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| Buying a Used Car |
Don't Get Took!
When you plan to purchase a second hand car what do you look for?
By that I don’t mean what make of car, but what do can you do to ensure you don’t buy a heap of crap!
What follows is a short guide to try and swing things in your favour.
Although this guide is basic, it can help prevent making a costly mistake with a few simple checks.
So let’s start with the outside, simply take a while to look around the car (always check a car out in daylight!), look along the length of the car from both sides and check for any bumps or dips that might indicate repair work, check the windows for signs of paint, check the colour of the different panels are they all the same?
Any variation may indicate crash damage.
Check also the gaps between panels, this is also a good guide not only to crash or rust damage leading to the necessity of changing the panel but that the repair is sub standard. Using a magnet should help find large amounts of filler from poor repair jobs.
Check around the lights and trim for signs of rust, look to see if the aerial has been replaced. once you are satisfied the exterior looks alright push down hard on each corner to check the suspension.
The car should bounce straight back and then settle to its previous level immediately, if not the shocks are knackered.
Check for free play at the wheels by trying to move the tyres from side to side and then by grabbing the top of the wheel and pushing it back and forth. Free movement in any direction may indicate free play in the steering or a problem with the wheel bearings.
A quick check underneath can also give a good indication to condition of the car.
Look for leaks of any kind, look for caked on oil or grease indicating a long running problem, although it would be better to get the car up in the air you should still be able to make an assessment of some basic points.
Look for freshly painted underseal used maybe to disguise a rust problem or recent welding.
Moving to the interior, lift the carpets to check for rust, look around the trim and dash panel for signs of ill fitting, look at the general standard of the interior which should be indicative of the mileage on the clock.
A car that has had its mileage "clocked" to a large degree should be relatively easy to spot. The mileage and interior condition will simply not match up, if the car has not been "clocked" by much it may be harder to spot.
Check the seats for signs of wear, check the pedal rubbers, a car with low mileage should not show excessive wear on the seats or pedal rubbers, look at the gear knob and handbrake for signs of wear too.
Lift the bonnet, again start by having a long slow look around the engine bay, check for rust around suspension mounts, check for leaks especially looking for signs of smoking from the oil filler cap area.
Check the oil, on a regularly serviced car expect the oil to be golden and clear, thick black oil is likely to be a sign of problems to come.
Look also for signs of bubbles within the oil on the dipstick, this is never a good sign and is likely to indicate a blown head gasket, a further check is to remove the radiator cap and check it for sludge, this is usually caused by oil in the water which again is a BAD thing.
Check the pipes for splits or leaks and look at the underside of the bonnet for signs of overheating indicated by a brownish spray mark.
Start the car and check at the exhaust for signs of smoke, white smoke can be normal as it may indicate condensation on start up BUT if it is persistent and dripping it is more likely to be a blown head gasket, blue smoke indicates engine wear, black smoke is a sign of fuel problems, in a petrol engine it maybe a sign of too rich a mixture, in a diesel a sign of injector or fuel pump problem although it can also be caused by a blocked air filter.
Dip the clutch and listen for bearing noise that may appear with the clutch depressed, a sign of a worn thrust bearing in the clutch assembly, make sure the gears shift smoothly.
When you test drive the car, if it is a manual box, "accidentally" go from first gear to top gear, this can sometimes give a good indication of the clutch condition and if it is about to go you may well find it starting to slip by placing it under load like this.
Check the boot for signs of wear and of course check the spare tyre. You will of course need to check the lights, washers, hooters (if they are nice ask her for her phone number), and tyres.
Now I can’t promise this will make sure you don’t buy a wreck but it should tilt the odds in your favour and let’s face it every little ***** helps!!
Race ya
Billywizz
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