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You have to have the expertise to actually inspect the car and determine condition. If you can't do it, hire someone who can. Although to paraphrase Yogi Berra, sometimes you can observe a lot, just by looking. Look at the paint, is it uniform, all one tone, do the panels line up right all over? What is the interior like?
History is whatever documentation the seller offers. I am more interested in looking at the car, driving it and see how it feels.
I would suggest concentrating your inspection on things that are damn near impossible to fix (body rust, badly bent) or expensive to fix (engine, transmission) and don't obsess over the condition of wear parts (tires, brake pads/shoes) or discrete issues (needs a muffler, a burnt-out headlight bulb). Don't pay a price for a car that's ready to go for one that needs tires, but, if you drive it a while, it will need tires from time to time. I would rather see 4 uniformly worn tires near the end of their service life, this confirms that the suspension is straight, than 4 new cheap tires.
You can't get a 100% perfect report on the condition of the car. Driving it, doing a visual inspection, getting shop records, getting a carfax and getting either a reputable mechanic or a dealership to do a used car inspection will get you close to around ~90%. Keep in mind that a private purchase is a ASIS sale. Once you trade funds for title all issues are yours and there is no backsies. Also keep in the back of your mind, that whenever they decided they didn't want the car anymore they may have done minimal maintenance or none at all ( I usually keep the number of $2000 in my mind for what might show up within the following few months).
One thing to keep in mind, listen to your subliminal mind ("gut"). Your brain will process all sorts of information below the conscious level.
My point is, if a car does not "feel right" or for whatever reason you don't want to buy it, but you can't articulate why - just don't buy it. You don't have to articulate to the seller, a salesman, or even yourself why you don't like the car. You just don't like it.
It's OK to let a few good ones get away, in order to avoid buying one bad one.
One thing to keep in mind, listen to your subliminal mind ("gut"). Your brain will process all sorts of information below the conscious level.
My point is, if a car does not "feel right" or for whatever reason you don't want to buy it, but you can't articulate why - just don't buy it. You don't have to articulate to the seller, a salesman, or even yourself why you don't like the car. You just don't like it.
It's OK to let a few good ones get away, in order to avoid buying one bad one.
there is arcane way of doing same.
Find a car you "like", take a pic of it and print it.
Somewhere in privacy, place on the floor. Take wedding band or a simple, no stones, golden ring. Tie thread long enough to hang it about inch over the pic from your fingertips, elbow at 90 degrees.
let ring calm over the pic. Close eyes and concentrate on one thought - Is this good purchase for me? Think it non stop for maybe a minute. open eyes and look down. If ring spins side to side, it's a NO. If it spins in circle, it's a YES.
You can check foods this way too - if they are good for you or not.
You do not have to believe this. Simply listen to the answer. It actually works.
Any used car is a gamble even if you know what to look for. I bought a used car and the starter went a went a few weeks after I got it, absolutely no one could predict that. When I buy a used car the most important thing I'm looking for is the condition of the body, you can't fix rust. Everything else can be fixed and since I can do it myself cheaply. Last car I bought had engine problems and I ended up dropping another one it. It was well worth it because I got a really good price and the body on that car was in outstanding condition.
Look on the bottom edge of the doors both inside and out, corners of the wheel wells etc. Basically any edges near the ground in particular corners. If you see paint bubbling it's only going to be a few years before it's a hole. Look underneath the car. If you are anywhere they use road salt and it's an older car you can expect to find some rust. What you are looking for is major corrosion or holes.
Tell them you do not want the car started before you get there, if the hood is warm when you get there walk away. Look for major leaks etc. This is where things become problematic because one used car I looked at was leaking transmission fluid, it was $5 part and 15 minutes work... You could end up walking way from a good car over something minor.
Does everything work in the car? Lights on the dashboard, courtesy lights, etc? One of the things that is important about this is those things begin to break down on older cars, if everything in the car works it may be indicator the person was taking care of it and getting things fixed.
You can can find nice used cars but it's time consuming. I avoid the dealers and look on CL. Look for cars in better neighborhoods, single owner that is middle aged or older. Those are more likely to have been taken care of well.
When I sold my last car to an individual buyer, I showed her the complete maintenance history that I had kept in a notebook. It included all the receipts. I told her about the car's strengths and weaknesses and I showed her which maintenance items needed to be done next.
Ultimately, you will be judging the seller. Try to buy a car from the original owner who has maintained it well. You will need to judge their character. Have them verify maintenance. Decide for yourself if they are just blowing smoke.
Good Luck.
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