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Any tips on getting a used car?
05-16-2016, 04:24 PM
European Automotive Technician and Independent Auto Dealer here.
I have a dealers license now but for at least ten years I bought strictly from the general public (mostly Craigslist) and auctions open to the GP: Charity, Police, Surplus Auctions. Some good advice, some I agree, with some I dont.
My main disagreement is advising Japanese and American vehicles over German or Swedish vehicles. There are good and bad vehicles from every manufacturer. The truth is German cars offer some of the nicest vehicles ever designed. Once you have owned a nice BMW, Mercedes, or Audi (not talking about A4's, 3 series or C-Class) you will never drive another Japanese or US vehicle ever again. Maintenance can be expensive if you have dont do your own work but it is largely a myth that European car parts are more expensive than others. I get my parts from the local junkyard and all parts there are priced the same regardless of manufacturer. If you pay an independent shop for parts and labor or, God forbid you take you car to the dealership, you probably will pay more for maintenance in dollars per mile. However if you want class, styling, performance, and interior luxury you cant do better than MB, BMW, Audi, Volvo or Saab.
One poster mentioned your $2K price point as a very problematic price point and he is right. Most used cars for sale at that price have an equal amount ($2K) of needed deferred maintenance. Paying just one or 2 grand more can get you into a much better pool of used cars. Some of the techniques i use while buying from the public are:
Buying the buyer, not the car. I want to buy my cars from employed, middle to upper-class people in good neighborhoods, with homes not apartments. I want my seller to have several cars newer and nicer than the one I am planning to buy. When the seller doesnt really need the money you are more likely to be able to bargain down to your price as well as buy a car that the previous owner had the means to pay for scheduled maintenance.
Ask for service records, comprehensive records instantly establish a car as more valuable than the same car all other things being equal. Don't be afraid to look under a car, its like seeing a woman without makeup. If the seller is amenable ask to perform a compression test on the cylinders. This can offer you critical information on the health of the motor. Make sure that there are no leaks (fluid leaks and or vacuum/exhaust leaks.
I tell people to pay attention towards your senses. If a car smells funny, something looks or feels funny investigate it. Things that can be determined this way-
Smell: Burning coolant (sweet maple syrup like smell), Burning Oil-grey smoke (smells like a lawnmower or other two cycle motor), Burning excess fuel black, sooty smoke (often smells like sulphur or eggs) could be bad catalytic converter, bad gas, running rich. Moldy smell means car may have been in a flood or had a heater core leak. Cigarette smell and mold are two of the most difficult smells to get rid of.
Hearing can alert you to knocks, lifter noise, muffler problems, exhaust leaks, brake/rotor/wheel problems.
Feel can tell you problems with Misfiring cylinders, transmission, alignment, suspension, wheel/hub bearings, etc.
Sight can tell you whether the car has been in an accident (deployed airbags, uneven body lines and seams, wavy, aftermarket paint job covering up bondo.) Make sure that all the warning lights (airbag, ABS, CEL, etc.) come on when the key is in the second position.
Unscrupulous dealers resell cars with deployed airbags and Check Engine Lights disabled. You live in SoCal which has the most extensive smog testing in the nation. Any DTC code from the most innocuous will disqualify your car. Another $2000 investment may be necessary just to be able to pass smog check. Bring a code scanner or ask the owner if he minds you getting the codes read at an auto parts store.
As far as mileage goes I have a saying: Cars dont get to be high mileage cars by being neglected. Usually cars start needing many major components replaced around 150K miles. A car with 200K has often gotten over this hump and can have another 50-100K left in them. This is mostly Japanese and European cars as many American cars are simply just not designed to last over 200K.
The good news is there are many good deals out there on Craigslist if you are prepared to complete your due diligence. I buy cars for between $700 and $1500 all the time and usually they need something simple like a fuel pump, AC compressor, or alternator and they are good to go. I am also talking about good looking cars with leather, sunroof, power everything, etc. I drive good looking European cars between 10 and fifteen years old. I always get compliments on my cars. Right now I am driving a 2006 Volvo S60 2.5 Turbo which i paid $1300 for. It needed a new radiator, condenser and hood. I got all the parts for about $3-400 and did all the work in my driveway in one day. Interior is in beautiful shape and it only has 150K miles. So including registration, sales tax and license I am still under $2K.
The most common catastrophic failures that end most cars lives are overheating/head gasket failure, timing belt failure, or transmission failure. Make sure your timing belt and water pump has been changed, your coolant system is in good functioning order and your transmission fluid and engine oil is clean and not leaking.
![[Image: biggrin.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
My one tip would be that generally speaking you get a good one or you get a pup. If it's a pup then move it on, don't keep patching it up.
