Schedule the test drive for a time when there’s no rush. If it’s bad weather, reschedule. Take a little notebook, write a quick check list based on this article, and make notes. When you approach the car's owner, be friendly, polite and courteous. Do NOT try to “beat them down” to get a better deal. While you have every right to ask direct questions, you have no more right to insult their car than one of their children.
First, check the tires. Pull the steering wheel all the way to the left (and then right) so you can see the entire tread. Uneven tire wear– marks on the side or deep grooves in the middle– may indicate suspension issues. And nothing screams “lemon” louder than cheap, bald or strangely worn rubber.
Next, open and close all the doors several times, including the trunk and hood. Check for paint on the hinges and moldings. If a door creaks, it’s usually no big deal. If a door has trouble closing, it can signal anything from a broken hinge to frame damage.
On the driver’s side, make sure that the VIN sticker or VIN plate hasn’t been removed.
Have a quick look at the panel gaps, especially the hood and trunk. Unless you’re looking at an old Land Rover, they should all be even. Check for water leakage in the trunk. Damp and/or a mildew smell often indicates problems underneath.
When you climb aboard, don’t be put off by worn seats or busted radios. Most interior surfaces and parts can be repaired and/or replaced easily and cheaply.
Lower the window and fire up the car– a few times. Do you hear any tapping or pinging sounds, or does it kick over with a smooth ‘vrooom’ and settle into an easy, quiet idle?
Test all the buttons and switches including the radio stations. If the owner listens to aggressive music, chances are the car’s been thrashed.
Flip on the A/C. It should kick out cool air within fifteen seconds of ignition. Same goes for heat. (HVAC repairs can run as high as $500 to $1500.) When you’re on the road, test both of them again to make sure the temperature and fan speed are constant.
Finally, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left and right. The motion should be seamless and silent. If there’s a lot of resistance, or the force required is uneven, the steering system may need anything from power steering fluid (cheap) to a power steering pump assembly (moderate) to a new rack (first born).
Now put the car in gear. Aside from a few models (older Mercedes in particular), a late or rough shift from park indicates that the car’s transmission may soon give up the ghost. If you experience rough or late shifting, you’re done.
Brake force should be quick and constant. Unless the brakes have been recently replaced (ask), you shouldn’t hear any squeaking sounds.
Drive the car through a variety of traffic conditions, inclines and speeds, for at least a half hour. When going uphill, take your foot off the accelerator for a moment. Coast downhill as well. If the car’s transmission hunts, clunks or has trouble catching, the vehicle probably has a transmission or linkage issue.
If you hear a lot of ‘clacking’ or other unusual engine noises on initial acceleration, the engine’s components may need attention. If there’s an oil gauge, keep an eye on it. It should show approximately 25 to 80 psi during acceleration, and 10 to 20 when idling. The coolant temperature should hit a fixed point within ten minutes and never move.
After about twenty minutes of driving, take the car to a gas station. Keep the engine on. Open the hood and the gas cover release to make sure they’re in proper working order. If you know where the transmission dipstick is (and it’s a damn good idea to find out), check the level. Does it have bubbles? If the fluid is brown or black, it could be a sign of future transmission issues.
Turn the vehicle off and check the oil. If it’s not between the marks (too low or too high) or discolored, you’re done.
Finally, get a wet paper towel, wipe the dirt off the relevant reservoirs and check the coolant, power steering and brake fluids to make sure they’re at their proper levels. S-l-o-w-l-y open the reservoir tank and check the coolant's color. If it’s a multi-colored muck or brownish black, note it down.
By this point, you should have a pretty good idea whether your next step is towards purchase or home sweet home. If you’re blowing it off, thank the owner politely and leave promptly, without engaging in any further discussion whatsoever. ("It's not what I had in mind.") If you’re ready to move forward, it’s time to schedule a professional inspection.
[Mr. Lang invites TTAC readers to share their
used car test drive advice below.]
