the main things to look after when buying a car

hexagramer

ok if i was buying a car from a dealer things would be ok, cause warrenty etc

but what about private sellars? u buy something off a stranger and next thing u know the engine falls out.

what are the main things to look for when buying a car? only a proper mechanic really is able to walk away from a private sale knowing nothing is wrong with the engine etc, but the truth is i wouldnt have a clue (part from obviouse signs im never fooled)

and the million dollar question, (sorry if its been asked before) is what do i look for??

any ideas or comments?? anything usefull is apreciated!! -nick

mickdw

Take an experienced person with you.
Someone here could write down a list of things to look for. You could buy the car and it might have satisfied all the stuff on the list but the first knowledgeable person to see the car might see straight off that it was badly repainted etc.
If you are really interested in a particular car, you can do all the background stuff yourself like a cartell check. you can also spend time going through the service history/paperwork to see if EVERYTHING matches up re owners/mileage/dates/NCT.
If you were happy with the car, the paperwork etc you could then arrange for a pro inspection. THat is what I would do if spending significant money

Del2005

hexagramer wrote: »

ok if i was buying a car from a dealer things would be ok, cause warrenty etc

but what about private sellars? u buy something off a stranger and next thing u know the engine falls out.

what are the main things to look for when buying a car? only a proper mechanic really is able to walk away from a private sale knowing nothing is wrong with the engine etc, but the truth is i wouldnt have a clue (part from obviouse signs im never fooled)

and the million dollar question, (sorry if its been asked before) is what do i look for??

any ideas or comments?? anything usefull is apreciated!! -nick

Nobody can tell if a car has nothing wrong with it from a look and a drive, or even owning it for a while. They can tell you that the car looks clean and has no signs of crash damage, but it would be a very foolish mechanic who examines a car and says it's perfect.

Buying off a dealer you need to do the same checks as from a private buyer, you may have a warrenty but I'd much rather not have to us it, as the dealers don't know the history of the car. There are also some less then honest dealers....

But if you do as Mickdw says you can't go too far wrong

hexagramer

cool i never thought of everything you all said..thanks i apreciate the help and advice

pablosd

In terms of bodywork, walk around the car and carefully look at the paint, make sure the reflection is the same on all body panels, if its more matte than the other it means that it was repainted, meaning that something happened there.
Overall look that all the lines are straight, like between the bonnet and wing, both shuld be the same, and bonnet with wing should be on the same level, do this with the rest of the car, especially boot.
Enginewise check the oil dipstick, make sure that cars pulls good, it shouldnt be noisy or nothing.
Test Drive-this is the part to check how is suspension performing, find bit of a straight road and let the wheel go for few seconds car should go straight not pulling to either left or right, repeat this but start braking again should go straight again, make sure there is no noises coming from suspension.

Thats all i can think of, everything else was mentioned above it think...

colm_mcm

if you're thinking of a particular car that's advertised on the net, stick up the link to the ad.

biko

Check this out, has some good suggestions
http://www.samarins.com/check/

Táck

rust, bubbles and or particles of dirt under paint. would indiacte its been painted.
look at the car. can you see your reflection in one panel but not the next, again paintwork.
look along the side of the car for dents, dings that may not be visible from the side.