Is Buying A Used Car Safe?

(2011-10-23 14:30:16) 1. Marina Says: Just passed my road test and am now ready to buy a car. I cant to buy a new car because I don't have that kind of money. My budget is $8 grand-$11 grand. My ideal car would be a 2005/2006 Honda Civic si coupe. I'm just not sure if there are any risk associated with buying a used car, can i bring in to an inspector or how does a buying a used car work? Thanks for the help2. roger Says: In terms of buying a good car, the best way is also the slowest. A private party car will bring the best value for the money, you still have to be choosy and weed out the cars that may not be what you are looking for. After years of looking for used vehicles a number of things that people do when selling a used car gave me pause and I would not even waste my time going to look. For example, people who are too cheap to pay their registration, let it lapse, and then try to sell it. You cannot even legally test drive this car, and if you do and get caught it will be impounded. And what if you decide to buy it? same thing, it could get impounded on the way home. you never know. Also, this is a great way to hide a possible problem, and to skip maintenance issues. I do not buy unregistered cars, there are always excessive penalties now too.
I keep an eye on the paper everyday, yes your local paper, most older people have no clue what craigslist is, and don't care. I know a lot of shady people do things on the cheap, and craigslist is free, so its a natural for cheats. ( I know, not all of them are, but enough)Older people may live in nice neighborhoods , have other nice things, do not drive the pee out of their cars and take a lot better care of their stuff. I prefer cars owned by older owners (without high aged male children) women take better care of their car as a rule, young men could care less. (I didn't) After you call for a while on used cars in the paper you ask key things, like mileage, how long did they own it, why are they selling it, things like that, does it look good for the year? is the interior nice . How the owner answers the questions can sometimes dictate if its worth seeing the car or not. Some things disinterest me immediately like "needing a tune up" since they took lead out of gas, needing a tune up is almost a none issue. Only a badly neglected car with no oil changes, could run that bad. walk away.
These are just general impressions from years of looking at crap cars over and over, people often misstate the mileage, and many cars with a transmission just starting to go bad, may run ok after being warmed up for 15 to 20 minutes first. I like to show up for a private party car first thing in the morning if possible, and do what I call a cold start test drive. I check the engine oil to make sure its clean (and the same temperature as the outside air) means it has not been started, and then pull the dipstick for automatic transmissions and see what the fluid looks like, (should be pinkish and clear, and not smell burnt) if its black and burnt, walk away the tranny is bad.
I start the engine , if should be quiet and smooth into a high idle within 5 to 10 seconds, no loud clangs and no smoke clouds. I give the engine a minute or two for oil circulation, then take off like I stole it. If you can take any used car and get it up to 55 miles per hour in the first 5 to 7 minutes when cold, the car is likely in really good shape. check all the power windows switches in each door, roll that window up and down, several times each, same with the seat buttons on a power seat, make sure it all works. heater, Air conditioning, power windows, radio , everything. I like to do a 40 minute to an hour test drive , And never take a owner or dealer word the car runs perfect. The only one who can tell you that is your mechanic, which is an absolute must , when buying any used car. Many people get in a hurry and skip this step. Big mistake. Always take the time to get a vehicle a good inspection. This can save you from a pile of crap car. Many cars mechanics recognize as a problem as soon as you bring it in, that's the way it goes sometimes. Your last line of defense against a junker is your mechanic. Sometimes, a car you want does not work out. Have patience, there will always be a nicer, better , cheaper car around the next corner. So take your time, and drag home a keeper, not a loser ok?
Most dealers do not have time to warm up every car trying to hide automatic transmission problems. this is usually a private party thing. Tag: Is Buying A Used Car Safe?