Used Cars

[Rhinox]

So my car died. Not currently able to afford a new car but not poor enough to swallow my pride and cream soda it.

To those of you that have bought used cars in the past what are some red flags? What should I look for?


Mainly just need a car for commuting to work and home.

[Brill Weave]

Any frame damage is an immediate no. Any moderate to heavy transmission work is a pretty big warning sign. Engine rebuilds etc. Cars that have been in major accidents and then fixed with after market parts to lower cost. Shit like that. Check the battery on the car, if it's more than 5 years old and it's the original battery you'll end up replacing it sooner rather than later. It all depends on how much you're willing/able to spend.

[Ddz]

Ideal: low-ish mileage, one owner, no accidents (ask for a carfax if available), well-kept maintenance records.

[Bardicrune]

Do a thorough test drive. If you use it mostly to commute between home/work, drive that route. You know what the roads are like from your daily drive so that's the best place to compare it. Check belts for wear. Tires as well. Don't want to buy a used vehicle only to turn around and spend 500+ on a new set of tires immediately after. Also check small stuff like A/C, heater, headlights, turn signals, brake lights.

[Senji]

Take the vin to your insurance agent. They can run it to find far more information than a carfax.

[zoobernut]

If you get to the point where you checked the vehicle out and you really like it most auto shops will check it out for you too for a small fee. I think there is a shop in my town that will check out a vehicle for you for like $80 or something like that (takes them about an hour to run through everything)

The other option is to purchase certified pre-owned from a reputable car dealer. It costs a little bit more but it comes with a warranty and they do comprehensive checks on the vehicles before they are sold.


My wife and I are looking to replace our truck with something more family friendly so we are going through this right now on both ends. We need to sell our truck and buy a used vehicle.

[Ddz]

most auto shops will check it out for you too for a small fee.

Oh yeah, a buyer's inspection. Money well-spent.

[Lucavi]

Honestly, try to grab a used car from an elderly driver. Everyone I know who picks up a 99-ish Honda whatever from the elderly or ocean-front-dwelling wind up getting a sweet deal on a car that's essentially brand new with sub 20k miles. Ask your friends if they know any older folks or family looking to get rid of a card they don't need, and start the usual checks from there.

I almost jumped on buying a 2002 Prelude with 15k miles last year, and this is coming from a guy with a 2011 Camaro 2SS. I love that car and having a "beater" for the winter would have been great.

[Soa]

Like others have said, do a visual inspection to make sure nothing in the engine is rusted or leaking. Check the battery to make sure its not too old, make sure the belts and tires aren't worn out, and that the heater and/or AC work.

Test drive it, and if you are thinking about buying ask the owner to let you have it checked out by your mechanic (most mechanics offer this service for a small fee). If they refuse then walk away because they are probably trying to hide something. When I bought the truck I have now the dealer (used car lot) let me get it checked out. It needed new brakes and rotors and the guy paid to get them fixed before I bought it.

If you are buying a newer pre-owned car from a dealer there isn't much to worry about. It probably still has a warranty and you should be able to purchase an extension if you wish. I recommend this over buying a brand new car since it will save you thousands of dollars.

[Tokitoki]

If you are buying a newer pre-owned car from a dealer there isn't much to worry about. It probably still has a warranty and you should be able to purchase an extension if you wish. I recommend this over buying a brand new car since it will save you thousands of dollars.

Make sure you would get a decent interest rate from a bank for a used car. The pre-owned do not general fall under the financing offers. For instance, my new 2014 WRX is 2.9% APR "special" from the dealer, but for a used 2011 WRX I was getting a 7.9% interest rate with a credit rating over 700. They came out to about the same price over the same period of time.

This goes for any used car. Check with your bank as well as others to see what they'd offer in terms of financing.

[vagus]

I use this formula. Price / (200,000 - current milage). The lower the resulting number the better. You would also take into consideration like color, previous damage as well.

I consider anything over 200k too much. And the cost to fix is not worth it, unless you know cars. Some cars will continue to run after 200k (Honda) but you're taking a risk.

I found a 2001 civic with 130k. Should I consider it? He is asking for $2600c.

[Obsidian]

Preludes and Hondas in general (Acuras too) are notorious for rust on the rear quarter panels. If you can see rust anywhere, there's probably more that you can't see on the underbody. For a lot of 2000-ish japanese cars (Toyotas, Hondas, Acuras), you only need to really worry about mileage once the odometer is up over 300k, at which point timing belts start needing to be replaced and other engine work typically needs to be done. The kind of mileage is also important. City driving is a lot harder on a vehicle than highway driving. (Edit: I took to long to post this, haha.)

I would say any improperly repaired frame damage is an immediate deal breaker. Frame damage itself, not necessarily. If it's been repaired properly the car will typically be fine, but if you find out about frame damage, you can use it as leverage when negotiating a price. Same with rust, old batteries, eroded brake callipers/pads or any other mechanical maintenance that will be required. If you know a mechanic or anyone who knows a mechanic, ask if they'd be willing to look at anything you're considering buying. If not, take it to a trusted local shop to get looked at.

Even if you don't want to take it to a mechanic for whatever reason (although I highly recommend you do), ask the seller if you can have your mechanic look at it anyway. If they say no, walk away, because there's probably an issue with the vehicle they don't want you to know about. That issue will be expensive.

