So you’re looking to buy a used car? Ha! Get ready for a price battle with the salesman for a car that may be a big pile of… metal.
Just kidding, you’re not on your own; we’re here to help you! Used car lots are often the best places to find great deals on cars or, depending on what part of town you live in, buy a fake passport. Usually, the salesmen have a high volume of cars coming in and out constantly. This makes used car lots the perfect place for you to find an underpriced diamond in the rough.
We’re not trying to insult you here. We know you’re going to look for the basics, check the tire treads, body for dents and windows for cracks. But, don’t you EVER buy a used car without also doing these simple checks first!
Check for Painted Over Rust
Some slimy car salesman grinds down the rust and paints over it; it’s the oldest trick in the book. Normally you could easily notice painted rust, but cars often start to rust in the most inconspicuous places. Check for rust:
- On the bottom of the door when it’s open – Water often pools here on cars
- Frame Rails – These run where you usually place the carjack. Rust on these may indicate that the entire frame itself has rust problems.
- The exhaust pipe and muffler – Replacing these can be costly.
- Wheel wells – Especially in snowy areas.
- Around and inside the gas cap.
- Also, look for bubbling paint – This usually indicates rust underneath the paint or a “paint over the rust” job.
Test Drive It
Okay, you were going to do this any way we know, but pay attention to the test drive! Turn off the radio and listen for ANY sounds coming from the front or rear tires. Bring a passenger and have them listen on their side as well. Some sounds can only be heard at certain speeds, so make sure you slowly get up to highway speed.
While you’re driving, let go of the wheel. Does the car go straight?
When you’re going fast or brake suddenly does the steering wheel shake?
If you notice any of these problems, you should be having second thoughts unless you’re willing to pay a lot for repairs. Either way, use them to talk down the salesman.
Check for Grooves in the Rotors
Kneel down and reach behind the tire to feel the rotors. They should be smooth and have no grooves in them. Also, there should not be any rust. Rust on a rotor usually means that the car has been sitting in the same place on the salesman’s lot for a long time. Replacing rotors is not that hard but knowing that the brake components need to be replaced might help you negotiate the price of the vehicle.
Hoses and Belts
This one won’t take long. Open the hood and check for any cracks on hoses and belts. Belts will work fine even when they’re in a shocking state of disrepair, but you can still use this to bargain for a lower price.
Remove the Oil Cap
And check for any foam or coolant, which indicates a gasket leak. The brightly colored coolant will always float to the top of the oil and be visible on the cap. If you see either of these, walk away.
Pull the Transmission Dipstick
Inspect the fluid in the transmission. It should be full and colored; usually a light red or dark pink. This fluid rarely needs to be replaced, so people often forget about it and let it turn a dark brown color. You don’t want that.
Check the Temperature Gauge
Most cars should run from 90-105 degrees Celsius, but you should find the exact running temperature of the car you’re looking at. Check this by turning on the Air Conditioning and driving the car around in stop and go traffic for at least 15 minutes. If it’s a hot day, you can even let it sit with the AC on.
Check for Body Repair
This is easiest on darker cars, but you can always tell when cars have had body repair, which usually means they’ve been in an accident. The shininess, color, or look of the paint might just be off or slightly different. Go over and inspect each panel individually, it doesn’t matter how dumb you look stroking the car doors!
Also, check that the gaps between panels are consistent in size. It’s extremely difficult to do this when repairing body panels, so it’s usually a dead giveaway.
There is so much more to look for when buying a used car and if you don’t feel comfortable, bring the car to a mechanic. But, these things here are so easy to do, there’s no excuse not to check them yourself!
Hi Chad ina
I bough a car 3 years ago from a very well none car dealership beginning with T. I gave the car a good once over good test drive all the tires same make bought the car told I could pick it up within the next 7 days when I went to pick it up I paid in full cash at the time it was raining so no time to look round the car so of we go home.2 days after looking round the car as weather had been bad I noticed one of the rear back tires not the same pattern and not as much tread as the rest on closer inspection different make so I had 3 tires with 6mm tread and 1 with 3 mm.Could I prove it no so I had to buy another tire.wont happen again as I will take photos.
There are so many things to check on a car before you buy it, it’s easy to forget one or two! Thankfully, a new tire isn’t too big of an expense! Just goes to show you that you can’t expect the dealership to point out any possible problems with the car.
Thanks for the comment!
