First of all, know what model you
are looking. If you have not decided on this, read our Deciding on you car to
help id your decision.
Don’t keep your options
excessively open with too much car models on your wish list. Narrow them to as
few as possible. It would then be much easier for you to compare and determine
the car’s condition.
Take your time don’t be pressured
by “Sales Talk”. Go and test drive as many cars as possible until you are
convinced and satisfied.
Checking the car
1 – Exterior
Take a walk around the car and examine the car’s paintwork. Look for dents,
rust, broken head lights, tail lights, signal lights. Check the rims for
scratches. Look at the car from different angles so that minor dents can more
easily be spotted. What you don’t want to buy is a car which has been in a
serious accident.
A dent door or a broken bumper is
something we can live with, what we don’t want is a car with its chassis
damaged. Pop the bonnet and check the support frames of the car. Check the
welding to look for any obvious signs that the car has been sawed off and
welded back together. Make sure all the gaps between panels are evenly spaced.
The best way to check this is
through a service provider. However not all countries have services like this.
How it works is that uou pay them a fee and you can check on a car’s insurance
claim history. This will tell you weather it has been in any accident. Search
around the internet to find if this service exists in your country.
2 – Interior
Check the trunk, and floor mats for stains and odor. This is a sign that water
is getting into the car. Check the seat belts. It should lock up when pulling
it hard. Check the seats, door panels and dashboard for tear. Be sure to check
all electrical features like electrical seats, CD players, wipers, signal
lights, head lights and high beam. Make sure all the gauges in the dash are
working. When the engine is turn on, there should not be any waning lights on
or flashing. Be very careful if you do see any warning lights as some repairs
might be very costly to fix.
Be sure to check if the air
conditioning is working. Change the temperature and test weather the
temperature of the air changes accordingly.
3 – Engine Check
A dirty engine bay is a obvious sign of poorly maintained engine. Check if
there are any signs of oil or fluid leaks. Check all the hose for any cracks.
If you are meeting a private seller, go there about 20 minutes earlier. You may
find the owner preparing the car for you visit to cover up some defects. If
possible arrange to meet early in the morning. It would be good if you could
see how the car starts with a cold engine. Once the car is in its operating
temperature, check if the car idles properly. Look under the car where it was
being parked for signs of oil leaks. When the car is in operating temperature,
open the bonnet take note of abnormal smells that might be due to leaking
fluids on hot engine parts. Listen for unusual noises, in the engine
compartment when the engine is running. Get a friend to rev the engine while
you inspect the engine. When revved hard check the sides of the engine block
and header and make sure no fluid is leaking out. If water does appear or worse
gushing out, this is a sign of a blown head gasket which will be costly to repair.
Although the seller may have recently changed or topped up the engine oil.
Still you should check the engine oil level using the dip stick. If the oil
level is low and very dark in color, don’t even consider getting the vehicle.
Also go the back of the car and get your friend to rev the engine hard several
times. Make sure there is no excessive smoke especially if the smoke is white.
A little black smoke is fine. Excessive black smoke is a sign that the engine
is worn and consumes oil.
4 – Suspension check
Check the shock absorber for
leaks. If you can’t see clearly, it is best to bring a torch light along with
you. When going for a test drive, try to look for humps to go over and take
note of overly soft suspension. (worn springs) the suspension should go down
then up then down again. If it bounces up and down to many times, that’s a sign
of a worn shock absorber. Look of for creaking sounds coming from the
suspension. Go down and depress each corner of the car to see if it responds
the same.
5 – Transmission and Clutch
On an automatic/manual
transmission car, make sure the gear shift is smooth.
For manual transmission Check if
all gears can be engaged easily without unnecessary resistance and sound.
Accelerate hard in second gear and quickly shift up to third with a lot of
throttle. If engine rpm rise without a corresponding increase in speed, the
clutch could be slipping. It may need to be replaced or adjusted.
Try to build up the revs to about
4500-5000 rpm and change gears as quickly as you can, there should be no
abnormal noises. Also if a gear jumps out to neutral while driving, walk away.
6 – Brakes
Tap the bakes several times at
different speeds applying different pressure to the bakes. Also try an
emergency brake and see if the car pulls to one side. If the car comes with
ABS, the wheels should not lock during and emergency brake, you should feel the
brake pedals vibrating when ABS is active. Also check to see if the parking
brakes holds the car firmly and releases completely.
7 – Steering & Tires
Do a U turn fully locking the
steering wheels. Do this for both left and right turns. There should not be any
chattering noise coming from the wheels. If it does, this is a sign that the
drive shaft is faulty. When driving on a smooth road surface, let go of the
steering wheel and see if the steering wheels turns to one side. Check if the
steering wheel is centered when driving straight. On high speed, there should
not be any excessive vibration coming from the steering wheel. Check the tires
if they wear evenly. All these are signs that the car is out of alignment.