Choosing your new "used" car
So, you're looking to buy a used car. Buying a used car is a great way to save money, and if done right, it can be quite a pleasurable experience.
Bear in mind, that used cars come in all shapes and sizes. Technically, a car is considered "used" if it has been driven out of the showroom. This could be the case if it is a demo car or a test drive car. Often, such cars are available for much cheaper than their "new" counterparts, and are just as good, since they probably have not been driven so much and they would also have been well serviced. The downside is, that they are not cheap.
The advice I will give below will apply for
older models, typically aged between 5 to 10 years old:
1. Take a look around the car to look for dents / scratches. Try to position yourself so that you are looking at the car from this position in the photo on the right. This angle makes it simple to look for dents or waves in the panelwork. For example, the reflections off the door panels of this Toyota are nice and even, without bumps or waves. If the reflection is wavy or uneaven, it may indicate that the vehicle has been involved in accidents, or it may indicate the existence of rust underneath the paint.
Depending on your budget, you may choose to overlook some minor dents or scratches. However, besides from lower resale value you should be aware of the
underlying dangers beyond them. If the dented area looks like its been covered with fresh paint recently, it is possible that rust has built up underneath and the owner has attempted to cover it up with a bit of fresh paintwork. It may look fine now, but rust will appear within a year, if not checked. There have even been horror stories of
doors falling off while the vehicle is in motion. The cause? Rust buildup around the doors. If you see bubbly paints, it will most likely indicate the existence of rust underneath. If there is further rust damage, your car could
fly apart in a crash!!
Other places where rust is common: Around the tyre housing, door sills, around the tow hitch...
2. Look underneath the car for obvious fluid leaks, rust or damage to the chassis. In older cars, oil or other fluid leaks become common as seals and rubber components crack due to ageing (even more so in colder climates). Rubber components such as hoses are relatively cheap to replace; however, if there are
large oil stains on the driveway where the car has been parked, the wise choice will be to avoid going through with the purchase altogether, even if you don't mind topping up the oil every week, as the problem will only
worsen with time, and oil leaks are
expensive to fix completely. The process involves dismantling parts of the engine and replacing the seals.
In areas where winters are harsh, you would also need to check for salt damage to the chassis. In most countries, salt damage tend to be worse on the
passenger side of the car, since salt mixed with melted snow build up alongside the kerb, and when the cars drive through them, the tyres spray the salty water all over the chassis. Severe rust damage to the structure of the car will cause you to fail your next vehicle safety controll, so if you discover rust in those places, have them checked out by a
professional mechanic, preferably at a workshop where they have laser guided structure testing. If you suspect that the chassis have recently been given a fresh coating or filling, use a magnet to see if it sticks. If it doesn't, it probably indicates that the rusthole has been filled with filling. If so, do not purhcase.
3. Turn the engine on, and rev the engine to about 4500rpm (2500-3000rpm for diesels) for 10 seconds. Look for obvious smoke (steam in winter is ok), especially for diesel cars. Too much smoke (like in this photo) will indicate that the engine is not in a good condition, so avoid buying the car. Even if there is no smoke, it is still important to have it inspected by a professional mechanic. This is also a good time to inspect all the lights and indicators are working.
4. Look around the car again. But this time, take measurements of the panel gaps and compare them with the opposite side of the car. If the panel gaps are considerably smaller on one side of the car, then it probably indicates that the car has been involved in a crash on that side. It may have been nothing more than just a minor fender-bender; however in such a case it is best to look into the history of the car.
5. Look at the odometer of the car. Is it suspiciously low for a car of its age? It may just be that the car belonged to an elderly couple who kept it in the garage all the time and hardly used it. Or it could be that the odometer has been tampered with.
There are some parts of the car you can check to veryfy the authenticity of the odometer;
The doors. Open the driver's door wide and try to wriggle it up and down. If the door has up or down movements, the car is obviously not low-mileage.
The pedals: Look for unnatural level of wears in the pedals. If the rubber on the pedals seem suspiciously worn for the mileage of the car, the stated mileage is probably a lie.
The seats: Look for wear in the driver's seat. Again, in the case of a low mileage car, there should be little or no wear and tear.
The driver's carpet: Check for wear, making sure the material is consistent with the carpets in the rest of the car.
The seatbelt: In a low mileage car, there should be little or no wear in the driver's seatbelt. This is also a good opportunity to inspect that all the seatbelts have no significant wears or tears. Bear in mind, as the car ages, you will need to eventually replace the seatbelts, as you run the risk of them just ripping apart in an impact.
If there are high level of wear in any of those places, you should be suspicious of the car's stated mileage. It is important that you have it inspected by a professional mechanic. Tell him/her that you are considering to buy this car, but you suspect that the odometer has been tampered with. The mechanic can also look up the history to see if the recorded mileage match the actual distance travelled by the car.
6. Check the tyres for tread depth. For summer tyres, you should be able to fit a matchstick in the treads. If not, you will need to buy a new set of tyres. This could be used as a negotiation point of the price. You should also check that all the tyres have the same brand and design. Different tyre design on any of the four wheels may lead to the car getting into a dangerous skid under emergency braking.
Also, check the wheels. Are any bolts missing? In some cases with older cars, the bolt could just snap off while you drive, sending the tyre flying across 6 lanes of traffic (there are many videos on youtube of this happening, taken by dashcams) That is dangerous, not to mention bringing a lot of hassle to your motoring. If in doubt, renew the bolts on all four wheels when you purchase the car. Better to be on the safe side than to have one of your wheels fall off on the freeway!
During the test drive
1. Before you set off, check the steering. Take the wheel from lock to lock (ie, take it as far left as it would go, and turn as far right as it would go), listening for any noises coming from the power steering system. If you hear sounds similar to a broken fridge compressor, there is probably a leak in the power steering system.
2. Take the car gently through all the gears, taking note of any rattles and suspicious noises. It is also a good idea to take the car through some speed humps to test the shock absorbers for wear.
3. Testing the brakes; First, apply the brakes gently. How is the brake response? If you get any vibrations on your feet through the brake pedal, this probably means that the brake discs are warped and may need replacing. If the response is good with no vibrations, proceed to the next step.
4. When you are on a straight road with no other traffic, apply the brakes hard from, say 40km/h (25mph). When the wheels are not turned, does the car maintain a straight course, ie are the brake forces applied evenly in the left and right wheels?
Does the car pass the above tests? Then, probably you are buying a nice car that will get you around for some time. Still, it is important to
get it checked over by a mechanic to avoid any nasty surprises and unexpected expenditures in the future. But the chances are, if the car you are looking at does not pass your test, it is probably wise not to go through with the purchase. In which case, you would have saved yourself a lot of misery.
Good luck with choosing your new "used" car!!
Any requests or anything you want added to the post? Feel free to leave a comment below! If you have any sour experiences regarding your purchase of a used car, you can also share it with everyone.
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