What's your used car checklist?

[monkeydelmagico]

Sold my car yesterday. Three dudes show up to look at it. One of them is a darn Wikipedia of information and proceeds to grill me on every possible option the car may, or may not, have. Posi or open diff? What rear gears? Disc or drum rear brakes? How does it drive/handle/brake/turn/fart/illuminate/etc. We stand there and jaw jack like a bunch of hens instead of looking at the car.

During this process I ask a couple times if the buyer wants to just test drive the car so they can get their own impressions. Finally go around the block. When we get back the buyer whips out the cash and we do the deal. Despite sounding like they knew what they were talking about not one of them ever even opened the hood to check out the motor nor bent down to even try to look underneath the car.

I can’t be the only person who goes through a checklist of items. What do you check on prior to buying a used car?

 

[Yuriman]

Off the top of my head, check for rust, look for fluid leaks and check fluid levels, look at oil color (a recent change can mask problems), visual of brakes + suspension + tires and easily visible bushings/mounts, interior inspection, check to make sure CEL & SRS light haven't been removed/disabled, see how it cold starts + drives, listen at shifts, note suspension feel, make sure gauge cluster is reading correctly, check for clutch slipping, check for exhaust leaks, give it time to warm up and open engine bay for visual and auditory inspection of warm engine, check lights.

Carfax history, ask about maintenance history and records.

EDIT: Oh, and ask about any modifications or non-stock parts. Those can be a huge red-flag.

 

[Kaido]

I just bring a car buddy with me & have them check it out on-site to make sure I'm not missing anything critical. But then, all of my used car purchases have always been under $4,000, so it's hard to be picky when your budget is small.

Selling a used car is the worst because you get lowballs or you get "experts" who want a cherry ride for no money. I said screw it on my last car and just traded it into the dealership for around bluebook value...swapped keys & left with a new car the same day, haha.

 

[kitatech]

Your price was too low...those guys only $aw $$$ign$....

As for that "check-list"....they were trying to impress you..."I know more about your car than you do"....

As for MY list...(every car is different, of course)....

Has to have a stick....and few mods, because I'm leery of other owners' use of and care/maintenance of cars.

Seller has maintenance records or dealer has "prep for sale" worksheet and willingness to let me take it to MY mechanic...because regardless of owner claims I want an independent opinion to offset any initial lust on my part...and the expectation that any repair needed immediately will be done before the sale (if a dealer) or price reduced to make the repair after the sale...

Miles: 12-15k miles/year

Clean outside and in with no serious tears/chips/cracks

I go TO the seller (not vice versa) so I can hear the car cold-start...and to check A/C efficiency (I'm in south Florida)....

My last 4 cars (350k miles over 20 years) came from dealers...just happened that way...so they all looked very clean, "prepped" by the dealers and inspected accordingly...the previous one had had a leaky rack/pinion box repaired for free before the sale...the current one needed a new windshield (replaced free before sale) and a lizard removed from a headlight housing...it also had had a new clutch (+master/slave cylinders), new battery and wipers and 2 new tires among other basic maintenance done...

 

[vshah]

all the basic stuff mentioned, plus I go on a model specific forum to get info on common failures/recalls etc to see if those are issues with the prospective car.

if possible, have a mechanic familiar with the car do a PPI
if not, have them on speed dial in case I come across something I'm not sure of.
I was down on NC looking at a car last fall, and the clutch pedal felt smooth when the car was off but rough when the car was running. I'd never felt that before so I called this guy up to ask his opinion. He confirmed my suspicion that no, it shouldn't feel like that, and I could be looking at a bunch of labor costs to fix or replace that clutch or hydraulics.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Your price was too low...those guys only $aw $$$ign$.......

Maybe. It was priced at the high side of kbb trade-in value. I bought it for $2600 two years ago and sold it for 3100 so I made my money off it. I don't like jacking around for months trying to sell so I may have left some meat on the bones. Not much though.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Maybe. It was priced at the high side of kbb trade-in value. I bought it for $2600 two years ago and sold it for 3100 so I made my money off it. I don't like jacking around for months trying to sell so I may have left some meat on the bones. Not much though.

What kind of car?

YMM?

 

[monkeydelmagico]

What kind of car?

YMM?

crown vic cop car

 

[Midwayman]

EDIT: Oh, and ask about any modifications or non-stock parts. Those can be a huge red-flag.

I've learned to ask if it ever has been modified in any way. I'm pretty sure I've bought a car that had stuff done to it, but had been returned to stock. Mostly. A non-stock resonator was on it and I hydrolocked the motor and had it replaced and it felt slower. I was pretty confident it had a set of mild cams in it afterwards.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Sold my car yesterday. Three dudes show up to look at it. One of them is a darn Wikipedia of information and proceeds to grill me on every possible option the car may, or may not, have. Posi or open diff? What rear gears? Disc or drum rear brakes? How does it drive/handle/brake/turn/fart/illuminate/etc. We stand there and jaw jack like a bunch of hens instead of looking at the car.

Probably the best indication that they don't know what they're looking at or looking for. I'd just tell them to look inside the wheels and figure it out.