I had a similar situation. But when I checked tyres a couple of days later. 4 yes 4 different makes!! Problem with a cheap sh car it isn’t worth the cost of a professional inspection. You could end up paying for several if cars are rejected
It depends — considering that a professional car inspection will usually cost nothing more than 1 hour of labor (so about what? $100 depending on where you live?), that cheap car would need to be really, really cheap for the inspection to not be worth it…
Even if you were buying a $1000 car (which by today’s standard is a car that’s barely running), you could still pay for 10 of those professional inspections and still come out a winner…
I would much better spend a hundred to know that the transmission is busted and not buy the car than saving that $100 only to realize you’ll need a $700 transmission in a week, no?
And we’re talking about a really really cheap used car here… If you are buying a $5-10K car, the inspection is even more crucial, and even more if you are not buying it cash… cuz then, you’d have to cover the monthly bill plus the new transmission.
Not mentioning that if you had started with an inspection, and known about the busted transmission before committing to the purchase, you would have then been able to negotiate the used car’s price lower pretty easily by bringing back the inspection report to the salesman…
I guess I did things somewhat backward but got very lucky.
I’ve had good luck buying 8-10-year-old cars/trucks when hopefully, they’re well maintained/preserved. At that age, they’re at about their lowest in depreciation but should still have many useful miles ahead.
My latest acquisition is a Jaguar XKR, 5.0 L, supercharged, 510hp. To mitigate the probability of rust, I found it in Arizona, and that turned out to be wise as the lightly used car is almost like new. The only potential problem was that I was in New York. I’ve done my share of knuckle-busting and know probably almost as much as most mechanics about a wide variety of foreign & domestic vehicles; however, my ownership & knowledge of older Jags has little to do with knowing anything about this modern computer on wheels.
I was and still am at a loss as to where to turn for competent help as I’ve yet to find anyone who’s brave enough to claim any proficiency in maintaining them, so I’m in for a steep learning curve. After getting lots of photos & assurances, I flew to Tucson & drove the car home without incident, with fingers crossed & credit card to cover the surprises that didn’t materialize.
My research beyond the usual oil & filter changes recommended that I should be suspicious of the transmission & valve timing parts. The parts store had the air filter but failed to mention that 2 were required, one for each bank of the V8. If that wasn’t funny, then finding out that installing them requires removing the front wheels and inner fenders was hilarious!
I got a transmission filter & fluid only to be told the fluid in the tranny must be at some narrow range of temp to drain & that I should make sure I can access the filler plug & be able to remove it before draining the carefully warmed old fluid. The “flooded” battery got me home & even a trip to N. Carolina & back. I was lucky that it was still under warranty when it told me to replace it with the newer tech AGM model & I only had to pay a slight difference for the upgrade. While it’s in winter hibernation, I may tackle the timing/tensioner replacement, but for the record, the motor currently runs exceptionally well & it’s even faster than I thought it would be. The return home from Arizona was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. No idea why I didn’t get nailed for (extreme) speeding(?)!
Rhetorical question: What if you can’t find a mechanic who knows about the car you’re interested in? With any luck, you’re no slouch yourself at generalities. I found a good price on a used 5.0L, 510hp Jaguar XKR in near excellent shape, but even dealership mechanics are reluctant to commit to assessing its roadworthiness due to the complex electronics. So far, I’ve been lucky as only routine preventative maintenance has kept the car running like new, but if it needs much more than the planned valve timing/tensioner mechanical replacement & tranny fluid/filter change, the dealerships say they have a 6-month backlog in their service departments, and they aren’t used to working on cars more than 8-9 years old(?) My 60 yr. old Jaguar Mark2 vintage race car with dry sump & triple dual choke Webers is less complex & I’ve only found one other person willing to help with the uncharted territory it presents, especially with the two-way adjustable shocks…
Yeah, I understand what you mean.
Having worked at various dealers in the last 15 years, I know for a fact that most of them will want to avoid working on old cars — and for good reasons. Dealer technicians are simply not trained to work on older models since the manufacturer usually doesn’t provide training for vehicles that don’t get through the doors every month.
Working on older cars also means they might occupy the bay for longer, parts might need to be ordered from abroad, and so on; simply not worth it for a dealer who basically wants cars to come in and get out as fast as possible.
(Not saying that none of the techs have the skills to do it here… but they are not the ones choosing what the dealer allows them to work on…)
So, in this case, if you are a bit handy and know your way around tools and cars, your best bet would probably be to take the matter into your own hands and fix it yourself.
If needed, we have a repair manual for your Jaguar XKR — have a look here: Jaguar XKR Service & Repair Manuals
Being able to rely on a good repair manual will really go a long way, no matter your current skill level. If you are not that confident about fixing your own car, your other option would be to find an independent specializing in Jaguar vehicles.
They are not that easy to find tho, especially when it comes to older models, and when you can find one, they usually won’t come cheap.
So if you ask me, your best solution is still to get a repair manual and do everything you can on your own so you can keep the repair shop at bay as much as possible.
Good points to look for