About 'buying used cars online'|How to Sell Used Car? - What's Your Question?
Most used car buying guides or articles are for people buying nice, good condition used cars. This article is for people who have about $1000 to $3000 to spend, need a car NOW, but don't want to make a BIG mistake. In todays economy likely more people are going to find themselves in this position. When you are stuck buying a really used car, it can be difficult to tell which car is a good buy and which is a money pit. Here are some notes to help you consider your purchase. If you are selling a used car, these notes can help you understand how buyers will see your car. GENERAL NOTES 1. Don't panic buy! Take your time and search out a good deal and the right car for you. Remember, you can take the bus a few more days while you find the right car. 2. You're not going to find a perfect car for $1000.00. 3. You're not buying a car for resale, you are buying a car to haul your body to work! Don't worry about its resale value, if you're paying a $1000.00 for it, it has no resale value. Buy what you need. 4. Don't buy a car from a friend! That's always a bad deal! The only "help" happening in this kind of deal is that your friend is getting rid of a problem and now you're stuck with it! Don't buy from a friend! 5. Check the car out yourself, or take it to a good mechanic. It can save you a ton of money if you have it evaluated by a professional. It's worth the cost to have it looked at! If you can't afford the mechanic route, there are some helpful notes in this article to help you decide. 6. It's okay to buy a car that needs repairs, provided that you WANT to invest in that specific car and can either make the repairs yourself or have a good mechanic make the repairs for you. 7. Don't buy something that has problems that prevent you from driving it daily, unless you want a project. 8. It's okay to buy a car with some body damage, provided the air bags have not been deployed and nearly everything works on the car. Be careful that all the safety features (seat belts, lights, brakes) still work. 9. Do your homework and check out the make and model online, for typical problems, recalls, economy etc. You can find lots of info on car forums too. 10. Be prepared. Take a couple of rags with you when you go to look at a used car and wear clothing that can get dirty. You are going to get dirty when you check out a used car. 11. Take with you, someone who's opinion you trust, to give you a more objective opinion of the car. CARE OF THE CAR 1. Does the car look like anyone cared about it? Did they wash it, clean it out, is the interior in good condition, if not, don't buy it. If they didn't take care of the appearance, likely they didn't care of the maintenance either. 2. Is the dash board messed up? (Other than the radio and speakers) Are things broken or are wires hanging out. Don't buy the car. Electrical troubles are the worst! 3. Is the interior badly neglected or abused? This car has had a hard life. You can find a better car. HISTORY 1. How many people have own it? Cars owned by one owner usually have better care because they were purchase new and kept up. It was somebody's "baby". Try to find a car that hasn't changed hands too many times. 2. Why is the person is selling it? Ask why they are selling it. People try to lie if they are getting rid of it because it has developed a problem. So try to push them to tell you the truth about why they want to get rid of it. Remember, its okay to buy something with a problem that you are willing to repair. 3. What were the most recent repairs? The most recent repairs done will help you understand if the person is keeping the car up, what condition it is currently in and whether you are facing a bunch more repairs because the car is starting to fall apart. If they just did a whole lot of repairs, likely they are scared the car is starting to fall apart and they want to get rid of it now. This situation could go either way for you. The car may be great now, or it may fall apart. You may want your mechanic to look at the car. 4. What still needs to be repaired? This is usually the reason they are getting rid of it. 5. How many miles does it already have on it? If you're looking for a specific make and model of car, do your home work and see what total milage that car is good for in its life time. Also look for what kind of gas milage to expect, and were there any recalls for that car that year. 6. What kind of gas milage does it get? Are you willing to deal with its milage limitations? CHECKING OUT THE CAR - ENGINE OFF 1. Make sure the doors, hood and trunk latch correctly. Open and close everything! Make sure all locks work. Ask yourself, do you want to deal what's broken? If you don't care, keep looking. 