Buying a used car - basic things to check?

[eavega]

Hi all. So, I am having to buy myself some emergency transportation. I have a repair matter involving my everyday driver (2006 Mazda 3, still under warranty, mind you) where through a dealer service dept mistake and failure of the low oil pressure indicator, the engine is toast. $6K to replace and nobody is taking responsibility, so its off to court I go. Problem is, that can be up to a 4 or 5 month process. I need to get back and forth to work and home in the meantime. After carefully weighing all my options (renting, lease takeover, fixing car) the best solution to minimize my out-of-pocket is to buy a beater car (budget of $1000) and use it until this settles out. When its all said and done I'll either sell the beater car or donate it and take the tax deduction (actually there is one more option; If I can find the right vehicle, it will become my towing vehicle to pull my boat and possibly a small camper some time in the future).
Now, I am not a mechanic or even someone who tinkers a lot with motors. I do my own basic maintenance (change oil, air filter, light bulbs, etc) on my cars but thats about it. I've learned how to work with outboard motors through this site, but car engines are a different animal.
My question is, similar to what we look for in a used outboard motor (foot oil, compression, spark, overall appearance, not locked up, etc) can you all give me some guidelines of what to look for in a less-than-pristine vehicle that may indicate that I'd be inheriting someones problem? I have my eye on a 94 Jeep Cherokee that seems to be in very decent conditions and I am going to meet the seller tomorrow. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated

Rgds

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

Find the car/truck then take it to a local garage for an inspection. Most shops and dealers will do it for a round 50 bucks and then you have a paper to either take back and show the person/dealer that is selling it to take price or you know to walk away.
The third party has no interest in it so will give you an unbiased opinion.

 

[BF]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

It amazes me how sometimes people buy a car without checking the basics... So, at least pull the dipsticks and look at the fluids... filthy oil shows lack of maintenance... frothy milkshake is antifreeze mixed in (bad head gasket), tranny fluid shouldn't be brown or have a burnt smell, pop the rad cap and make sure it looks good (no obvious oil)... For buying an old cheap car, IMHO you are much better off buying privately where you get to talk to the previous owner than buying off some small corner lot. People's problems often end up on some corner lot I think. From the previous owner, you can at least find out how long they owned it, and what's been done lately. If you find someone with all the receipts for maintenance things tucked away, that's the best case scenario... Front wheel drive things with heavy trailer hitches should be avoided (tranny prob's looming)... Also if front wheel drive, on the test drive make sure to go to a parking lot and do some slow turns at full turns (both directions) if CV joints are bad, you should hear clicking/clunking at tight turns.

Make sure check engine and ABS lights illuminate when key is turned on, (make sure no one pulled the bulbs out to get rid of the pesky light before selling).

Try everything!! windshield wipers/washer, turn signals, power windows/locks, cruise etc etc. Surprising how often people forget to tell you the locks don't work etc, when you asked if everything works... answer was "yup". Parking brakes are especially bad... often sieze on old cars, ask if it works, if answer is yes, try it before you buy the car....

Look for blue smoke on start up, and remnants of blackish smoke residue on tailpipe and on bumper around tailpipe.. that can tell you if it's burning oil... White smoke on startup is antifreeze leak into cylinder (propably either head gasket, or intake gasket on GM)

If you're really keen, bring a small floor jack and you can pop the front wheels off to feel for play in tie rod ends and/or ball joints... I usually just assume it will need something and figure to do that at home after I buy whatever vehicle it is...

I think (?) that's about it... the usual test drive stuff... put one set of wheels on gravel and brake to make sure ABS works if so equipped.... also lightly apply the brakes to see if you feel the pulsing of a warped rotor etc... Watch for any steering pulls....

yup.. I've bought the odd used vehicle.

 

[eavega]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

don't worry. My expectations are realistic. If it ain't smoking or leaking excessively or making terrible tortured noises, its a go, but at least with some basic checks I am going into it with my eyes open, and I can negotiate from a position of knowledge.

-E

 

[jkust]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

I would say really warm it up well and drive it for an extended period. I once found such a good deal on a car but showed up right after someone else that I only tested it for like a mile. I needed a car bad since the alotted time I had to use the rental due to my car being totaled was ending. The brakes wore out on the drive home since I bought it as fast as the other guy decided not to buy it and left. Something I would have noticed if I hadn't been in such a hurry and drove it longer. It was still a good deal and took 4 or 5 years more for that model to come down to the price I paid and frankly I am still driving the car daily 7 years later but none the less it was stupid and could have had much bigger issues. I don't see to many $1000 cars around these parts in MN since they would have rusted out a long time ago. I suppose I haven't really looked either though.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

For $1000 you aren't going to be buying a low milage car in good shape, accept it.