Great article. Only one minor nit pick: “The coolant temperature should hit a fixed point within ten minutes and never move. ” Most cars since the 90’s have had idiot gauges for coolant temperature. They generally have 4 positions. Cold – Normal – Ok but getting Hot – Overheating. I hate that, as I’d rather watch the actual temperature, but too many people were going to have their car serviced because it got hotter while sitting at a stop light. Now they just mess with the gauge so it doesn’t tell you that.
My old C900 Saab has a real temperature gauge and sitting at a light you can watch the temperature go up, the electric fan kicks on and the temperature goes down. In fact, because of that real gauge, I was able to quickly tell when the switch for the electric fan broke becuase the temperature didn’t start coming down when it should have.
If the owner listens to aggressive music, chances are the car’s been thrashed.
Ha. A friend of mine digs classical music and older rock, and thrashes his cars far worse than lil’ ol’ NIN-listening me. Try, “If the owner listens to top 40 pop, chances are they’ve never performed any routine maintenance.”
Flip on the A/C. It should kick out cool air within fifteen seconds of ignition. Same goes for heat. (HVAC repairs can run as high as $500 to $1500.) For AC? Yes, but not for heat. I've never had a vehicle that would put out heat in less than 5-10 minutes of driving, and on a cold day, as long as 20 minutes.
I second that issue for heat. When it is -25 C outside, the heat can take a looong time to come.
Without offending the seller – make sure to beat him to the locale if possible and feel the hood/grille to see if the motor is warm. Often cars that will start easy hot will have a much harder time after sitting for awhile. Especially important in cold climes. A cold motor is also much more likely to indicate internal problems (the noises mentioned in the article).
And yes – I’ve had (and still do have) stereos that will tear your frickin’ head off, but my cars are always maintained to the hilt. That’s a stretch to assume loud music = abused vehicle.
Excellent writeup. Your comment about the Mercedes transmissions brings up one important point: the more familiar you are with the particular make/model you are viewing, the easier it will be to spot abnormalities. So, if possible, narrow your search to a particular vehicle and drive several examples for comparison.
This series is great, perhaps next there could be a “How to Sell a Used Car” series, since I imagine many enthusiasts are just as curious about how to pass on their cars to new owners.
miked said: Most cars since the 90’s have had idiot gauges for coolant temperature. They generally have 4 positions. Cold – Normal – Ok but getting Hot – Overheating.
Thank you for this info, it explains what I saw the first time I hooked up a scan tool to my GTI and watched the data while my wife drove us around in the hills of eastern CT.
Based on what the ECU was reporting to the scan tool, the coolant temp would jump up to ten degrees F at stop lights , but the dash gauge would stay pegged dead steady at 190 degrees F.
I guess I’m happy it is lying to me to keep my mind at peace, I just wish I knew that it was lying. It wouldn’t seem like a lie if it didn’t have the 190 above the 12 O’Clock position on the gauge.
(Why am I happy it is lying to me? Because I already obsess over every little new noise, strange reading and bump in the night. If they didn’t have gauges that introduced a bit of tolerance into the equation, I’d have one more thing to obsess over.)
Great article. However, if you are buying from a private seller, they will rarely let you test drive for a half-hour. I wouldn’t be inclined to either if I was selling. The person I bought my last car from wouldn’t even let me drive! But he did take me out in it for a bit and did what I asked (turn the wheel all the way and make circles in both directions).
“a late or rough shift from park indicates that the car’s transmission may soon give up the ghost. If you experience rough or late shifting, you’re done.”
Can anyone expand on what this feels like, and what it might mean? My Legend with 210K miles recently started feeling a little hard to pull the shift lever out of park. Don’t worry – I’m not going to try to dump it on some unsuspecting buyer.
“This series is great, perhaps next there could be a “How to Sell a Used Car” series, since I imagine many enthusiasts are just as curious about how to pass on their cars to new owners.”
I strongly agree with this. I keep taking my cars to Carmax for ease of selling, but I’d rather sell them privately. Not knowing anything about that process, however, makes me quite anxious about doing so.