I used to ask about what gears / open or LS diff, etc., close or wide ratio trans, etc. but I find too many people give a load of BS or don't know, so they guess. Now I just check tags and casting numbers. If they've put the parts in themselves, it's normally part of the ad or one of the first things they mention without me even asking.

Especially on modern cars, door tags will usually tell you everything you need to know. If it's been modified, the owner should be upfront about it.

 

[hanoverphist]

buying/ selling cars is really a poker game. the buyer is trying to find stuff wrong to lower the price, sellers are trying to show its better than others and worth more.

that said, ill do the info chat also, but ill look at the car while doing so. it tends to make it much less dreary. i check the interior, body for straightness/ signs of body work. also check the interior for signs of excessive wear or abuse. under the hood i look at the hoses, seals and accessories for how well they are maintained, as well as for leaks. ill check bushings for suspension, tires for unusual wear patterns. if i see new tires i assume it needs front end work. ill ask if they always park in the same spot and look under the car for spots. it may take a while to get through all that, and then ill talk about price. you can tell when people are just flipping a car and when they are getting rid of their problem vehicle with some conversation.

 

[Zivic]

one of my first questions is why are you selling? along with; Clean title? Clear title? and how many previous owners? these are questions i ask before going to physically look at the car.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

In addition to much of what's been said already I always bring a flashlight so I can really look closely underneath. Leaks, damage, and rust are much easier to find with a bright beam. I used to bring a magnet too. It helped me find the bondo. Now that I know what to look for I can usually spot body work and repairs.

 

[Meghan54]

I do like a lot of others have said but I also look for a matched set of decent tires. Cheap out on the tires and you're cheaping out on everything else, too, most likely.

Mismatched set.....not interested, either.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I haven't bought a used car in more than a decade but I have looked at a few.

Personally, my requirements are as follows, less than 15,000 miles, a year or two old, clean title, no accident history, dealer service history.

That's pretty much it.

 

[Tweak155]

I haven't bought a used car in more than a decade but I have looked at a few.

Personally, my requirements are as follows, less than 15,000 miles, a year or two old, clean title, no accident history, dealer service history.

That's pretty much it.

Taking a real risk there don't ya think?

 

[smackababy]

My check list for a used car is pretty simple.

1. Is it used?
2. If the answer to the question above is yes, don't buy it.

 

[Tweak155]

My check list for a used car is pretty simple.

1. Is it used?
2. If the answer to the question above is yes, don't buy it.

Bad checklist is bad.

 

[Zivic]

My check list for a used car is pretty simple.

1. Is it used?
2. If the answer to the question above is yes, don't buy it.

I've been to chicago area.... I've seen the drivers. No thanks on a used car out of that area

 

[Mide]

I've been to chicago area.... I've seen the drivers. No thanks on a used car out of that area

Or cali. Brake hard/accelerate hard.

 

[TridenT]

Boy, there is too much to list!

Check tire wear, check oil level (and color), check transmission fluid color and level, take off the radiator cap and check for color and particles floating to the top (might need to replace the radiator if it has orange flakes in it), look at the power steering fluid (color and level), check the brake fluid reservoir (level and color), check power steering/AC/alternator/other-accessory belt tension and wear level, examine the air filter, take off the spark plug wires and look for wear/damage/oil, ideally take out a spark plug or four/six/ten and examine but I'd usually not bother if everything else checks out (say, during the test drive it's fine), simple visual inspection of the disk brakes (with what you can see) and look for any visible damage or, if you can, wear, inspect the headlights for fogging up and test for functionality (rear lights, brake lights, turn signals, hazards, everything...), check condition of the windshield wipers and test whether they work and whether the windshield washer pump works and has fluid..., check the tailpipe and see if it's covered in black soot (running rich and/or cat possibly not working properly), inspect the trunk (check for jack, spare tire, and tools), inspect car seats thoroughly for wear and tear (make a note of any damage), check the carpet thoroughly, check that all the seats work (forward, back, recline, etc.), check that the seat BELTS work (very important!!!), do an overall inspection inside for interior damage that I can't list, check to see if the radio and other electronic functionality works, check the ashtray, make sure all the windows roll up and down, if there is a moonroof check that it works...

We haven't even started the car yet!

Start the car. If it's hot out, turn the AC on to max. If it's cold out, turn the heat on max. Time how long it takes when you're driving until it starts to work. Check that the instrument cluster works with the tachometer (if present). Immediately throw it into reverse/drive and start driving. Get up to at least 25mph and slam the brakes to a stop. (You need to know those work!) Also, go full throttle from a stop to at least 60mph. (Say a highway on ramp) You need to see if there's hesitation, power loss, and/or unusual noises through the rev range. That could indicate a lot of problems! (Problems that could get much worse as time goes on and be VERY expensive!) You cannot just sit in the car, in neutral, and rev the car to 7,000. It doesn't have the same effect as putting an actual load on it.

There's plenty more, but whatever...

Make sure you check that the parking brake works really well! Also, drive that car for at least 20+ minutes.

And then you can get into negotiations with the person.