Buying used car, what to look for?

[Cobez]

Hey guys, i am going to look at a VN SS this weekend that i very well may put a deposit on if all is good with it. What things should i look for besides the obvious such as:

Tyre tread

All electrics working

Things like windscreen wipers, lights front and rear, power steering working

Windscreen chips

Leaks

Etc etc.


Any finer details i should be looking into? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. This VN SS has done 147,000 km's, immaclate inside and out, mild cam, exhaust and extractors, owned and loved by an older driver who apparently, has babyed it (in his late 30's, and by looking at the condition of this car, he has babyed it bigtime).

[LS1Chubby]

see if he has any reciepts for maintenance etc

Just check the usuals i guess like you would on your own car, exhaust, shocks, brakes, leaks in engine bay, driveline etc.

[Cobez]

No worries! Cheers!

Just shot across the road and asked my mechanic the same thing, he said the same as you, just also check the struts, turn the steering wheel so the tyres are dead straight then check the gap between the ass off the tyre and the guards, make sure they are the same on the left and right side, check around the diff at the rear, any leaks, get the auto warmed up and see how it shifts when warm etc.

He said just go over it with a fine toothed comb for an hour or so and check every single little thing even if it's trivial just to make sure. So that i shall be doing.

[Dayvo]

With the SS ,check inside the boot and both rear panels where the spoiler is bolted on for rust around the bolt holes. Had this prob with my VN .Also pull the spare wheel out and check for water , the rear quarter windows leak . Roof lining is a bit of an issue with sagging .The speakers in the dash perish but is an easy fix but i guess you found this out with your VP

[AirStrike]

Originally Posted by Dayvo

With the SS ,check inside the boot and both rear panels where the spoiler is bolted on for rust around the bolt holes. Had this prob with my VN .Also pull the spare wheel out and check for water , the rear quarter windows leak . Roof lining is a bit of an issue with sagging .The speakers in the dash perish but is an easy fix but i guess you found this out with your VP

Spot on there!!! Also make sure things exculusive to the SS are there and working, foglights, all decals and stripes, etc.
Start the engine and touch the extractors at each exhaust port, look for one with a big temp difference to the rest, hot one can mean detonation and a cooler one something like a stuffed injector flooding a cylinder. The 5.0 is a pretty tuff engine so just check for the normal leaks, etc.

[Shounak]

Bring a trolley jack and jack stands. If it's spotless under there, they've probably cleaned the undercarriage for the RWC or to hide leaks for you.

We found this problem with a car we were looking at. The owner admitted there was a slight leak and they detailed everything. Needless to say, the leak wasn't minor.

[Cobez]

Originally Posted by Dayvo

With the SS ,check inside the boot and both rear panels where the spoiler is bolted on for rust around the bolt holes. Had this prob with my VN .Also pull the spare wheel out and check for water , the rear quarter windows leak . Roof lining is a bit of an issue with sagging .The speakers in the dash perish but is an easy fix but i guess you found this out with your VP

Sweet as mate! Never thought of that, i'll definantly add that to my list on my bit of paper. The roof liner has been re trimmed in a lighter coloured vinyl about 3 months ago, so that's all sweet. Yeah i found that out with my VP about the speakers. LOL, ****ty paper cone crap, i replaced them with some 4 inch MTX thumpers. Thanks again buddy

Originally Posted by Airtsrike

Spot on there!!! Also make sure things exculusive to the SS are there and working, foglights, all decals and stripes, etc.
Start the engine and touch the extractors at each exhaust port, look for one with a big temp difference to the rest, hot one can mean detonation and a cooler one something like a stuffed injector flooding a cylinder. The 5.0 is a pretty tuff engine so just check for the normal leaks, etc.

Yup, the foggies are on there and in 100% working order, as well as the decal kit, i made him send me extra photos via email of the entire car, the decal kit is all good But i'll definantly write down that one about the extractors!

Originally Posted by Shounak

Bring a trolley jack and jack stands. If it's spotless under there, they've probably cleaned the undercarriage for the RWC or to hide leaks for you.

We found this problem with a car we were looking at. The owner admitted there was a slight leak and they detailed everything. Needless to say, the leak wasn't minor.

Yeah i'm gonna take it for a drive around the block a few times, take it back to the owners house (with him in the car obviously), jack it up, put it on stands, let it cool then go over the entire underneath and check for leaks, espcially around the engine sump, trans and diff areas. If i have to stay there for 2 hours, so be it. Thanks mate.

[AirStrike]

Also don't be affraid to give it a bit and run it to the limiter (once warm of course). When they have ****ty leads, plugs, dizzy cap or rotor they can break down under load........signs of the service not up to date.

[Cobez]

Sounds good to me! I am taking my mate Damo with me, for the last 9 years, he has worked for Caulfied Jaguar building E-Type race cars from scratch for use at Sepang in Malaysia for their company's customers (usually rich old white haired pricks), he built his VH SLE 308 from the ground up and it's a beautiful machine, he is gonna come along and we are going to go over the car from top to bottom and we are gonna take it for a spin.

If all is good, i shall purchase indeed. :thumbs: Then we may have to have a photo sesh at an upcoming cruise Dave. A Phoenix red and an Atlas grey VN SS, both on sigs and both in immaculate condition.

[AirStrike]

Originally Posted by Cobez

Sounds good to me! I am taking my mate Damo with me, for the last 9 years, he has worked for Caulfied Jaguar building E-Type race cars from scratch for use at Sepang in Malaysia for their company's customers (usually rich old white haired pricks), he built his VH SLE 308 from the ground up and it's a beautiful machine, he is gonna come along and we are going to go over the car from top to bottom and we are gonna take it for a spin.

If all is good, i shall purchase indeed. :thumbs: Then we may have to have a photo sesh at an upcoming cruise Dave. A Phoenix red and an Atlas grey VN SS, both on sigs and both in immaculate condition.

Sounds good to me mate You'll soon see about the fuel though, especially if you get it tuned

[Cobez]

Hahahaha true, if i was worried about the fuel though, i wouldn't be buying it. Means i'll enjoy it more, as i won't drive it AS much. I rarely go out anyways. Just to cruises and at work and occasionally to a mates house.

2-3 tanks a week of 98ron is what i can afford easily, so shouldn't be too much trouble

[AirStrike]

Originally Posted by Cobez

Hahahaha true, if i was worried about the fuel though, i wouldn't be buying it. Means i'll enjoy it more, as i won't drive it AS much. I rarely go out anyways. Just to cruises and at work and occasionally to a mates house.

2-3 tanks a week of 98ron is what i can afford easily, so shouldn't be too much trouble

Money bags, thats around $350+

[Cobez]

I still live at home remember. I give mum $100 at my own accord for bills etc, i pay my mobile bill each month, insurance each month, chuck $100 into the savings each week and petrol plus expenses here and there. I am on just on $1000 a week now. I d