Buying
Used Car Buying Checklist
So you’re thinking about buying a used car. We’re here to guide you through this purchase pleasing experience with our used car shopping checklist.
When considering a particular used car, these are things to check that are generally universal for most automobiles:
- First check the vehicles tires to see if they are wearing evenly on all sides. Vehicles that have been in serious accidents or have frame damage usually show signs of uneven wear on their tires. If a vehicles tires are wearing evenly, it’s a good indication that the vehicle has a stable frame and should be a smooth rider.
- Most people check the oil dipstick of a vehicle but they are not sure what they are really looking for. Call it a car buying habit so to speak, but let’s know what to look for. When you check a vehicles oil dipstick, look for clean (golden brown) oil. If you see clean oil at it’s proper level then the owner probably does frequent oil changes or takes good car of the vehicle. If the oil is very dirty or black, this may indicate that oil changes have not been a priority to the driver. Also, it is important to make sure their is no white substance mixing with the oil. Water that mixes with oil indicates major problems. If you see water in the oil or any white gook type characteristics there could be head gasket issues. In any event, look for fairly clean oil at or near its proper level which is indicated on the dip stick.
- If possible, check the vehicle in the morning or early hours before the vehicle has been started or driven. At this point you can open the radiator cap and inspect the color of the coolant and it’s level. To indicate no leaks, the fluid should be near the top. You’ll also want o see a green colored liquid in most vehicles which would indicate fairly clean antifreeze. Brown or dirty antifreeze will indicate a vehicle in need of a coolant flush. An empty radiator could indicate a leaky system when under pressure. Whatever you do, do not open a radiator cap when a vehicle is warm or you can get severely burned with high pressure fluid.
- Start the vehicle for inspection of the motor. Listen carefully to ensure there is no knocking or pinging noises coming from the engine compartment. Do this while idling and gently accelerating the gas pedal.
- Open the hood if you have not done so already and check the transmission fluid. Transmission fluid needs to be checked when a vehicle is warm or has been running for at least 10 to 15 minuets. When transmission fluid is clean it is red in color. If the color of the fluid is brown or burnt looking, this indicates that the vehicle is overdue for a fluid change. This is not ideal when inspecting a used car for purchase, since it may indicate that the vehicle’s general maintenance has been neglected. Further, you should check that there is no fine metal type dust in the transmission fluid. If there are tiny metal shavings in the fluid, this indicates that the transmission itself is worn and will most likely need to be replaced or rebuilt in the near future – a major expense.
- Check underneath the vehicle. By looking beneath the vehicle while the motor is running, you will be able to see if there are any fluids leaking. Also, check the ground underneath and around the vehicle, as well as the underside of the vehicle for fluids. While the vehicle may not actually be dripping as you watch, fluids may have stained the ground or may be streaming on the metal undercoating.
- Make sure you test drive the vehicle. It is important to drive the vehicle at least to the speed of 55 miles per hour to ensure that the front end handles well at high speeds and that the transmission shifts into all gears. All too often, a used car buyer will test drive a vehicle around the block, only to discover after the purchase, that the transmission does not shift into overdrive (its highway gears). If you’re a serious buyer, the seller should have no problem with you test driving the car on a highway. many vehicles with early transmission trouble signs loose their overdrive gear first.
- Check the speedometer and odometer. While test driving the vehicle, make certain that the speedometer works correctly and that the odometer is registering the distance you are driving. Needless to say, it would not be pleasant to discover that the car you just bought, with 50,000 miles on it, does not have a correctly working odometer.
- If the vehicle is a four-wheel drive vehicle, put it in four-wheel drive!
- Make sure the vehicle’s inspection sticker is current or that it has expired very recently. It is possible that the vehicle is being sold because it will not pass the state inspection. Once you purchase the car, you also purchase the inspection problem.
- Check to make sure all the vehicles gauges are operating within their normal ranges.
- Check the suspension. While test driving the vehicle, look for a bumpy road or an irregular section of pavement and see how the suspension handles.
- After the test drive, park the vehicle, turn it off and then restart it. You want to make sure this vehicle starts up correctly every time – especially when it’s warm.
- Check all electrical controls (i.e., lights, heat, air, windows, locks, seats, etc.). For those who do wish to take extra precautions, do both of the checks listed below:
(1) Run a CarFax report on a vehicle to ensure that the historical records on the car are clean. You do not want to purchase a stolen vehicle. Nor do you want to purchase a vehicle that had 80,000 miles on it two years ago, but now miraculously has only 45,000. This step is not foolproof, but for the most part, CarFax reports are as accurate as you can obtain.
(2) Go to your local dealer/manufacturer and ask them to tell you if there are any recalls on the make and model of the vehicle. Dealers keep records on the cars they service. Example: If a customer brings a Ford into a Ford dealer to be serviced, Ford keeps a record of this. You can actually see what the mileage was on the vehicle the last time it was serviced (provided that the vehicle was dealer serviced at one time).
You will be able to ensure that the vehicle’s mileage is not less then they have on record. You would not be the first victim of an odometer rollback. This happens more frequently than you may think, so to be safe when purchasing a vehicle, you should check with your local dealer about its service history. There are no guarantees in life, but if a vehicle passes this checklist, then it’s probably safe to assume that any problems with the car are minor.
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