So some idiot crashed into my car on Monday night (whilst it was parked). The best part? It’s happened twice in two years. Fun right?
Anyway. I’m viewing some cars tomorrow. I’ve got a budget. 4k at an absolute maximum (primarily because I’m convinced it’s going to get wrecked again).
I’m going on my own and I know next to nothing about cars so I’d really appreciate any tips or clues as to what to look out for.
Update
Looking at some more cars tomorrow with my step Dad. Fingers crossed. Your advice has been very helpful. Cheers.
If you’re seriously considering buying a car, spend £5 or so and get a comprehensive vehicle check done on its registration. Something like https://www.theaa.com/vehicle-check. There are lots of places that offer this service. It’ll let you know if it was written off or has outstanding finance. Compare the chassis number with the one they list on the check, so you’re not buying a ringer. At the very least, if it does show anything you can use it to knock the price down.
Look around the seems of the car. The seems should be of equal distance.
The back of the car usually has logos and car model. If anything is missing or doesn’t feel right, the body might have been painted.
Check the roof of the car, if it dented or damaged it might indicate a car that’s been in an accident.
Check the tire threads, brake pads, and brake discs. If they need replacing you can discuss with the owner and explain that it would require further money. I managed to knock off £150.
If you can check the underbody of the car then do so. You are looking for anything extra shiny or clean. Parts might have been replaced.
If the car has a timing belt then ask when it was last changed. This is important and needs to be changed. It can take a few days to change and can cost a lot.
Drive the car around. What you are looking for our weird ticking sounds or jerks. Also, keep an eye on sudden jumps when changing gears if it’s automatic. This indicates an old gear box or some slipping that happens.
Open the engine bay and try and look for any oil leaks. Any leak around the engine gasket is a concern.
Sorry for the long message. Any questions, let me know.
Also when looking for oil leaks obviously also look to see if there are motor inspection tags/oil change tags (not sure how it is in the UK but where I live there should always be two tags in the motor compartment: one showing when the last oil change was and one with the general motor inspection date) because if either one is soon die that might/should also affect the price!
Make sure to test drive it properly.
Look for rust or outside dirt in the engine compartment. It’s a tell tale sign the car was under water. I live in a very flood-prone area and after a big flood they had a lot of ruined cars go back on the used market. Those lemons were even shipped out of country to be sold.
Open the windows during the test drive.
This allows you to hear any odd sounds from the engine or wheels better. and the rain means you can refuse to close them until they drop the price