Second hand car buyers checklist

[Mexman]

I think you would be better of buying a new one.
Most used cars will fail your 'checklist' on at least a few of these items, if not quite a few.

[griffter]

That’s a comprehensive list. Don’t know how you do that in ten minutes though!

I’d add:
- Look down each side of the car from front/rear. Any ripples?
- Any dents in the roof? (That’s a walk away for me)
- Are any of the wing or door hinge bolts disturbed? (Suggesting panel replacement)
- Any signs of overspray on glass/lights/rubbers?
- Any of the wheels kerbed? (Hassle to fix and suggests careless driver)

- get someone to press the clutch pedal while you look at the bottom pulley (check for end float)
- run the engine up to temperature; do the fans cut in and out?

- any funny wiring in the engine bay/under the dash?

I’d prioritise an inspection in the following order:
- body
- underbody
- engine/engine bay
- interior
- on the road

Usually I walk away at some point in the list! If I get as far as driving a car I’m probably going to buy it!
It’s worth taking a torch to do a proper inspection. It’s also worth physically running through the list. Last car I bought I forgot to check the oil

As Mexman says, most cars will fail the checklist. The question is are there any walk away points and if not, how much do you want to pay?

[ALees]

I followed this blog ( https://www.motorpoint.co.uk/motorpointpr/newsarti...) when I wanted to buy my first car and had zero knowledge of what to do. My mum came with me but she was about as clued up as I was.

The Motorpoint blog was really helpful but your tips are great too. I'll add them to my list so I can walk into a garage next time I'm buying a car with confidence and not look like a helpless woman who doesn't know things.

[QuartzDad]

RupertNuetron said:

- Auto box fluid level and smell. Clear? Burnt smell?

How do you chech the level and smell?

[CRA1G]

I'd be delighted for you to "thank me and walk away".... you've not mentioned the age of cars your check list covers...

[Wooda80]

RupertNuetron said:

- Is it wearing Premium tyres? - Good indication of being looked after.
- Budget tyres? - Potentially run on a shoe string or owner mechanically naive.
- Ask when cabin filter was changed. Rarely these are specifically changed so if known it's indication owner was interested in looking after the car.

Edited by RupertNuetron on Sunday 21st July 10:07

Sorry Rupert,

You've obviously put a lot of thought and earnest effort into this but I think you have set yourself up to get the Mickey taken

In the spirit of the points quoted above, can I also add:

- Service stamps are easily forged. Make sure that they are supported by invoices. If possible visit the garage concerned and ask to speak to the technician who initialled the service stamps or who is named on the invoice.
- Make sure that any repair invoices are printed on an expensive looking letterhead. A garage that skimps on stationery might be slipshod in other ways too.
- When you arrange to view the car, make sure the owner lives in a house that you would quite like to live in yourself.
- Make sure that the owner speaks nicely and holds his knife and fork correctly
- Check which radio station the car is tuned to. Radio 2 or Radio 4 is good, If it's anything too loud or raucous then the driver may not have been paying attention properly when driving it. Tapes or CDs should be specifically Driving Music, preferably deemed as such by an authority such as BBC's Top Gear.
- The car should have a MINIMUM of a quarter tank of fuel to prevent all the sludge and dirt from the bottom of the tank being sucked into the engine and damaging it. Ask the owner which brand of fuel he thinks is best, hopefully he will give you the correct answer.
- Check the fuel consumption of the car. If the owner relies on the On Board Computer then he may have been cavalier in other areas. A diligent owner will be able to produce a notebook with all fuel purchased, miles covered and mpg worked out to 2 decimal places. NB, if the owner is under 55 years old then the notebook maybe a spreadsheet. This is perfectly acceptable but of course it spoils the fun of having to learn one's 4.54 times table.

I could go on.
But I won't.

[Mr Pointy]

Has the original post gone? I can't see it.

[Trevor555]

Mr Pointy said:

Has the original post gone? I can't see it.

Yup.

Shame, there were some good points there that might have helped someone.