Excellent article(s)! I’m enjoying reading them, and as I am selling my car soon, am looking forward to seeing how potential buyers examine the vehicle.
I also disagree on the music issue as well – another NIN fan here that doesn’t thrash his vehicle and maintains it with the utmost passion.
I’m looking forward to the next installment! :)
Another thing to check is the bolts that hold the seats to the frame. Also look under the dash for dirt or signs of water damage.
When I was shopping used cars recently I noticed the bolts that held the seats to the body were rusted. To me it indicated water or flood damage.
Couple of other thoughts. Find an empty parking lot and do sharp figure 8’s both in forward and reverse. If you hear a loud clicking or rattle you could be looking at CV joint issues. This can run between $100-$300 a wheel.
Look under the car. Is there rust damage? What sort of shape is the exhaust in? Anything leaking?
Check the headlights and tail-lights and see if they work. If they don’t it is more than likely a bulb. BUT you could also have an expensive wiring issue.
If the seller will let me, I always remove a sparkplug and look it over. The condition of the plugs can tell you a lot about the engine.
Make sure the wipers work. Wouldn’t you rather know now as opposed to finding out the next time it rains (learned this lesson the hard way).
Check all the electronic gizmos in the car. Windows, heated mirrors, etc… This stuff can be expensive and annoying to replace on some cars.
Beware of the following:
1. Freshly steam-cleaned engine on an old beater.
2. New paint job on a car less than 4 years old.
3. Pay close attention to any shifting noise with sports cars or trucks (they tend to get driven harder), you could have a clutch problem.
Other quick checks: tap lightly on the body panels, all over. Metal should sound like metal — if it doesn’t, it’s filler. Discontinuities in the paint may be cosmetic or major, especially underneath. Have someone check the angle of the car as you drive away in a straight line — if the car tracks with any divergence from parallel to the course, something is bent (old advice from Consumer Reports). Look for glass fragments under the seats that may indicate a wreck or break-in. If it doesn’t warm up, you may be looking at a Saturn (we had a ’97 that never made much heat, even when new).
@The Comedian: “(Why am I happy it is lying to me? Because I already obsess over every little new noise, strange reading and bump in the night. If they didn’t have gauges that introduced a bit of tolerance into the equation, I’d have one more thing to obsess over.)”
Yes, and that’s exactly why they do it. But it actually freaks me out, I would expect my engine temperature to rise when taking 5 people up a steep mountain in the summer. And I’d actually like to watch it because then I know to back off the throttle if I’m pushing it harder than the cooling system can keep up with.
Know what else is not a real gauge in your car? Pretty much everything except the speed and tach. All the other ones are generally idiot lights that are disguised as real gauges. The oil pressure in my subaru always points in the middle, but in my CJ-5 I can watch it move with engine speed (and temperature). It helps me to know when the engine is warmed up – cold oil is harder to push around so when the oil pressure at idle drops to ~20, I know the engine is warmed up completly. Can’t do that in a new car.
It’s a real problem in heavy duty trucks that tow a lot. The transmission temperature gauge isn’t real, so you have no idea untill it’s too late. People spend a small fortune retrofitting the gauges to actually show what’s going on.
Most private sellers will not let prospective buyers drive their car, especially manual transmission cars.
The figure 8 in a parking lot with a front wheel drive car with higher miles is a good point, do it at least twice.
Having a “refrigerator magnet” is also a good idea if you are concerned about body filler on an older car.
Look at the vehicle, what impression do you get, the interior is it clean, freshly detailed, or a mess. Are there blemishes on the interior, tears, burns, seat bolsters worn out.
How many stone chips on the hood, around the grille? How much road rash on the windshield? Road rash on the headlamps covers(most are plastic)
Is the engine compartment reasonably clean, how is the trunk – the spare. How are the tires, is there curb rash on the wheels or hubcaps.
By now you either like what you are seeing, or you don’t like it. You have formed an opinion of how this vehicle was used.
