Basic Used Car Buying Tips

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So you're buying a used car. Good for you. There are a lot of really good cars out there and they typically cost less than new (Note: That wasn't a typo. Some people try to sell used cars at new cars prices). If you're looking for some tips on how not to get stuck with a lemon, here's some advice:

Ask the owner if the car has been serviced according the manufacturer's specifications, and if so, ask to see the service receipts as verification. I know. Asking for proof after someone has said they did something is akin to calling them a liar. Unfortunately, people lie.

If you feel uncertain about the car's condition, it's not unreasonable to request that the seller take the car to a mechanic of your choosing for inspection. Just in case you were unclear, this inspection will be at your expense. It's also not unreasonable to expect that the seller might to try to sell to someone who won't make him go through the added hassle of doing this. I personally would have the car inspected. Nothing ruins that "new to you" car enthusiasm like finding out it needs $10K in repairs AFTER the money has changed hands.

When the seller is going over the car, giving you his sales pitch, telling you how much better than new the car is, try to ascertain whether or not this person really cares anything about the car's condition. French fries between the seats. Three different brands of tires, none of which are close to the correct size. No spare tire. Those are all signs. When you come across something wrong, does the owner seem to think that it's no big deal? Do the two of you disagree as to whether the item needs to be replaced? Or did the owner point it out himself, and acknowledge the fact that it needs fixing? Try to figure out if the owner seems like the kind of car-savvy person who maintains his cars well, or someone that doesn't keep up with any type of maintenance schedule and just dumps his car when it's worn out. You can often tell a lot about someone through intuition alone.

Ask the owner if the car has EVER been wrecked
- If the seller says, "no," but you see evidence of ANY type of paint or damage, you may want to ask the seller to explain. Of course, that's not what I do. I thank them for their time and leave. I don't care why the car was wrecked. The point is the car was wrecked AND I had to figure it out on my own.

Has the car ever been raced?
- "No" is the only answer you're looking for. The closest any daily driver street car should come to a race track is the parking lot. Alternatively, if you're looking for the fastest car on the planet and don't mind replacing parts on a weekly basis, don't care if the car doesn't have AC, cruise, power windows, and can't pass smog maybe a race car / daily driver is for you.

When was the oil last changed?
- A FSS equipped car should never exceed 12 months or 12K miles. Ever. A car without FSS should never exceed 12 months.

What is the car's maintenance history?
- I really don't care what was done over 5 years ago. Receipts that show the car's oil was changed regularly for the first 5 years of its existence are good. They show the owner cares, but how about something recent?
- If there are no receipts, assume it hasn't been done in a very long time.

How old (years & miles) are on the tires? Ask the seller if he thinks the tires are good. Would he jump in the car and drive from California to Florida with those tires?

What modifications were made to the car?
- "I think" heavily-modified cars should probably be avoided. But that's just me. If the seller has an aftermarket supercharger, and the receipt says "installed by Kleemann", and you want a supercharged car, that may be the car for you. If the supercharger was installed in the seller's garage, you may be in for a surprise.
- If the car has been lowered, you may need 1-800-Tire-Rack on speed dial.
- Supersized brake kit? Great. Can you still get pads and rotors?
- Aftermarket cleaner assembly? Fantastic. If you change your mind or a smog tech says the CARB sticker is missing, a brand new CLK430 air cleaner assembly is $300, plus $50 for the left cold air tube and $40 for the right. You'll also need filters. The good news is, an air cleaner for a CLK500 is less expensive. Not much, but every little bit helps. However, if the old air cleaner takes out the MAF, that's extra too.

Come right out and ask the seller:
- Why are you selling the car?
- Is there anything wrong with this car?
- Is there anything wrong with it that you haven't pointed out?
- Are there any maintenance/safety issues that I should be aware of if I buy this car?
- What work would you do to this car if you were going to keep it for another year or two?
- Is there any reason I shouldn't buy this car?
Sometimes simply asking very bluntly will catch the seller off guard, and they may tell you the dealer said it has three weeks to live. It could also be that the seller is honest, but they won't volunteer anything unless asked.

Warning signs: if the seller's main selling point is that the car is "too fast for them", they may not know the accelerator pedal isn't an on/off switch. If the sellers wife or (heaven forbid) parents are making them sell the car because it's too fast - that is a very bad sign. Have the car inspected twice.

Suppose you like a fast car with a gazillion aftermarket parts. There's nothing wrong with that. I may be paranoid, but lets think about this - how do you know that the car actually has the parts that the seller claims it has? Just because the seller claims MegaPowerBlast cams reside under the valve covers doesn't mean they do. How do you know that anything you can't see has been installed? Anyone can buy a sticker and "say" it's got the goods, but how do you know? Ask to see a sales receipt. Even then . . . . . yeah, maybe I am paranoid.

If the car does have aftermarket parts, should you pay extra for them? Suppose you're looking at a car with Koni shocks. Suppose you like Koni shocks. Suppose those Koni shocks have 75K miles on them. Exactly how much "extra" are you going to pay for a car that has a worn out set of Koni shocks? The same thing applies to all the aftermarket parts. If they're old, they're just name brand old parts. I personally don't think a premium should be paid for old parts. Some parts really are desirable. The original entertainment system in my car was an AM/FM Cassette with a 6-disk CD changer and an analogue cell phone. Cassettes and CDs are archaic technology. Analogue cell phones, although newer than CDs, are worse because they won't work. I replaced the head unit with an Alpine digital media receiver. In this case, a replacement head unit and a Bluetooth adapter are much better than the original parts. Nonetheless, is someone really going to pay me what those parts cost plus installation ON TOP of the normal asking price?

Vehicle evaluation: Do you really know what you're looking for? Yes, you can start the car. Yes you can see if the check engine light is glowing so bright that it's giving you sunburn. But don't you think it would better to have the car inspected? I know, I wrote that earlier. There's a reason I'm writing it again. If you chose not to, I hope it works out well for you.

Lastly, join MBCA. There are a lot of nice MBCA members who know a lot about cars.

This is not an all inclusive list of items to check. I'm not in the used car inspection business and this free of charge list probably skips a number of things that should be inspected. Unfortunately, people do intentionally sell cars with very short lifespans. With that in mind, I highly recommend having whatever you intend to purchase inspected by a competent mechanic. I also recommend you buy a car with a warrantee. Preferably a Mercedes-Benz or Porsche CPO.

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