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Checklist for Buying a Used Car

Good videos to watch first

Scotty Kilmer's advice on when to walk away from a used car

Preliminary

Give your insurance company a heads up that you are looking to buy a used car. Make sure that it will be insured for you to drive it right away when you buy one. Also check that it will be insured for you to test drive.


Don't trust the seller. Check EVERYTHING yourself.


Figure out what car you need


Figure out what car you want to buy. Narrow it down to a few makes/models. Toyota generally most reliable, next is Honda. But it depends on model/year. Check YouTube for car recommendations from mechanics. Base models have less things to go wrong than fully loaded models. Frugal buyers should favor simplicity over bells and whistles. Use kbb.com to get an idea of used car prices. Check craigslist to get another idea of prices in your local area for the vehicle your are interested in.

Do you want manual shift or automatic?

If you live in an area that gets snow and ice, you might want to pick a front-wheel drive car because they handle better in snowy conditions. Check if the car you are looking at has front or rear wheel drive.

Also see: https://carbuyingsupport.com/best-used-cars-to-buy/


It's better to have a car with a NON INTERFERENCE engine. If the car has a timing belt, that can break and with an interference engine it can ruin the engine. If the car has a timing belt and an interference engine the timing belt must be changed regularly (for some models, every 60k miles, but depends on model). If you cannot tell when a used car has had its timing belt changed, you should change it immediately upon buying the car which will be EXPENSIVE ($600-$800 usually). Factor this in to the price of the car.


Cars models:

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What is your price range? ________________


Range of years:


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Finding a car


Places to look in order of preference:

  1. Trusted friends and family. You will have good information on the car's condition. Less likely to get completely screwed.

  2. Craigslist - make sure to narrow things down to “by owner”. Use filters to narrow down by year/price/etc.

  3. Used car lot



Things to ask/check with the owner before seeing a car:


  1. Confirm details in the ad - mileage, year, make, model.

  2. Why are they selling? Can give you a sense of whether the seller is honest.

  3. Is the car salvaged? If so, move on.

  4. Are they the owner and the car is paid for? If not, move on.

  5. Has the car ever been in a serious accident? If so, move on.

  6. How many owners have there been? Lower the number, the better. _______

  7. How often was oil changed? Do they have receipts for oil changes? If they are unsure, or if less than every 5k miles, walk away. _______________

  8. Are there any repairs in process right now?

  9. Are there repairs that are needed right now?

  10. When was last time air filter was changed? ________________________

  11. Are you comfortable having a mechanic of my choosing do an inspection of the car? If not, move on.

  12. How long have you owned the car? Longer is better. _____________

  13. Any known problems with the car? If engine or transmissions problems, move on. If minor, take notes, use to bargain the price down later and check out the problems during inspection.

    1. _________________________________________________________

    2. _________________________________________________________

    3. _________________________________________________________

    4. _________________________________________________________

  14. What recent work has been done on the car?

    1. ________________________________

    2. ________________________________

    3. ________________________________

  15. If car has a timing belt, when was it last changed? ________________________

  16. Can I come and inspect the car? Will need about 2 hours 1.5 hour inspection, 30 minute test drive. If this is not OK, walk away.

  17. If I like the car, is the seller willing to drive it to your personal mechanic for inspection (at your expense)? If not, no deal.

  18. If answers to the above satisfy you, make appointment to see the car:

  1. Get VIN number so you can carfax the car.

  2. Ask the seller to bring the title so you can check it out and make sure it's not a salvage vehicle, even if they claim it's not.

  3. If you decide to see the car, ask seller to bring all receipts of recent oil changes, repair work, etc.

  4. Two hour appointment must be in daylight and during reasonably nice weather when you can inspect the car without getting too cold, wet, etc.

  5. Try to meet the seller at their house. If their house and yard is well tended that's a good sign generally (but still be wary). If they don't want to meet at their house, no sale.



CarFax the car. If you don't like what you see, cancel the above appointment.

Check that the owner really is the owner and the car hasn't been in a serious accident. Check maintenance history. Check the number of previous owners.


Inspection and Test Drive by YOU

Bring two people. One of these people should be mechanically inclined.


Bring rags or paper towels to clean hands and wipe fluids on

Bring OBD code scanner

Bring sheet or tarp to lay on when looking under the car

Bring mirror on a stick (sold at AutoZone, etc.) for checking for rust/leaks under car.

Wear old clothes that you won't mind getting oily.

Know location of your mechanic that will do the inspection if needed. You will set up an appointment to have the car checked if your own inspection goes well.

Bring this checklist

After the inspection, if the car looks good to you don't delay - others will be looking at the car also. At the same time, don't appear over eager, this could hurt you when negotiating the price.


The Inspection by You

[ ] Do this first to potentially save a couple of hours of your time. INSPECT THE TITLE. Make sure they are the owner. Make sure the car is NOT SALVAGED. If salvaged, move on. It's been in a serious accident.

