Comprehensive list of things to check when buying used cars
Discussion
brillomaster said:
to try and get this thread started, i'll chip in with the obvious ones...
Tyres - brand, condition, amount of tread left, year of manufacture
Engine - correct oil level on dipstick, no mayo on oil cap
Electrics - make sure they all work
And already we have a misleading check on the list.Tyres - brand, condition, amount of tread left, year of manufacture
Engine - correct oil level on dipstick, no mayo on oil cap
Electrics - make sure they all work
Mayo on the oil cap generally means nothing, mayo on the dipstick is what you are looking for.
I learnt this from Quentin Willson and Steve Cropley (both former contributors to an excellent magazine called "Buying Cars" sadly now defunct.
Their advice and method has done well for me. Essentially you start with the combination of things which are quickest to check yet most expensive to repair if you make a bad decision. This makes best use of your money and your time.
So no need to start with tyres or wipers for example - they can be replaced quite cheaply in comparison to the body (/chassis) or major mechanical parts.
1. Start by making sure the body work is straight and not recently re-sprayed (sides, roof, chassis rails in the engine bay, & the floor under the boot mat).
2. Next the engine (coolant, oil, blue smoke, crankshaft noise on startup)
3. Gear noise in neutral.
4. Quentin's specialist subject is the interior - it gives away the real mileage and is difficult to cover up (steering wheel, gear knob and driver's seat).
That just about covers it, and at some used car sites will eliminate half the cars on the forecourt in a few minutes!
If you are now still looking at the car then ask for the paperwork and if all in order take it further.
All made sense to me.
Their advice and method has done well for me. Essentially you start with the combination of things which are quickest to check yet most expensive to repair if you make a bad decision. This makes best use of your money and your time.
So no need to start with tyres or wipers for example - they can be replaced quite cheaply in comparison to the body (/chassis) or major mechanical parts.
1. Start by making sure the body work is straight and not recently re-sprayed (sides, roof, chassis rails in the engine bay, & the floor under the boot mat).
2. Next the engine (coolant, oil, blue smoke, crankshaft noise on startup)
3. Gear noise in neutral.
4. Quentin's specialist subject is the interior - it gives away the real mileage and is difficult to cover up (steering wheel, gear knob and driver's seat).
That just about covers it, and at some used car sites will eliminate half the cars on the forecourt in a few minutes!
If you are now still looking at the car then ask for the paperwork and if all in order take it further.
All made sense to me.
M4cruiser said:
So no need to start with tyres or wipers for example - they can be replaced quite cheaply in comparison to the body (/chassis) or major mechanical parts.
I disagree.You can tell a lot from the condition of the tyres, such as possible suspension damage/alignment issues.
If the tyres have been replaced with new cheap chinese ones then be very suspicious.
Most important of all...before you start looking at the actual car.....
Check there is no outstanding finance on it!
HPI (or similar) check is essential.
My Uncle bought a Sierra twenty years ago for around £4500, a lot of money then, from a local small garage, two days later the Police knocked on the door...you can guess the rest.
The garage went bust later that week, apparently even they did not know it had finance on it, (according to the police).
He died shortly afterwards a broken man...this deeply affected him.
Check there is no outstanding finance on it!
HPI (or similar) check is essential.
My Uncle bought a Sierra twenty years ago for around £4500, a lot of money then, from a local small garage, two days later the Police knocked on the door...you can guess the rest.
The garage went bust later that week, apparently even they did not know it had finance on it, (according to the police).
He died shortly afterwards a broken man...this deeply affected him.
Wacky Racer said:
Most important of all...before you start looking at the actual car.....
Check there is no outstanding finance on it!
HPI (or similar) check is essential.
My Uncle bought a Sierra twenty years ago for around £4500, a lot of money then, from a local small garage, two days later the Police knocked on the door...you can guess the rest.
The garage went bust later that week, apparently even they did not know it had finance on it, (according to the police).
He died shortly afterwards a broken man...this deeply affected him.
If I HPI'd every single car I looked at I'd have no money left to buy one!!Check there is no outstanding finance on it!
HPI (or similar) check is essential.
My Uncle bought a Sierra twenty years ago for around £4500, a lot of money then, from a local small garage, two days later the Police knocked on the door...you can guess the rest.
The garage went bust later that week, apparently even they did not know it had finance on it, (according to the police).
He died shortly afterwards a broken man...this deeply affected him.
when I go to look at cars (seems to happen alot - as i'm "the one that knows about cars" so I get passed about a lot)
I always start by turning the thing on and leave it to idle whilst taking a look around for rust / damage / respray. i've had a fair few cars conk out whilst left idling and always makes for a good conversation as to why it happened.
I always check the engine for oil, water (amazing how many have no coolant or an almost dry rad), leaks or nasty noises.
I always check the colour of engine bay, vin numbers and under boot tray.
Tyres, wheels i'm not so bothered about but they can be a giveaway to a neglected car.