Cars with alloy wheels look at the front discs, if there is a lip at the outer edge of the discs they are borderline in thickness.
There is a difference between taking a car out on a road test to get an idea of the car, and living with the car for a few days.
Factor in you purchase that whatever you see up front, once you live with the car for a few days you will find additional shortcomings.
If the “check engine” light is on – what do you do? Ask the seller if its been diagnosed?
If the “ABS” light is on ask again.
If the “SRS” light is on ask again.
Some cars no longer have dipsticks for the engine or transmission.
If its an older car with no warranty warranty, the more features the car has, the more you need to spend time to see if they all work.
@SwatLax: That’s sounds more like an issue with your shift lever than your tranny. But at 210k is a lot for any car. If your trans does go you could get another legend with around 120k for the cost of a new trans anyway…
Also do not buy a car with a check engine light on. At least here in NY you cannot pass inspection. And finding the problem may be easy or very difficult. However many cars have a “Maint. Req.” (maintenance required) light that just pops on every 6k-10k miles depending on brand. That doesn’t mean anything except that it hasn’t been dealer serviced in that long.
Good luck finding the transmission dipstick on an Audi and some other German cars. Even the engine dipstick is gone now!!
“Check engine” just needs a ten minute scan. Half the time it’s a loose gas cap – no big deal. If you cannot drive the car or if the owner will not let you have it inspected, run, don’t walk away as fast as possible.
To back up turbosaab’s point, things vary.
Specifically remember that if you’re looking at one of the suddenly-trendy old diesels, the oil is meant to be pitch black; it’s carrying soot, and that’s part of its job, and why you have to use diesel-rated motor oil if you want to maintain it well.
Swat: I think he means if it takes too long (late) or jerks the car too much (rough) shifting from park to drive.
(I can speak from experience saying that the old Mercedes cars do both (in fact, most of the shifts are pretty harsh in the older Mercs), and it’s absolutely normal for them – though disconcerting if you’re not used to it.)
To back up what mike said, too, I’m glad my old beater Mercedes has real gauges; heck, the oil pressure gauge is a live oil line leading to the oil filter housing.
Given that the senders should be sending the same signal no matter what’s displayed, and that the gauge needles ought to be controllable, you’d think they could just put a switch, say, in the ECU plug panel, to turn the gauges from “idiot mode” to “accurate mode”.
But that’d cost too much for too little benefit, and confuse people who were used to one and saw the other without knowing about the switch.)
The Scion xA has the strangest temperture “gauge” I’ve ever seen. It’s actually an idiot light, but it’s slightly better than most, in that it glows blue if cold, not at all if normal, and red if hot. I’ve never seen an idiot light for temperture that glows a different color when cold on any other car. It helped me note a rough shift problem-it shifts pretty rough and suddenly (automatic transmission) when cold, but fine after it’s warmed up and the light goes out. Not a big deal, but the one minor mechanical issue I have had with the car (and it’s not even something I’ve even mentioned to the dealer about).
My girlfriend’s VW Beetle has the blue-red temp gauge. First time I’d seen one. Oh, and my xB has the same thing.
Actually, the dual-colored temp idiot lights are nothing new. My aunt’s ’61 Olds 88 had one: green for cold, not illuminated for normal, and red for hot. I’m pretty sure other GM cars of the same era used the same system.
It also had a trick speedometer bar (not a needle) that started out as green, turned orange at 35-40 mph, and then red at about 70 mph. To give you an idea of how much slower we used to travel back in the “good old days” (in PA at least), I only saw the red appear ONCE.
Re: idiot temp gauges — I guess that’s why the gauges in my Camrys and Frontier never budge once the vehicles are warmed up. On my ’90 Sable, the indicated temp used to rise noticeably while ascending the Blue Ridge Mountains in the summer.
A lot of very good comments here…
One of the issues that needs to be taken into consideration is the geographic area. Here in Atlanta a good working A/C unit is exceptionally important. Even if you have a great vehicle, no a/c usually equates to an absolutely unsellable vehicle in the summer time.