[ ] Look at the car closely all around it for signs of accident damage or flood damage. If the car smells musty walk away due to risk of being flooded. (Has the owner sprayed scent or is using an air freshener to cover this up?)

[ ] What's your overall impression of car? If looks very rough, it has probably not been well maintained. Move on.

[ ] Check mileage. Does it jive with the advertisement?

[ ] Look from about 15 feet in front and behind, make sure wheels on both sides are at the same location, left and right side match.

[ ] Check body panels for paint mismatch or bad paint job.

[ ] Check body panel gaps to make sure they are all consistent. If not, suspect serious accident, walk away.

[ ] Run hand over any areas that look mismatched to see if the paint surface is different from the factory paint, ask about any such area. If you suspect a serious accident, walk away.

[ ] Check all interior trim, including the roof trim.

[ ] Condition of front seats?

[ ] Condition of rear seats, and rear bench if included?

[ ] Check that all seat belts work.

[ ] Open and shut all doors and trunk and hatch. Check they all fit properly when closed. If not, move on. Suspect serious accident.

[ ] Have a look in the glove compartment. Is the owner's manual in there?

[ ] Smell inside the car. Does it smell mouldy/musty? If so, move on. Suspect flood damage.

[ ] Check any automatically opening doors or hatch. Do they all work?

[ ] Check inside the trunk. Pull up the carpeting and look underneath for signs of rust (flood damage). Move on if found.

[ ] Does car have jack and spare tire? If not, consider moving on, sign of poor maintenance.

[ ] Check for rust on outside of car. Does rust go all the way through? If major, move on.

[ ] Check all windows for cracks and chips.

[ ] Look under the car for rust. If major, move on.

[ ] Check clearance between tires and body on both sides. Should match, if not, move on (potential accident damage).

[ ] Look under the engine area for leaks. Engine, transmission, differential. Could be engine oil, coolant, or other. If found, move on.

[ ] Any dented metal under the car (something was run over, potentially causing serious damage to engine or transmission)?

[ ] Welds look OK under the car? Otherwise, suggests major repair work (accident) - move on.

[ ] Check on ground under the car for puddles or stains of fluid.

[ ] Check bottom of radiator for signs of coolant/leaks.

[ ] Check for cracks in the serpentine belt

[ ] Check to see if vehicle coolant is cool (touch hoses near radiator). If cool, open the radiator cap with a rag. Does coolant come all the way to the top? If not, suspect leak. Check coolant reservoir. Is level between min/max?

[ ] Check engine oil dipstick. Does oil look clean? If milky, sign of blown head gasket. Move on.

[ ]What is oil level? If significantly below max, move on. Sign of either oil leak, engine burning oil or poor engine maintenance.

[ ] Check brake fluid level. Should be between min/max.

[ ] Start the car. Does it start easily? If not, move on.

[ ] Any strange noises such as clacking noises coming from the engine? If so, walk away.

[ ] Do warning lights all come on when car is first started, then go out?

[ ] Which warning lights remain on? Check engine light?

[ ] Is there any tape over the dash to hide warning lights?

[ ] Does the airbag light stay on or blink?

[ ] Let the car idle for about 5 minutes. Does it idle smoothly? If not, move on. There are many reasons for a car to not idle smoothly, some of which can be very expensive to fix.

[ ] Scan codes and see if any are found. If so, write them down to check. If the scan tool won't communicate with the car's computer, walk away. Could be broken computer (very expensive).

[ ] With the OBD scanner, check the "OBD state". See if there are any "incomplete" monitor states. If they are then the codes have likely been reset recently by the seller. So you won't get a true picture of all the potential problems. Walk away. See Scotty Kilmer's advice

[ ] Have friend rev the car. Any strange noises from the engine? If so, walk away.

[ ] With friend revving the engine, check exhaust. Does it look clean? If persistent black or white smoke (not just mist because it's cold) move on.

[ ] Open the hood. Listen to the engine. Does it sound smooth? If not, move on.

[ ] Is engine area covered in oil? If so, move on.

[ ] Check for oil change stickers that confirm oil changes or indicate an oil change is long overdue.

[ ] Look for any signs of leaks - oil, coolant, brake fluid, etc.

[ ] When engine is OFF, check radiator hoses for signs of wear. With care not to get burnt, press and release, should spring back to shape.

[ ] Check transmission fluid AFTER the test drive. Is it red or light red? If smells burnt or has small black pieces of metal, move on. Will have transmission problem.

[ ] How does the battery look? Terminals clean?

[ ] Age of battery?

[ ] Get inside car, check that heat blows hot.

[ ] Check that heat/cooling fan works and is strong at maximum speed.

[ ] Check that air is blowing out of all vents.

[ ] Check A/C blows very cold.

[ ] Check tires for wear.

[ ] Do all tires have the correct number of lug nuts?

[ ] Check tires for uneven wear.

