Tips when looking at a used car..

[Troy5L]

hey guys, might be looking at a daily on the weekend. i know the usual wat to look for and what questions to ask, but just a thread to ask you guys wat you look for and what you ask when looking for another car...well post away, im sure there will be alot of help..

cheers troy

[Wagon_Wheel]

Just the usual stuff troy.

*Check body, paint, rust etc.
*Check Km's
*Inspect all oils and fluids
*Drive the car, listen for any noises or anything
*Compare any problems with the price they are asking
*Ask about any work thats been done, maybe ask about reciepts if theres supposidly had big work done
*Check for oil leaks and what not

Blah blah blah

[Shounak]

Bring a good quality trolley jack and have a good look under it. If there's a lot of oil + gunk, beware. If it's spotless, also beware.

Somewhere in between is good.

[Kikki]

2 threads that might help.

Buying used car, what to look for?

Checking out Used cars, post your tips

[Cheap6]

I not sure whether to post here or in one of the two linked threads but this is current and the others can be accessed from here.

I will add:

Make sure the A/C works - expensive to fix if it doesn't.

Make sure the heater works and isn't leaking; check underneath - what is coming out of the A/C drain tubes? Likewise an expensive fix.

Cooling system in general - radiator side tank seals are a common leak point on Commodores. On cars with a brass radiator, the fins can corrode and crumble. Check by gently running a finger across the fins.

A low fluid level in a clutch or brake master is indicative of a leak or more likely worn clutch or brake pads - the brake pads are fairly minor but it's still $100 or so if both front and rear are needed.

Check the rear bumper around the exhaust; a car burning oil will leave a residue there.

Check any electrical accessories, central locking, power windows etc.

Lift the boot or tailgate seal - there can be rust underneath.

[Holdfast]

Body, body, body.

I reckon, if a car is straight and has no rust then that's 3/4 of your worries gone. Panel and rust work is expensive to repair.

Mechanical stuff is relatively simple to unbolt / bolt on if you have a repair manual and a good set of tools.

For me there is nothing worse than a car that leaks.

[Philthy]

One tip I was given is that reo bars are not painted from factory, but if it has been in an accident, they are almost always painted

[Holdfast]

Oh yeah, and check it hasn't been stolen or has any finance payments pending.

[TVR-190]

When i was in year 11 we had a full day learning about driving and buying a car etc

They had a reallynice looking M3 and asked us to go and find faults with it to see how we'd go when buying a car.

At the end they told us some of the main things including:

Rego...
the car was actually welded in half (i noticed weld lines down the undercarriage)
lots of rust in engine bay

pretty funny really. but very helpful. rest assured i wont be buying 2 cars that have been welded together...

[VrWagz1]

Check its got the original dash in it with original k's, hard to tell but if its an exec with level3 cluster, chances are its been changed. Assuming your bying a commodore that is. The only other thing i can add is if your buying private, ask loaded questions about its performance to assess if the guys have flogged it to death.

[hsvpunk]

Troy, if ya going to look at it on sunday, il come along if ya want, just msg me.

[TVR-190]

OT: There are too many Troy's on this forum. never realized it was such a common name.

unfortunetly my step dad bought my first car for me before i even saw it, frankly i would have opted for something in better nick then what i got