At the same time, there are some components that are critically important to consider in other areas of the country. When I was traveling up north from auction to auction (I worked as a remarketing manager for an auto finance company) a lot of dealers took the time to look underneath the vehicles. That rarely happens down South. Also, the heating systems are virtually ignored for several months out here due to the temperate weather. Up north they’re often the first thing tested on the vehicle right after the engine.
There are some things that the average buyer is simply not equipped to do due to their lack of experience. Checking for bondo, assessing previous repair work, and assessing various minor levels of wear are usually beyond a non-enthusaist’s grasp. That’s why I STRONGLY recommend a thorough inspection by a professional mechanic before putting an offer on the table. I’ve seen thousands of buyers at public auctions and retail lots make the same sorry mistake of believing whatever the seller is saying. It’s not so much an issue of trustworthiness as it is that this next hunk of steel you buy will literally be protecting you and your loved ones for years to come. You owe it to yourself to let a professional shop inspect the vehicle before buying it.
If a private seller won’t let you test drive a car, walk away. I’ve never even heard of an instance where a private seller wasn’t willing to let their daily driver be test driven before buying it. If they don’t want you driving you car, go to someone who will. Likewise I’ve never had any issues with taking out a vehicle for a thrity minute time period. You can always ask if the buyer has to be anywhere beforehand. But most folks who have maintained their vehicles in a consistently good manner will not have a problem with it. That is unless you try to redline their car or drive like an idiot.
Check engine lights can be a sign of a major issue, but then again it may not. 02 sensors, loose gas caps, a worn spark plug, a rich or lean mix, or even a need for a routine tune-up can all be traced down to a check engine light. If the vehicle appears to be in good running order I would make a note of the light and have the code history be assessed by a professional mechanic.
One other item that I want to re-emphasize is KNOWING the type of car you’re getting. By going to an enthusaist site and spending a couple evenings scrolling for information you can get a fantastic grasp of the issues that may come to light in the years to come. Enthusaist sites provide a level of insight and knowledge of a specific vehicle that is simply unavailable anywjere else… with the possible exception of a mechanic that specializes in that marque. There’s literally a treasure trove of information that hundreds of long-term owners and enthusaists can offer just by your willingness to visit those sites.
I’ve got to second Stephen’s advice to hang out on some enthusiast sites. Some even have forums specifically for people shopping for that brand of car, where they can ask questions about maintenance and reliability and get real answers. Some of them even have dealers and mechanics that hang out and can provide advice as well. Totally invaluable when you’re car shopping.
Great advice! This type of thread is why i keep coming back to TTAC. One question I had for the experts has to do with airbags.
On my old Subaru, it says to “inspect” them once every 10 years. What exactly does that entail? It would seem difficult to assess their state, even for reasonably experienced shadetree mechanics, let alone on a used car that you’re getting to look at for maybe 30 minutes.
Mr. Lang, thanks for this series -excellent advice.
To those of you who mentioned that Carfax isn’t to be trusted, that’s why Steven has outlined a hierarchial inspection approach, with an experienced technician as your last line of defence -even if a flooded car ran perfectly in a test drive, your mechanic would spot telltale damage.
One quibble…no tips on bargaining? If I were to put a car through the inspection as recommended, and found no signs of abuse beyond normal wear and tear, I would be inclined to pay the full asking price!
I would NEVER buy a car that i didnt test drive.
@rollingwreck: “On my old Subaru, it says to “inspect” them once every 10 years. What exactly does that entail? ”
Personally, I think this is just for liability reasons. The thing that makes airbags inflate so quickly is a little chunk of solid Sodium Azide (NaN3) in the air bag assembly. When hit with some electricity, the NaN3 breaks down very fast (read explodes) releasing Nitrogen (N2) which fills the airbag. My guess is that most manufacturers think that the little charge of NaN3 is really only good for 10 years or so. So they say to “inspect the airbag”, which I really think means “replace the airbag” because after 10 years the NaN3 may be too degraded to react. This way they can’t get sued if you’re in an accident with a 10 year old car and the airbags don’t go off.
