. Look for newly changed items, new gaskets around the head etc... Pop open the fuse cover, and check that split pins or link wire havent been fitted.
  • You can check the engine bay for ancilliaries, air con, abs modulator etc, ready for the next bit.
  • Check the boot, lift up the carpet, and check for signs of repair, and toolkit and the spare.
  • Check all the seatbelts work, they click into their sockets and lock when tugged.
  • Make sure the runners on the front seats work, physically move the seat back and forth, (this could show up airbag pretensioner wiring faults).
  • Sit in the driver seat, does the steering wheel, match the mileage? Is it very very worn,but the car has only done 20,000 miles, if so walk away.
  • Remember what is fitted, airbag, abs etc, turn the ignition on (dont start the engine) and after several seconds these light should go out.
  • Pump the brake pedal several times, until it goes hard, this will empty the brake servo.
  • With your foot on the brake, start the engine, the pedal should sink slightly, this means the servo is working.
  • The engine should start quickly, observe the rear window for any signs of blue smoke (or have a friend look out for it). There may be an initial puff of white smoke, but dont worry, it should be condensation.
  • Ensure the engine idles smoothly and revs without hesitation.
  • You can check all the wipers, indicators, lights, horn etc at this point, before road testing.
  • On the road test, go through all gears, ensuring no notchy operation, listen out for a rumble or whine, if this noise gets louder the faster you go, it may be wheel bearings.
  • Ensure the steering is smooth, if it has power steering, make sure that at low speed, it is relatively effortless to turn the wheel.
  • When safe to do so, perform a brake test, ensuring the brakes dont pull to one side.
  • When the engine is up to temp, allow it to idle for a minute and blip the throttle, again look for blue smoke, if there is blue smoke, walk away, unless its a total bargain.
  • If there is a excessive amount of blue smoke its burning oil, white smoke water (coolant) or black indicates a fuelling problem.
  • When you finish, with the engine running in the same spot, check for signs of leaks.
  • Remember to trust your gut instinct, as mentioned if in doubt, dont buy it.

Hope these help
 

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