Mostly true, but there are exceptions...2 years ago, I bought this Mercedes for 1000 bucks. 85k miles on it, garage kept, never in the snow, senior citizen owned. Really nice inside and out. I've put 18k miles of smiles on it. You just gotta be in the right place at the right time.

 

[642mx]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

It amazes me how sometimes people buy a car without checking the basics... So, at least pull the dipsticks and look at the fluids... filthy oil shows lack of maintenance... frothy milkshake is antifreeze mixed in (bad head gasket), tranny fluid shouldn't be brown or have a burnt smell, pop the rad cap and make sure it looks good (no obvious oil)... For buying an old cheap car, IMHO you are much better off buying privately where you get to talk to the previous owner than buying off some small corner lot. People's problems often end up on some corner lot I think. From the previous owner, you can at least find out how long they owned it, and what's been done lately. If you find someone with all the receipts for maintenance things tucked away, that's the best case scenario... Front wheel drive things with heavy trailer hitches should be avoided (tranny prob's looming)... Also if front wheel drive, on the test drive make sure to go to a parking lot and do some slow turns at full turns (both directions) if CV joints are bad, you should hear clicking/clunking at tight turns.

Make sure check engine and ABS lights illuminate when key is turned on, (make sure no one pulled the bulbs out to get rid of the pesky light before selling).

Try everything!! windshield wipers/washer, turn signals, power windows/locks, cruise etc etc. Surprising how often people forget to tell you the locks don't work etc, when you asked if everything works... answer was "yup". Parking brakes are especially bad... often sieze on old cars, ask if it works, if answer is yes, try it before you buy the car....

Look for blue smoke on start up, and remnants of blackish smoke residue on tailpipe and on bumper around tailpipe.. that can tell you if it's burning oil... White smoke on startup is antifreeze leak into cylinder (propably either head gasket, or intake gasket on GM)

If you're really keen, bring a small floor jack and you can pop the front wheels off to feel for play in tie rod ends and/or ball joints... I usually just assume it will need something and figure to do that at home after I buy whatever vehicle it is...

I think (?) that's about it... the usual test drive stuff... put one set of wheels on gravel and brake to make sure ABS works if so equipped.... also lightly apply the brakes to see if you feel the pulsing of a warped rotor etc... Watch for any steering pulls....

yup.. I've bought the odd used vehicle.

BF pretty much nailed it. I'll add a couple things, open the hood while its running, listen for sucking noises (vacuum leaks), rattles, vibrations, etc... Have someone put it in gear while you watch the engine, see if it moves around a lot (engine mounts are likely to fail on old cars and some can be a b!tch to change). Have them shift it into reverse while you watch it too.

Walk around to the rear while its running, listen to the exhaust. If you hear a poof while its idling, then its probably got an engine miss, could be a $1.99 spark plug, or a dead cylinder. Look for smoke like BF mentioned.

Take a look at the tires, see if they are worn funny or mismatched. Oddly worn tires can be a good sign of an alignment problem caused by worn front end parts.

If its a newer car, it can take up to 20 miles for a check engine light to show up (for example if someone cleared a code before you come to look at it). Take a long drive with it, but tell the owner what your doing so he doesn't suspect your trying to steal it.

And this time of year, be sure to check the a/c. Some people overlook this in the cold months only to find that the a/c is busted next summer.

$1000 won't buy you much, unless you fall into a deal like above. If I had a g-note budget, I would look for an older 4 banger Ranger, Toyota or Nissan pick up. Most are too small to pull with so the tranny/clutch doesn't see the abuse, and most don't have the power to hurt the engine/driveline either. All of them are easy to work on. I'd stay away from Chryslers and GM's... but that's just a personal preference, I hate working on both brands, especially the Chryslers.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

Cash for Clunkers did away with a lot of the low $ value vehicles and really upped the price on the beater car market. That said, you can still occasionally find a diamond in the rough. BP gave you some good insight. On visuals, look at the brake pedal. There are often cars that "claim" to have one mileage, but the brake pedal pad wear will show something entirely different. It could be that the owner drove with both feet, but more than likely it was used entirely in city driving, or has MUCH more miles than the odometer shows. Always a good sign.