Do some research on any model you look at for common problems with that build. For instance, stay the hell away from the Cavaliers/Sunfires with sunroofs, because they leak frequently. Going back to frame damage, the no-no is unibody frames, because once they've been in an accident the whole frame gets warped and even if you get it straightened out (which will probably cost you more than the car's worth), the entire frame will be weaker because of it. I'm dealing with this in my girlfriend's Cavalier right now. The car's drivable again but it's worth maybe a quarter of what it was before she got hit and it's not something she's going to be driving long-term now. If she had collision coverage her insurance company would've just written it off.

On test drives check for drifting (let go of the wheel while driving straight and see if the car keeps going straight) and listen to/feel for the transmission when it/you change gears. If it feels like its slipping while trying to shift, it's probably going to need work soon, and that work will be expensive. If it's a manual, ask the owner about the condition of the clutch, because a totally worn one can cost you upwards of a thousand bucks. If the vehicle has power windows, test them all, repeatedly. If they struggle to go back up the window motor could be on its way out or the window regulator itself (the whole track assembly inside the door) could be finished. On my girlfriend's Cavalier two new regulators cost me 300 bucks each, and they're a huge pain in the ass to install because the doors are one piece.

Pop the hood. If the engine compartment just looks dirty, it's a safe bet the owner hasn't kept up with regular fluid changes (brakes, transmission, power steering, oil), and is an indicator that the engine may need work sooner than you think. Front suspension assemblies aren't as easy to test but a quick way to see how the rear suspension holds up on most vehicles (that have shocks and not struts) is just to push down on the back of the car and then let go; if the vehicle bounces up and down a bunch (if you can hear it bottoming out or if it's just literally bouncing up and down a few times before returning to rest) the shocks will probably need to be replaced soon.

If you know anyone who knows anything about cars, bring them with you. More eyes is never a bad thing.

[Ksandra]

If you get to the point where you checked the vehicle out and you really like it most auto shops will check it out for you too for a small fee. I think there is a shop in my town that will check out a vehicle for you for like $80 or something like that (takes them about an hour to run through everything)

The other option is to purchase certified pre-owned from a reputable car dealer. It costs a little bit more but it comes with a warranty and they do comprehensive checks on the vehicles before they are sold.

Good stuff right here. Just to tag onto it, check your state's laws in regards to buying a used vehicle. Some states have grace periods you need to follow for getting the car checked by a mechanic and returned if needed (in order to protect people from being stuck with a lemon). Let the seller know you know the law so they also understand what they are getting into (especially if you are buying from a private seller who may not even know the law himself/herself.)

[Tekki]

So many good points in this thread.

When I went through used cars the best one was a Chevy Celebrity with low miles, elderly prior owner, with no accidents/major work done. Drove it forever until I could afford a new car.

[archibaldcrane]

How much are you looking to spend broheim?

[BaneTheBrawler]

Oh yeah, a buyer's inspection. Money well-spent.

This. Run the price by them, too. They can usually spot a bad deal a mile away. Kinda their thing.

[Acevalefor]

Buy private party if you are comfortable with, or know someone who is, inspecting for and spotting any deal breakers. The money saved by buying private party can be substantial. I bought a F-150 for $3400 with only 127,000 miles. That same truck at a few local dealers was listed between $7000 and $8000 which means realistically paying around $6500 and still feeling like you got robbed.

I had to replace the timing belt and the rear outside bearings but the parts total was only $350 and I know how to fix cars. So even with the problems, I still saved ~$2800. Even if you can't fix it yourself, It is almost always less expensive to buy private party and pay someone to fix whatever problems you may have overlooked and find after the purchase.

PS: The fucking bolt on the fan is left handed....

[Elizara]

Also a lesson from my brother (who bought 3 cars in 4 years b/c mom kept wrecking them before she died of the chemo she was taking to get rid of some cancer):

If it's a Suberu anything, make sure you get the timing belt checked out. Shadowcat (not his real name but that's his usual online handle or some variation of that; he's been known to go as Darkcat or Shadowneko too online) loves Suberu Outbacks. Thing is, if the timing belt goes on a Suberu, you lose the engine or so I understand. So you need to get that belt replaced every so often.

Oh and before you ask; he always paid in full, no loans, which on a lot of used cars, you can actually do if you save up. So he's pretty debt free. Since you're going used car, I think that'd be something to think about. Other than that..I don't think I could say much else that's already been said. ^^

[Ksandra]

I forgot, gonna ninja this for a quick question:

My versa is almost paid off ( about another year or so) and we were planning on upgrading my husband's car to a bigger one once it is. Thing is, while I want a bigger car for functionality, I hate bigger cars. So, I was interested in vehicles that have extra seats that come up to sit 7 when needed. Not something we'd have to do often, so at least this way it isn't a van or anything but we'd have the option.

I can't find a list of cars that have that feature, though. Kinda want to keep an eye out when it gets closer for deals n' such.

To give an example of one car I am talking about is the kia sorento:

http://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/sor...er=cargo-space



I don't really need too much advice atm, I'll do the research once I can actually compare brands, as I said this will still be like a year away so not really in the market yet. I just need a list of cars that are like this. XD

[Brill Weave]

All depends on the price range you're looking to go Ksan. I will say from a AAA perspective, Kia's are shit.