2. Make sure all exterior lights work, headlights, tail lights, brake and backup lights. The key will likely have to be in the "on" position for you to check the lights. Check out the seat belts too. 3. Find out what works! While you are at it, look at EVERYTHING to find out what works, what's missing or what has fallen off the car. 4. Check out the brake system. Look under the front and back of the car. Look at the back of each wheel. You are looking for any wetness on the metal part of the back of each wheel. Leaky brakes and axels will show up wet on the back of the wheels. Touch and smell any fluid you find. Does it smell like brake fluid or gear oil? That will tell you what's leaking. The brake or axel. Both can be costly repairs. No need to look at that car further if you can't deal with either of those problems and the car has them. 5. Check out the pedals. Step on the brake pedal and the clutch pedal (if it has one). How do the pedals feel? Solid or spongy? Do the pedals go to the floor? Bad sign. You are looking for a solid feel to the brake. And a clutch that feels like it is disengaging (has resistance) when you push it in. If not, you should probably walk away from this car, you won't be driving it safely. It doesn't matter how fast a car goes if it won't stop! And it isn't going anywhere if it can't shift! Brakes and clutch are not difficult to repair, but they can get expensive. If you don't know how to repair them, or don't have the money, walk away. This is a bad match for you. 6. Check the ground under the engine and transmission area. Is there any fluid leaking? Brownish is engine oil and red is automatic transmission (usually). Again touch it and smell it. Which is it? Leaks can be a little thing like a valve cover gasket or pan gasket, or they can indicate something a lot more expensive. You will have to look at the engine to figure out where the oil is coming from. If the entire engine or an area of the engine is covered in oil, is it brownish and crusty, or blackish and damp, or very very wet and gritty? Brownish and crusty is the slowest leak. Very wet and gritty is the fastest leak and need attention right away! Most cars with higher milage will have some place with a leak that is brown or black. If the car you are looking at has NO more than just a few drops of oil on the ground under where it has been sitting for at least a day, you are probably okay. That would be normal for an older car. If you find that the back bumper or rear window of the car is suspiciously oily, you have a massive engine or transmission leak and need to stay away from that car! CHECK OUT THE ENGINE - HOOD UP, ENGINE OFF 1. Check the battery, connections, and cables. These things are inexpensive to replace. Often a used car will need a battery, just expect to replace it and at least one or both cables. You should reserve about $100.00 for a cheep battery, a cable or two and gas to get home. When checking out the existing battery and cables, you are looking for excessive corrosion, burn marks or evidence of tampering with the battery cables. Has someone added wires? Often one extra wire will be added for a stereo or hoist to run off the battery and that's okay. More than that, you should start questioning the situation. I don't like to deal with cars where the owner messed around with the electrical system. So if it looks like someone is messing around with the electrical system, you should be very weary of that car. If you see evidence of burned electrical wires anywhere on the car, unless you know about automobile electrical systems, leave immediately! 2. Check the oil. Pull out the dipstick and look at the oil level, color and smell. If it's low, this indicates a leak or that the car is burning oil and that the current owner didn't fill it recently. Be aware. Oil should be light brown and smell like oil, maybe a bit used, but still like oil. If it smells burned or has black particles in it, leave immediately you are done looking at this car. If you see water in the oil, or a whitish sludge, leave, the head gasket is blown. If the oil smells strong of gasoline and feels kind of gritty like a solvent, somehow gas is getting into the oil. Leave now, that engine is about to gasp its last breath. 3. Check the automatic transmission oil. If it has an automatic transmission, pull out the dip stick. It should smell like transmission oil. Again, if it smells burned or has shiny flecks in it, the trans is bad or is going out. Its time for you to go home. 4. Check the water system. If possible, take off the radiator cap and look inside the radiator. There should be water and coolant. If you see white scum or oil, the head gasket is blown, leave. If you see rust, the engine has not had good care, be careful. Check the outside of the radiator for any rust, crusty build up or marks that shouldn't be there. Any odd marks on the radiator may indicate a leak. Replacing a radiator is usually $300.00 and up. Is that a repair you are okay with making to this car? 5. Check the radiator hoses next. Feel them to see if they feel bulgy and spongy in an area. It won't feel like the rest of the hose. Replacing the radiator hoses is getting harder to do on todays engines. It can be less than $100.00 if you do it yourself and could run more if you have someone replace them for you. 6. Check all the other rubber hoses. Follow them with your eyes. This may take a while. Cracked hoses or hoses covered in oil will have to be replaced soon! You may be able to replace most of them yourself. Cracked and leaky hoses will affect the way your car runs and will likely prevent it from passing its smog test. 7. Check the fan/pulley belts if you can get to them. They should be somewhat snug with no fraying. They are usually inexpensive to replace. 