As BP said, check the fluids. We had one used car dealer in the area that liked to put sawdust in the tranny fluid. This would quiet down a noisy tranny and stop slippage for about long enough to sell the car and it get out of warranty. Buyer beware.

Again, it is important to check for the residuals on the back bumper and tail pipe. I have had a few cars where the valves would stick. It is amazing how good a can of tranny fluid through the engine will work ... smoke like crazy, but clear up when the tranny fluid is out of the system. I had an old Toronado that was smoking and I told the buyer it was a sticking valve and that I would pop for a can of tranny fluid. I did not guarranty the repair, but told him it would clear up for a few days, anyway. He bought the car and 3 years and 60,000 miles later still no problem. However, I have seen cars where the valves would restick just a few thousand miles later. If there is residue and no smoking, ask what they did to repair it.

Look at the exhaust at cold start up and at warm start up. Black smoke v white smoke, oil v antifreeze. Both cause different problems.

Also, crawl underneath the car and look for rust holes on the frame or around the body mounts. Surface rust is easy to deal with, but rust through of frame and mounts creates a completely different issue. I can fix engines, axles, tie rods, and brakes, but trannys and frames I am lost, so from bad, noisy trannys and rust I run.

For a grand you are probably not going to get a gem, but I did find a 12 year old car with 18,000 miles on it (I sold the car new and did the work on it so I know the mileage was correct) for under a grand once. Found another that was 20 years old with less than 2,000 (that is the correct amount of zeros) for $500. So, every now and then you can find something special, but don't hold your breath, you need wheels NOW, so you are going to be taking what you are dealt. Good luck in your hunting.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

Hammer and I posted about the same time and I agree with all he said except, I prefer the GM's.

 

[642mx]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

Hammer and I posted about the same time and I agree with all he said except, I prefer the GM's.

Well that didn't take long...lol. I figured someone would say something about that...hehehe

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

I concur with all the above especially a longer test drive that includes a freeway stint.

I once tested a truck that I drove to my house which was quite a ways away. I would never have heard the engine tick develop had I not done this. The dealer tested it and did not find anything wrong. So I passed..

Also check carefully under the hood and under th body for apparent leaks and stains from leaks.

 

[eavega]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

Thanks for all the advice, folks. I've ended up buying a 97 Jeep Cherokee. Previous owner is the daughter of a Jeep/Chrysler mechanic, and daddy made sure the car was running right. Body-wise, its what you would expect from a car thats 13 years old and was used by a novice driver for the last 4 years. The girl felt it was time to have a prettier car, so now I have inherited it. She had maintenance records in the car from the last 4 years which shows that among other things the car has had a full tune up in the last two years, new transmission last year, oil changes religiously every 3K miles. The only immediate maintenance issue I see with it is that its gonna need new tires before spring (not a lot of snow here in GA, but definitely rain in the spring). I didn't see anything leaking, dripping, or rusted through. No smoke on startup or on running. Engine sounded good with no odd sounds. Steering is not mushy, brakes worked well. About the only thing I see odd about it is that the oil pressure gauge settles down a bit when the car is idling, but picks right back up as soon as you accelerate. I'll try to switch to a higher viscosity oil to see if that settles a little. I've heard that you need to do that with older cars anyway. To be honest its the first car I've owned with an oil pressure gauge, so I don't quite know how its supposed to behave.

-E

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

The sending used on alot of Jeeps doesn't work right. I have a Wrangler that reads right at idle, but pegs high when you drive it. I often see guys on Jeep boards with the screwy gauge readings....For the most part, if the lifters are pumped up, you are good to go.

 

[642mx]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

Engines don't need much oil pressure when idling. I don't think I would be throwing 20W50 in it at the next change. Like any older engine, run a 10W30 in it and change it often.

Sounds like a good vehicle, good luck with it.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Buying a used car - basic things to check?

Sounds like a good buy. I have the same experience as you with the oil pressure gauge in my truck. Even though it's probably not an issue, I found that Mobil 1 and a K&N oil filter really brought the pressure up.

My solution to this problem would surely have been a Buick. That's always my solution to the OMG I NEED A CAR NOW. Your Jeep is more useful and you'll probably hang on to it when you get your Mazda back. Good luck with that mess.