Inspecting Your Chosen Vehicle

Never inspect a car in a dark garage or at night. Preferably, bring it out into the daylight. Start by inspecting the sides of the car from a narrow angle. Look for signs of body work or paint jobs. Open and close the doors, hood, and the trunk. They should open and close easily. Check if the bumpers are in exactly the right position.

If you suspect that the vehicle has been repainted, always ask why. The car could have been involved in a crash. Look at the lights on the car. A cracked windshield or damaged reflectors may look trivial but can be expensive to fix.

Check the tires and the rims. Damaged rims can be an indication of careless driving. The tires should be the same type. Check for uneven wear--this could indicate poor alignment. If the car has very low kilometers on it, but it doesn't have the original tires, check to see if the odometer was altered. Ask the seller why the tires were changed. Many brands of tires can last up to 80,000 km.

Look if the car sags in any direction. Visually check if the springs are broken, use your flashlight. At the same time, see if any of the shock absorbers leak oil. Push down on the sides of the vehicle and if it moves up and down too easily it may need new shocks. Open the hood of the vehicle and check to see if any fluids are leaking (you may have to check from beneath the vehicle). Check the oil level and the color of the oil. It should be brown. If it is black, the oil has not been changed recently. If it is grey, there is water, coolant or some contamination - this could indicate a damaged cylinder head gasket, or a cracked engine block. This could be a very costly repair.

Take a good look inside the vehicle. Look in the corners to see if there is dirt. Check the seats for tears and stains. Look in the ashtray--if someone has smoked inside the vehicle it is difficult to get the smell out. Open the glove box and check the user manual and the repair history. The car should have received frequent oil changes and inspections. Adjust the seat and try the seat belts.

Start the engine. Try all electrical equipment - light, signal indicators, wipers, horn and so on. Malfunction on such devices may look trivial, but can be very expensive to fix.

Try the air-conditioner. Put it on maximum as this gives an indication of the capacity of the system.

When you drive the car, turn off the radio and listen for sounds from the transmission, especially when you release the accelerator. Drive both at slow and at high speeds. Try to accelerate hard. Brake hard to check that the car stays in a straight line. If you are driving on a straight smooth road and let go of the steering wheel, the car should still drive straight. Drive over bumps and listen for rattles. If the vehicle has a manual transmission, check to see if the clutch engages smoothly. When you are done with your test, you are in a much better position to beat down the price. If you find many defects, it is usually best to move on to another vehicle. There are plenty of used vehicles on the market, and you should be looking for the best vehicles on the market.