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My favorite is tires. Tires that have been replaced one at a time show an owner who fixed things only when it broke. Look for perfectly matched tires, that were bought together and rotated. Or at least in pairs. And check for cupping, a sign of lack of alignment.
Also look for pristine back seats. Avoid a car that has transported children, who are generally destructive little monsters.
Oily leaks, frayed belts, cracked or split rad hoses, birds nest in the air intake box, battery post corrosion, and radiator with green corrosion drips on the core fins.
Interior. Seat covers with rips or stains. Brake pedal rubber pad worn on the left side, indicates a driver that "rides the brake pedal " with their left foot, causing premature wear of the brake pads and rotors. Stains on the door panels, or dash board. Dashboard that doesn't work, or has a engine check light permanently on . Steering wheel with worn rim, or cracked horn pad.
Exterior. Worn wiper blades, or wiper arms with soft spring arms. Lights that don't work, cracked or broken tail or signal lights. Broken mirror glass or missing mirror. Door dings, and broken front or rear bumper plastic parts. Trunk interior. Look for rust stains, signs of interior body panel repairs or welding after a rear end collision. Water leak lines around the trunk seals. Moldy smell may indicate a "flood zone car ".
Physical tests. Open all the doors. trunk and hood. Look at the door hinges for rust and or misalignment that may indicate poor body repairs after a collision. Shocks. Push down HARD on each corner of the body, and see how many times the suspension rebounds. Once down and up is the desired result. more movement may indicate worn shocks or struts. Pull the oil dip stick before you start the engine and LOOK at the oil level. Smell it, noting if it smells like gasoline, or if it has water bubbles in the oil. Remember that oil and water don't mix. Pull off the oil filler cap and look inside it. You are looking for a light or white coloured foam, which is not good. It indicates water in the oil system.
Now start the car and let it idle for at least 5 minutes. listen to it run. Note unusual sounds like tapping, rattles, or squeaks. Look at the exhaust pipe, looking for smoke or water dripping out of it. Smell the exhaust. looking for a oily smell, or black soot coming out of it. Go back to the engine and look for coolant leaks and feel the rad hoses for bulges and or loose clamps.
Drive it. Go at least 10 miles. Try to drive it over some train tracks, and rough road surfaces. Listen to the sounds it makes. Drive in a straight line at 40 mph and let go of the wheel and see if it drifts or pulls to one side or the other. Now do a straight ahead stop, fairly hard and note if it pulls to one side or the other. You just did a simple test of the brakes and the steering system. Back it up and listen for a drive line clunk when you shift into reverse. That indicates excessive play in the driveline linkage.
I know this sounds like too much effort, but remember it is YOUR money you are spending.
So how do I know all this ? 52 years of driving, and I used to be a buyer for a number of medium size used car dealers here in Toronto. In a average month I would look at around 150 cars and light trucks at the auction, and buy perhaps 30 percent of them.
Remove the oil cap and look down into the filler hole. Does it look clean or sludgy?
Any thing I do is open the gas door and see how nasty it looks inside. People who are meticulous with maintenance usually clean that area when washing the car, same with the door jambs.
Service records, service records, service records.
That, and getting a sense for how the car was driven. Highway commuter car vs city car. Boy racer. The odometer reading doesn't necessarily tell you how much wear the car has. It doesn't take much to recondition the car making the interior immaculate and removing the door dings.
Tires are also my first clue. Different brand and model tires all around is always a bad sign. I also check the oil and look down the oil fill hole. I then look the engine over real good top to bottom and look for missing bolts and sloppy/poor repair work and also yellow pen junk yard markings. If somebody put a used alternator or water pump from a junk yard on the car, it is a sign of cheap/poor maintenance and repairs. It doesn't mean I won't make them an offer if the car still seems to be in good condition and runs/drives well. It just influences the amount I will offer.
On a stick shift car at about 20 MPH in 3rd gear floor it and see if the clutch slips.
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