8. Check all 4 tires for wear. They should be wearing evenly over the whole surface of the tread. You may see odd wear on the back tires, but likely they were switched from the front and the wear is from being on the front of the car. If the tires are wearing mostly only on the inside, or only on outside edges of the tread area, the car has a front end alignment problem and you need to decide if you want to deal with having that repaired at some future date. It can be as simple as an adjustment, or it can cost hundreds to get it repaired. Have your mechanic check it out before you buy. 9. Does the front or back of the car sag or look unusually low. If so, question the seller, you could be buying big trouble if the springs or spring mounts are bad. Don't worry about shock absorbers at this time, they only keep the car from bouncing too much and they can be replaced at any time. ENGINE - ON 1. Start the engine. The engine should run strong and even. No obvious extra sounds. If you hear squeaking, it is likely a pulley that needs lubrication or replacing. If you hear something that sounds like marbles in a tin can, the water pump is going out. Not good! It will have to be replaced IMMEDIATELY. 2. Does it knock? If you hear knocking, sit in the front seat and put your feet flat on the floor board. If you feel the knock in your feet, the engine is goner, leave now. The crank shaft bearings are shot. If you do NOT feel the knock in your feet, the knock is coming from the valves or lifters and may indicate the need for a valve adjustment. A common maintenance procedure. It will not prevent the car from running, but will need to be fixed before the car can be smogged. 3. Does the idle go up and down? If the idle of the engine goes up and down, that can indicate a vacuum line leaking or an engine sensor that needs replacing. Usually not too expensive. 4. Does it smoke? With the engine running, take the oil fill cap off the valve cover. If smoke comes out, the rings or valves are shot and you need to leave now. It will be an expensive repair and perhaps a complete engine rebuild. 5. Check the tail pipe. With the engine running, go to the tail pipe and stand there and smell it. Yes I did say that. If it burns in your eyes and throat, it has a vacuum leak in the motor, often a simple fix but time consuming trying to find it. It will not pass smog with this problem. If the exhaust smells of gasoline and the tail pipe looks black, the engine is running too rich and will need an adjustment. It may or may not pass smog. Likely you will need to replace the spark plugs as well. If it smells like any other car with a catalytic converter, it is probably fine. DRIVING THE CAR 1. Drive safely, this is someone elses car! Don't take chances!!!!! 2. How does it feel? Pay attention to the "feel" of the car and the handling. Do you like it? Do you feel safe? Does it make weird noises? 3. Test the brakes. Try applying the brake very fast and see how the car responds. If it stops quickly - good. If it takes a long time to stop, you will need to have the brakes repaired soon! This can be expensive. 4. Test the acceleration. Try to accelerate quickly from a stop, a couple hundred feet is more than enough distance for this test. It should accelerate nicely, if not, you are looking at some adjustments or repairs. If it sputters and dies - this is not a good sign. It could be simple, it could be a big problem. Have a mechanic look at it before you buy if you just gotta have THIS car. 5. Test the steering. Try turning a fairly tight circle in an empty parking lot. Turn both directions. You don't need to go fast, you just need room to complete the turn. This will show up power steering squeaks, clunks in the steering linkage, as well as help you determine if you like the feel of this car. Note that cars with rack and pinion steering don't have as tight a turning radius as cars with a steering box. Can you live with the way this car turns? FINAL NOTES 1. If something doesn't look or feel right with the car you're trying to buy, question the owner. If you don't like the answer, don't buy the car. 2. Excuse yourself from a car with problems that you don't want to fix. Just tell the owner you want to think about the car. If he tells you he has someone else coming to look at it and you need to decide now, just say "no thanks" and walk away. You don't need trouble, another car will come along. 3. Buying a car shouldn't hurt, if it does, maybe you are buying the wrong car! I'm sure there's much more that can be shared about buying a used car, but this should be enough to help you consider the used cars you're looking at. Good luck and enjoy your new car! |
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