[ ] All hubcaps in place?

[ ] Check all power windows. Working and do they go up/down fast enough?

[ ] Check power mirror adjustment.

[ ] Check backup camera, if equipped.

[ ] Check overhead mirror adjustment.

[ ] Check windshield wipers, sprayer.

[ ] Check rear windshield wipers, sprayer.

[ ] If possible, check that rear window defrost works.

[ ] Are windshield wipers in good condition?

[ ] Adjust seats.

[ ] Adjust steering wheel if equipped.

[ ] Check interior lights, dome lights, reading lights, etc.

[ ] Check stereo - radio, CD player.

[ ] Turn up volume, make sure speakers aren't blown

[ ] Check horn.

[ ] Check parking brake.

[ ] Check indicators on all sides.

[ ] Check emergency flashers.

[ ] Check headlights, normal and high beam.

[ ] Check fog lights if equipped.

[ ] Check brake lights.

[ ] Check tail lights.

[ ] (with friend) Check reverse light.

[ ] Check that car locks/unlocks, using interior, exterior locks and remote lock/unlock.

[ ] How many keys and remote keys are available


Test Drive

Ideally the seller (owner) should allow you and your friend to drive in the car by yourselves. If that is not possible, ask them (and your friend!) to not talk during the test drive. You are all there to check the car, not socialize.


[ ] Check transmission, shifting between gears. Forward AND reverse. When starting, accelerating, decelerating, and when driven fast (on the highway preferably). If not shifting smoothly, walk away.

[ ] Does the car accelerate smoothly? Accelerating up a hill is a good test of a transmission. If there's problems, clunking, etc. walk away.

[ ] Change from park to drive. Does it clunk? If so, move on.

[ ] Change from park to reverse. Does it clunk? If so, move on.

[ ] Drive in a tight circle. Any clunking or noise?

[ ] Reverse the vehicle. Reverses smoothly? How is the visibility when reversing?

[ ] Drive over some bumps. How's suspension feel? Should be firm but not jarring.

[ ] Does anything squeak etc. when you go over bumps?

[ ] Do you hear any knocking noises from the engine that get faster with high engine speed? If so, walk away.

[ ] Does the car feel tired, as if it's worn out? Walk away.

[ ] Is steering wheel comfortable for you to hold? Not off center?

[ ] Drive in traffic and on the highway as fast as you can reasonably go in the time you have.

[] Does the cruise control work (if installed) or do things get jerky? If so, could be transmission problem. Walk away.

[ ] Does power steering work?

[ ] Does steering wobble at all or some speeds?

[ ] Does vehicle pull to one side when you take hands briefly off the steering wheel?

[ ] Brake hard. Does car stop quickly? If not, move on.

[ ] Press on brake and hold it. Does brake slowly move to the ground?

[ ] Try stepping on the gas to get it to accelerate quickly. Does the transmission handle it OK? If not, move on.

[ ] Check temperature dial on the dash. It should settle in the middle of the cold/hot range. If not, move on.

[ ] Is car noisy when going fast or in traffic?

[ ] Is the car comfortable and enjoyable for you to drive?

[ ] Does the car make any unusual noises? List them below.

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________


[ ] After the road test, open up the hood and look for signs of leaks.

[ ] Look under the car for signs of leaks.



After the Driving Test


If you are satisfied with your inspection, schedule an inspection by your mechanic.



The Mechanic's inspection

You must find a mechanic near you that you trust. The seller must bring their car to YOUR MECHANIC for a complete inspection. Typically around $100. If inspection is favorable then you should feel comfortable making an offer for the car. The mechanic's report should include all items that should be fixed and should give priority to the most expensive items in the car:

  1. Engine

  2. Transmission

  3. Evidence of being in a serious wreck

  4. Other items in order of expected expense


Give the mechanic a list of the issues that you found during your inspection and ask that they estimate the cost of fixing each issue.


Any problems found will either give you reason to avoid buying the car and/or leverage to reduce the price.


Haggling


  1. Don't seem desperate to buy the car.

  2. Know the approximate price for this car using kbb.com or Edmunds.com.

  3. Deduct some reasonable amount for the repairs that you know the car will need, based on the inspections.

  4. Have a number in mind above which you will not go.

  5. Aim for a number significantly below this price.

  6. Go back and forth with the buyer as needed, not going above your price in step 2.

  7. Be prepared to walk away. There are other cars.


The sale


Consider using an escrow service to transfer money/title. Escrow.com?

Consider meeting the seller at your bank. As the bank to give you a room or space to do the transaction. Get a cashier's check for the amount. Only give it to the seller once they have signed over the title to you. They must sign and put in the sale amount.


After the sale


Let your insurance company know so they can add the car to your policy.

Transfer the car title to yourself through your local bureau of motor vehicles.

Get your car into your mechanic to do any of the “must do” items that were found during inspection.


Then...enjoy your new (used) car!!