Buying a 2nd hand car - any advice?

[mrmark]

I'm buying a 2nd hand car soon, probably either Japanese or German for reliability purposes.

Regarding the engine (or other parts) is there anything I should be aware of?

Any help on this subject is much appreciated.

 

[min0 lee]

Make sure it comes with an engine.

 

[mrmark]

Make sure it comes with an engine.

That's why I'm not using eBay. I was planning on using a dealer incase the car packs up.

 

[min0 lee]

Check the usual...oil leaks, rust, do a check on the Internet for the cars history.
Do a visual check on the cars exterior for body work. Let the engine warm up then take it for a test drive. Some cars show there troubles once they reach a certain temperature.

 

[LexusGS]

check for vin# tags on all the body panels to make sure it has a clean history cos sometimes reports are not made and carfax will not show you all you need to know.

 

[DOMS]

Invest $50 to $100 to have an expert look it over.

 

[Arnold]

it's also worth running a CarFax report on one that you are really interested in.

www.carfax.com

 

[mrmark]

Thanks everyone! The advice is much appreciated.

 

[mrmark]

I'll definitely get a background check done and I'm off next friday to try and 'hire' my trusted (i think) mechanic to look at a car I had in mind.

 

[min0 lee]

]trusted [/B](i think) mechanic

Now that's rare.

 

[Skate67]

Depending on where you live, check for rust around the wheel wells. Check the under carriage too.

Look at or test everything. By this i mean cupholders, windows, mirrors, spare tire. Check it all so there are no minor annoying surprises.

Ask if it has been in any accidents. Check the seams in the engine bay. It's pretty obvious when a car has been repaired from an accident.

Push down on the body over each wheel. If it "bounces" around quite a bit, the shock is done.

If you havent found any problems yet and youre going for a test drive accelerate fast, brake hard (not to be confused with bagging the fuck out of the car), wiggle the steering wheel back and forth to put stress on the suspension. Listen for odd sounds.

Take it for a mechanical inspection if you haven't found any problems and you are serious about buying it. The dealership is usually a decent bet.

 

[mrmark]

ST240 - that's really helpful.

thanks!

 

[largepkg]

Here is So Fla there is a company that charges $129 to come to you and do a full work up on the vehicle you're interested in.

It includes full diagnostic check on the engines computer, engine compression test, amongst many other things. I would NEVER purchase a used vehicle without this. $129 is more than worth the peace of mind. They also pull all online reports for the vehicle. They give a 30 day warranty on there services to back them up.

 

[mrmark]

largepkg - good idea. The AA does a similar thing in our country... costs ~£129. Still definitely worth it.