I’ve never heard of a private seller who did not allow test drives, manual transmission or otherwise.
I would not buy a car that I couldn’t drive first and I certainly wouldn’t deal with someone who tried to keep me from a test drive.
Regarding the inspection, while you are looking for defects on the car, these should fall into one of two categories: Dealbreakers and negotiation points… depending on the car and it’s intended purpose, some defects may be acceptable at the right price and should therefore be used as bargaining chips should no dealbreakers be found… For instance, when I bought my jeep wrangler, I found that it had several points of minor body damage… for some, this might be a deal breaker, but since I was looking for something I could get muddy and drive through the woods, I was willing to accept the minor body damage and used it as a bargaining chip when negotiating price.
Excellent points and yes, I am going to cover the negotiation component right after the professional inspection.
I will tell you two things for right now. First, There are several books written by Roger Fisher, Robert Cialdini and Herb Cohen that provide a great deal more inisght to the negotiation process than yours truly. If you have the time feel free to google their names. When it comes to using influence, fairness, and the power of persuasion these three are right at the top of my list.
The other thing is that I personally believe good owners should always be rewarded for their efforts. One of the reasons why I enjoy dealing with an enthusiast (or an aspiring enthusiast) is that I know they’re going to be good stewards of that vehicle. As a consequence of that, I usually lower my economic barometer to reflect my appreciation. Many other sellers will do so as well.
Regarding the airbags: When they first started putting airbags in them, they didn’t know how long they would last. Eventually, somebody (Volvo I think) tested a bunch of airbags on older models of thier cars and decided they never degraded. I believe newer cars don’t have that “inspect the airbags every ten years” label.
With the car parked, yet the engine running, go to the back of the car and put your hand close to the exhaust; slightly cupping it over the exhaust. If you find a ring of black soot on your hand, that’s what is known as “blow-by,” referring to oil getting into the exhaust. It means that the (piston) rings are probably worn so badly that oil is getting into the cylinders.
Also look for blue smoke. Of course, if you see lots of blue smoke – meaning the engine is burning oil big time – you might want to lower the price you give for an OBO (or best offer) car to about the price required to rebuild the top end of the engine or find a replacement engine in a salvage yard.
Great advice, good article. I’m a rising fourth year in college and I will be buying a car this coming year – a used one. Now, two of my favorite cars – BMW 3 series & Audi A4 – can be had at a reasonable price point; 10 – 14 large will buy you a 2001 – 2004 model of each car depending on mileage and other such factors. my question is: after buying such a vehicle, will the maintenance be a pain in the ass for me (too expensive)? Basically, is purchasing a used entry level luxury car a good investment for a college student with not a whole of money (will probably use it all the way through grad school too).
I don’t agree with the bit about aggressive music as an indicator of poor maintenance; it is just too much of a stereotype. Other clues will tell you about the vehicle being ‘thrashed’ that are far more important than the radio presets.
“is purchasing a used entry level luxury car a good investment for a college student with not a whole of money.”
No, it’s actually a very poor di-vestment. Maintenance, insurance and depreciation are all going to be working against you.
A compact with good horsepower will save you a ton more money over that time period. A Mazda Protege/3, Toyota Corolla S, or Honda Civic would be much better choices.
Great series of articles. One important note based on some of the comments here: If a private seller won’t let me drive the car, I leave immediately. Same if they won’t let me have it inspected. Both of these things make me intensely suspicious and I won’t waste my time.
I am selling my car and for the first time the check engine light came on while the prospective buyer was driving it. It was right as we we coming into my driveway. The test driver was driving it fairly hard, flooring it several times on the highway doing 50-80 about 6-8 times. The light is still on so now I have to take it to the dealer. Do I have any recourse from the guy test driving the car if there was damage done during the 15-minute test drive? I was with him, by the way. Nice guy, but…