I generally don't like mods unless they are a recomended upgrade for the car e.g mountune products on fords.
In my mind the most important thing is the seller i've walked away after a short chat and have bought a few cars without looking due to the way the seller comes across.
Always do your research before going to see a car to get a model specific checklist, also don't be scared to get your hands dirty when going to see a car a genuine seller hasn't got anything to hide (or room to move on price if anything unexpected pops up). last bit of my rambling is code readers - i bought one a while back and i always take it with me most people have no issues with me plugging it in.
I always start by turning the thing on and leave it to idle whilst taking a look around for rust / damage / respray. i've had a fair few cars conk out whilst left idling and always makes for a good conversation as to why it happened.
I always check the engine for oil, water (amazing how many have no coolant or an almost dry rad), leaks or nasty noises.
I always check the colour of engine bay, vin numbers and under boot tray.
Tyres, wheels i'm not so bothered about but they can be a giveaway to a neglected car.
I generally don't like mods unless they are a recomended upgrade for the car e.g mountune products on fords.
In my mind the most important thing is the seller i've walked away after a short chat and have bought a few cars without looking due to the way the seller comes across.
Always do your research before going to see a car to get a model specific checklist, also don't be scared to get your hands dirty when going to see a car a genuine seller hasn't got anything to hide (or room to move on price if anything unexpected pops up). last bit of my rambling is code readers - i bought one a while back and i always take it with me most people have no issues with me plugging it in.
Being ‘that bloke that knows about cars’ I get asked to check over prospective purchases fairly often.
I have a rule of thumb: if the car is worth less than £1500, I’ll give it a very good check over followed by a test drive to make sure all is in order. If the car costs more than this, I recommend that people invest £200 or so in an RAC (or similar) check. To save splashing out on dozens of tests, I have a quick look at the car first to ensure it’s not a complete pile of scrap - the proper test is then booked if the car is a good ‘un.
My reasoning is that on a sub 2 grand car you realistically have to budget 25% of the purchase price in sorting out little niggles (if you end up with a pup for £500 you can always part it out and weigh the rest in for scrap and not be significantly out of pocket with a bit of luck) – when you’ve spent a bit more you expect the car to be reasonably decent and in fair order... I’m sure there are people out there who can afford to write off £2000 but I, and the people I associate with, tend to be on tight budgets.
I come from a time where you could get good cars for less than £200 so the above prices might need adjusting (my first Capri cost me £175 and needed a headlight bulb and a tweak of the carb to get through 2 MOTs.... ah, but they were great times).
I have a rule of thumb: if the car is worth less than £1500, I’ll give it a very good check over followed by a test drive to make sure all is in order. If the car costs more than this, I recommend that people invest £200 or so in an RAC (or similar) check. To save splashing out on dozens of tests, I have a quick look at the car first to ensure it’s not a complete pile of scrap - the proper test is then booked if the car is a good ‘un.
My reasoning is that on a sub 2 grand car you realistically have to budget 25% of the purchase price in sorting out little niggles (if you end up with a pup for £500 you can always part it out and weigh the rest in for scrap and not be significantly out of pocket with a bit of luck) – when you’ve spent a bit more you expect the car to be reasonably decent and in fair order... I’m sure there are people out there who can afford to write off £2000 but I, and the people I associate with, tend to be on tight budgets.
I come from a time where you could get good cars for less than £200 so the above prices might need adjusting (my first Capri cost me £175 and needed a headlight bulb and a tweak of the carb to get through 2 MOTs.... ah, but they were great times).
Aside from provenance I tend to stand back and look at the whole car first and do 360 looking for paint mismatches and poor shut lines. Then I check whether the number plates match. By this I mean if one has the name of the original dealer on it and the other doesn't it could mean that one end of the car has been repaired. Number plates typically do not survive shunts. Then follow the advice already given.
Paperwork:
- HPI check
- V5 VIN matches plate
- V5 isn't one from the stolen batch (or batches by now?)
- MOT - any advisories? If the advisory sheet has been "lost", you can check online (including previous years IIRC?)
- Service history - on schedule, check mileages
- Tyres - even wear
- Crash damage - underneath, boot floor, ...
- Condition of wheels - clues about how it's been treated
- Suspension is level, doesn't keep bouncing
- Oil leaks, condition
- Interior carpets - not damp
- All electrics working: windows, lights, wipers+wash, remote+barrel locks including boot, ...
- Adjustments e.g. seats working
- Spare key included or not
- Start from cold
- Air con (if not working, it never "just needs a regas"), heater
- Full lock turns in a car park, listen for noises
- Over speed bump at reasonable speed, listen for bush squeaks (if you ask for these to be replaced, garage will probably just oil them)
- Handbrake test, should work and not need to be pulled really high
- Clutch engagement point
- Reasonably hard acceleration from standstill
- Reasonably heavy braking, should be straight and not judder
- Steering play around centre, vibration (check up to motorway speed if possible), left and right feels the same
- All gears engage easily, including reverse
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