So you want to buy a used car, but you haven't really done that before, or maybe you got burned last time. Here's some tips from someone who's bought a lot of shit cars:
Before you decide you want to see a car, do some research.
-How many miles are on the car? Stuff starts to wear down to a breaking point just about every 100,000 miles, as a general rule of thumb. Mileage is also going to be important for some of the maintenance elements we'll talk about.
-Look at the kelley blue book value of the car. Make sure you put in factors like mileage and condition so you get a good idea of what the market price is. This will help you know what price range is acceptable for that car.
-What issues are mentioned about the car? Do you know what those issues are, and what they'll cost to fix?
-Consider make and model. Import cars are going to be more expensive to take to the shop. Some makes are considered more reliable than others. I personally really trust Japanese models; Honda, Toyota, and Subaru have always treated me well.
-Does this model have a timing belt or a timing chain? This will be important later.
-If you live in a climate that gets a lot of snow and ice, I heavily suggest making sure your car has 4 or all-wheel drive. It's a lot safer, and you have less of a chance getting stuck.
-For anyone who doesn't know, a 'mechanic's special' is Not a good thing.
If you're buying a car from someone, you need to make absolutely sure that they have the title with them, that it's in their name, and that they sign the title over to you (and hand it to you physically) before you give them money and leave with the car.
Clean vs. unclean titles:
A "clean" title means that the car hasn't been rebuilt or deemed totalled. As a general rule, always look for clean titles. But if you come across a rebuilt car that inspects well, sometimes they're still worth the buy.
It's always a really good idea to have a bill of sale, but that's mostly for the seller. You can write one up yourself by looking at templates online.
Bring a handful of paper towels to check oil and probably a friend when you meet someone to see a car. I would heavily suggest meeting in a public area, for safety. You're going to want to test drive; do not let the seller come along for that, it can be a big safety risk. (In my experience they don't really ask to anyway.)
I personally never bother with a cosmetic inspection at my price range, so follow your heart there. Rust eats cars, so be selective with the severity of rust you're willing to deal with.
Big dents can herald accidents, which could possibly mean funniness in the suspension or frame. I personally don't worry much about that, though, because like I said, I'm cheap. The test drive can give you more information about the suspension.
Once your cosmetic inspection is done:
-Look at the tires. How much tread do they have? You'll have to consider if new tires are within your budget, if they're low. If there are any big bubbles, do Not test drive that car; it's dangerous.
-Check under the car. Can you see anything leaking? Can you tell if it's oil, or coolant? Those are usually (but not always) under the front of the car. Is gasoline leaking from the back?
-This is where the knowledge of timing belt vs. chain becomes important. If you have a timing chain, you don't need to worry. But, if you have a timing belt and the car is 60,000 miles or over, look for a sticker inside the hood saying it's been changed. Timing belts need to be changed regularly, and if you throw one it will total the car. If it's due for a change, be sure you can afford to have it done before you buy the car.
-Keep the hood open, but turn the car on. How easily does it start up? Are there any indicator lights on the dash? A check engine is intimidating, but sometimes it's not serious. If it's flashing, though, abandon ship- that car probably shouldn't even be driving. "Maint required" means it needs an oil change. Are there any squealing noises? Squealing could be a starter or a belt of some kind.
-Inspect the oil. (This is what the paper towels are for.) Is the level very high or low? Is its color very dark, or even shimmery silver? These are very bad signs. Look inside the oil filler cap as well; if there's strange orange residue inside, the car could be getting coolant in its oil, which indicates some serious problems.
-Take a quick peek at the coolant overflow reservoir and the brake fluid reservoir, just to see if they're low. You don't usually need to open them to see.
-Look at the battery. Is it really dirty? Does it have a lot of white, powdery corrosion? This isn't a serious problem, but batteries typically only last a few years.
-Are there any weird smells? Sulpher/eggs could be a battery, sweet smells could be cooling problems.
-Go ahead and take a look at the now-running engine. Listen close for ticking, knocking, or grinding. If there is rhythmic knocking it's probably in the cylinders- this is a serious problem and I'd personally advise not getting the car.
-Go ahead and shut the hood and ask to test drive the car.
-While you're inside, you can mess with some basic stuff. Do all of the windows and A/C / heater work? What about the radio? The lights? The locks? Does it smell weird? (If there's a strong exhaust smell, the car may have problems with its evap system. Which isn't the end of the world, but you'll be stuck with a smelly car, and you can possibly run into issues trying to register it.)
-Go for a little drive, and feel and listen closely.
*Does the car stutter or hesitate when you try to accelerate? Could be a few things, but I'd suspect a fuel efficiency problem, like injectors, or a dirty engine air filter.
*Is the car just insanely loud? That's probably an issue somewhere in your exhaust.
*Keep an eye on the temperature. It should sit at half, once the car is warm. If it goes above half, you have a problem, and you may even need to pull over and shut off the car to let it cool down before you damage the engine.
*Is there a strong musty smell out of the vents? You probably need a new cabin air filter. That's not really that expensive or difficult, though.
*Does the car shift smoothly between gears, or does it feel a little sticky/struggle? (In automatic cars, you can usually tell when the car has shifted for you because your RPMs will drop a bit.) Does it feel really rough when you idle? These can be problems.
*Is there lots of squeaking and creaking, and does it bounce a lot? Does your nose dip when you stop? This is probably something wearing down in the suspension.
*If there's wobbling or pulling somewhere when you're not braking, it can also be an issue with your suspension/front end.
*Do a couple thorough brake tests somewhere safe, like a parking lot. Do the brakes scream? Are they really crunchy? If brakes are crunching, they needed to be changed like, yesterday. If you have a ton of wobbling/jerking/pulsating in your steering wheel or brake pedal, those are also braking problems, and a brake job will most likely fix them.
*If you can, try to find a road where you can get the car above 60 MPH, just to further confirm it doesn't struggle.
*If you have lights on, you can usually take them to an autoparts store like AutoZone to have the codes checked for free. They'll also give you a list of parts that might fix the problem, but be careful: these diagnostics are just estimates based on the code you threw, and not 100% guaranteed to be what's wrong with the car.
A lot of times if you sniff out problems, you can leverage them against the seller to bring their price down a little.
Let's say you've decided to go ahead and buy the car. Yay! Here's what you need to do next:
-Take your new title to the DMV. You'll need to ask them to switch it to your name, and to register the car.
-In most of the places I've lived, you'll need to go have your emissions tested and maybe even safety inspected before they'll officially register your car. You can take it somewhere like an instant oil change place or a car shop to have that done.
-In the future, you'll need to renew the registration every year on or before the month you bought the car. I personally like to go to a car shop to have this done, because they'll give you the new stickers for the license plate right away, and they'll handle the paperwork for you.
-Once you pass emissions, you can head back to the DMV and get your plates. If you don't pass, you'll need to repair whatever failed before they'll give you the green light. (There are also some circus tricks I've learned to pass without repairs; maybe I'll post that sometime if y'all want.)
-The last step is to find insurance to cover your car. I would suggest to do a lot of shopping around. Most insurance companies will let you customize exactly what they cover; the less that's covered, the cheaper your bill will be.
Congrats, and enjoy your new car!
