How important is getting a used car inspected

[Auggie]

Question - I was planning on purchasing a 2003 Ford Focus later today from an acquaintance.

I've been debating whether or not to get the car taken to a mechanic and inspected prior to making a purchase. I'm thinking about simply taking the car for a drive (maybe 10-15 miles, city roads and an interstate highway), in order to make sure everything is in good order.

I know for a fact that the seller of the car is "on his way up" - just got a new house, and is selling this Focus since he is planning on getting a new car, not because he has had, or is having, any problems with it.

So, I acknowledge that I may be taking a risk, since despite the fact that I know the owner has taken a very good approach to maintaining and servicing this car, there may be some major components that are on their way out that he does not know about.

But, suppose I take it to a mechanic for a $75-100 inspection, is a mechanic really going to be able to get some good insight on the state of the vehicle from just a few minutes of poking around under the hood?

I was planning on:

*checking the belts for wear
*checking under the hood and under the car for any obvious fluid leakages

Is there any other (easy) thing that I could do? Is a mechanic necessary?

 

[Gillbot]

If you are mechanically inclined, you can check it out yourself but it's always adviseable to get a professional opinion.

 

[BUTCH1]

I was going to but an older Cutlass but it was on a lot called "Quick auto sales".
Took it to a Mech. he put it on the lift and listened to the engine with a scope. "Don't
bother" he says, the bearings are making some noise, the motor is tired. Best $25
I ever spent..

 

[alkemyst]

IMHO
#1 thing to check is leaks properly...the owner usually has cleaned things up.

Next is a compression check

If these pass then check out all the electrical and throw a code reader on it. Make sure you get out of the cold loop so you can see all the readings.

A typical 'car shopper' asks to pop the hood, looks in and has no freaking idea what's he's looking for...the seller knows this. Usually they will pull the dipstick...look in the washer reservoir...open the air filter. Kick the tires for bonus points.

 

[jagec]

It sounds like you stand a pretty good chance of getting away without an inspection in this case....it's someone you know, whose motivation for selling you know, on a fairly new car. But I'd still at least get a mechanically-inclined friend to give it a once-over, as well as checking the net for common problems to watch out for on that model.