Acquiring a car is undoubtedly a plus sign, but it involves a lot of trouble. Therefore, the buyer should be cautious. At the forefront of any seller puts the sale of goods, so if a client betrays himself as a “novice” car enthusiast, he is unlikely to be told about the disadvantages of the car being sold.
You can avoid such a situation if you take a comrade who is competent in such matters. By the way, it will not be superfluous for a person who will purchase a car to study the fundamental questions regarding this topic. Therefore, this publication contains the most essential points that will be very useful to future car enthusiasts.
First Impression
Naturally, the buyer should like the product. The machine must not be scratched or dents of any kind. The first impression that a car should make on a client should be pleasant. Immediately after this, you should proceed to a visual inspection of the machine. It is best to start with the bodywork, focusing on finding rotten spots and rust: it can be in the luggage compartment, sills, wheel arches. There should not be too much rust. Otherwise, it is better to refuse to buy a car.
A cursory inspection should be applied to the layer of paint that covers the car.
Former owners could cover up dents and scratches, moreover, do it repeatedly. Attempts of this kind are usually easy to see. You should be on your guard if the car body was repainted entirely – this could have been done to hide severe external damage. If the seller confidently says that the car is “clean”, and there are undulations and swellings on it, then the owner simply does not say something and should not be trusted.
The second stage of the inspection should be carried out under the machine.
It is necessary to pay attention to the presence of leaks, most often dripping antifreeze and oil; in some cases, it may be brake fluid, which is green or red. The purchase of a car should be postponed if the vehicle has multiple leaks, and it is not possible to understand their cause. The best thing in such a situation would be to enlist specialists and just a person competent in such matters. For your information, small oil leaks are usual for used cars.
The car’s wheels, which has no problems with camber alignment, stand without skewing relative to each other. Therefore, the wear of the tyre treads should be uniform, and you should also pay attention to them.
The third stage is the inspection of what is under the hood of the selected vehicle
The engine’s appearance will tell the buyer a lot – not only about the condition of the car but also about the sincerity of its owner. It is essential to inspect the motor twice. One of them should precede the test drive, the second should be done after. It is necessary to pay attention to the cleanliness of the engine; it should not be dirty. Oil leaks should alert you; precisely, the same sensation should arise if the engine is too clean, indicating that it was washed. Suspicions on the buyer’s part must cause the presence of electrical tape or wire, as well as those elements that should not be there.
The surface of the hood from the inside will talk about oil leaks; if this is the case, it will be black.
It is necessary to inspect the transmission belts. Their wear is evidenced by the fact that they look whitish and visible in the places of scuffs of the reinforcement thread.
The fourth stage is carried out with the engine running
Without closing the car’s hood, turn the ignition key before turning on the devices, no more (you do not need to start the engine yet). The lamps indicating the condition of the accumulator and the oil pressure should come on. It would be terrible if it didn’t happen. They should stop burning immediately after starting the engine. If this does not occur, then several questions to the car owner will be natural. The sound of the machine running should be uniform and low. When you press the gas pedal, there should be no knocks and drops.
After the accelerator pedal is released, you need to look at the indicator that reflects the speed; too high an arrow indicates problems with the adjustment. By itself, this problem is not complex and does not mean that something is wrong with the motor. However, the owner had to adjust before presenting the car to the buyer, and the fact that he did not do this indicates severe shortcomings of the vehicle. So, once again, there was a reason to ask the product owner one or more questions.
Exhaust color is a point that should not be neglected when inspecting a car. The white color should disappear when the engine warms up. If this has not happened, the wear of the cylinder head is visible. The problem is not critical – all engine parts are interchangeable but let the car owner do it; it will be fairer.
Black smoke escaping from the exhaust pipe indicates that the engine is out of alignment. And the worst of the options is bluish smoke. The very fact of its presence suggests that the engine needs specialist intervention, which can be expensive.
The last stage of inspecting a car is driving it. You should be very careful because the car is unfamiliar. First, at this stage, you should check the brakes. Abrupt braking should not cause the vehicle to be thrown to the sides.
In this case, there should also be no extraneous sounds. Problems with the pads reveal the erratic behavior of the car when braking. If the vehicle is driving, then the reason for this may be an unregulated camber, which the buyer should have identified at the stage of visual inspection of the car.
What to replace?
If the whole vehicle is ready to be handed over to you, replace the tyres. Ensure that you equip your vehicle with the corresponding tyres. For example, suppose you buy a used sports car, one corresponding good option would be Dunlop SP SPORT LM705.
It is also imperative to identify deficiencies in the car’s suspension. To do this, you need to direct the car over bumps, potholes, and other irregularities. Loud knocks should reveal suspicions. Gear shifting should not be accompanied by difficulties and sounds too.
Buying a car is troublesome. For the product not to look like a “pig in a poke”, you need to take it to a specialist or study and fix the issues yourself.