For instance I would start with:
I'll be choosing the heir to the Rover this weekend. Richards fantastic site has great info (printed off to take with me) but no specific list of checks.
Here's my draft stab - hopefully a few people will add to it before midday!
Question's
No. of owners.
Mileage
Is the car registered in your name.
MOT
Reason for Sale
How long have you owned it.
Checks:
Tyres
Sills
Gen. Body condition
Signs of leaks.
Radio/Interior electrics.
Drive Shaft Boots
Compression test (Is this over kill?)
Listen for rattles at all revs
Coolant
Oil
Brake noise
Does it drive straight with hands off wheel
Ditto under braking.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Catalyst... essential if rusty major £ss
Ditto exhaust
Rusty discs
madf
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Ask when the cam belt was last changed.
teabelly
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Ask when the cam belt was last changed.
And documentation to prove it.
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Does the engine No. and VIN printed on the V% match the car.
Wheel bearings. Grab each wheel and give a good shake. If there is any play, check again with someone applying the brakes. If play still there, could be balljoint wear. If play gone, then its the wheel bearings.
Shock absorbers. Bounce test - no more than 1½ bounces when pushed down and then let go on each corner.
When was brake fluid last changed.
Spare wheel condition.
If windows are etched with car Reg or VIN, do these match car details.
Filler in bodywork. Magnet test.
Check rubber on the pedals. If heavily worn, could have done more miles than odometer indicates. Similarly check steering wheel for "shine" factor.
Foot on/off throttle in all gears. Does it jump out of gear.
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To add further:
Check if engine is STONE cold [1]when you get there. If warm, is the seller trying to hide the fact that the car can be a right #@# too start when cold. Put him on the spot if warm, ask him why?
[1] hand on engine, or exhaust pipe - obviously making sure 1st that it's not piping hot - ouch.
Never buy a car in the rain. Can mask all kinds of paint blemishes. Ask if you can view it in the dry somewhere.
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Check very carefully that all the paint matches the exact same colour and apprearance from all angles. If any doesn't assess where it is and why not. Are there receipts for the minor touch-up work, or have you discovered evidence of a bodged major repair?
Modern plastic bumpers will absorb relatively large impacts without showing damage (Mondeo excepted!). If they are damaged at all, look carefully for other damage behind and around.
Check all panel gaps regular and same left-side to right-side.
Look underneath and underbonnet. Is it all evenly dirty? Or are there some suspiciously clean areas?
Check engine number and chassis number printed on the car match those on the registration document. I fact, before you even go to look at the car ask if they have the registration document and MOT cert.
Is the spare tyre and tool kit present?
Are all the owners manuals and a large stack of receipts for work over the past 10 years available? If not, why not?
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I think half of the selection process can be done over the phone.
If you ask your questions:
No. of owners.
Mileage, how sure are you that it's right
Is the car registered in your name.
MOT, where was it MOTed
Reason for Sale
How long have you owned it. How many miles a year does it do?
then ask about the condition - is the engine in good condition? Any dings or scratches in the bodywork? Has it had any major repairs? What service history is there? Franchised or not? Is the book stamped? What bills? Any past MOTs?
Half the point of these questions is to assess whether it really is a straightforward genuine sale or not, hence is it worth bothering even to look at the car. I would much prefer the answer 'not sure... I think so' to 'perfect' if I ask about the engine condition. From the conversation you should get a reasonable picture of the car/seller.
Good luck and let us know how you get on...
PB.
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Thanks to madf, teabelly, DD and andy S. All comments added to the list.
PB nothing new to me but you are *so* right.
COndition questions need to be specific rather than subjective. 'Perfect' is subjective. "3 dents all supermarket pin pricks, no broken paint" means something! According your view such a car may be equally immaculate or tatty.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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Toad,
Old trick.
Get a silk scarf (or borrow your girlfriend's underwear!), and use as a "hand-cover' to run your hand over any suspect bits of bodywork.
For some reason, through silk, and dings stand out like a w**** in church...
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Toad, Old trick. Get a silk scarf (or borrow your girlfriend's underwear!), and use as a "hand-cover' to run your hand over any suspect bits of bodywork. For some reason, through silk, and dings stand out like a w**** in church...
At this budget if I need to look that hard it won't be a problem!
I've had *just* enough luck recently to know that fashionable ladies undies these days doesn't have enough material in them to cover my hand!
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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"I've had *just* enough luck recently to know that fashionable ladies undies these days doesn't have enough material in them to cover my hand"
Ah but were they SILK? :-)
madf
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I think half of the selection process can be done over the phone.
When you phone a private seller, say "I'm phoning about the car" If the reply you get is "which one" you'll know he's actually a dealer and not a private seller.
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When you phone a private seller, say "I'm phoning about the car" If the reply you get is "which one" you'll know he's actually a dealer and not a private seller.
But why would you care? If the car's a good one, all the documentation stacks up and the price is right, then does it really matter whether the vendor is a dodgy backstreet dealer or a private individual? Your consumer protection on an old banger is negligible in either case. So why limit your choice?
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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Run a finger round the inside of each wheelarch lip. Thick coating of mud - bad news, the bodywork may be starting to rot behind it. Loads of lumpy filler - very bad news, it'll fall out within a couple of weeks, water will get into the inner structure and you'll have an MOT failure on major structural corrosion next time round, guaranteed.
I tend to rely to some extent on gut feel. In the world of bangers a straight, honest, unbodged car is very rare and therefore quite easy to spot. You want original factory paintwork, no rot or filler, no modifications, and especially no dodgy home-brewed wiring under the bonnet or dangling from behind the dashboard. If it looks straight, drives straight, goes and stops well, feels younger than it actually is and there's evidence of regular servicing, care and attention, it'll probably do you well. But that doesn't mean you don't do all the other checks, just in case.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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Up to a point. If the advert has the little T at the end, there's no need to ring about THE car as you know he's a trader. On the other hand, if there's no T and the seller is masquerading as a private seller, it's already showing that he has something to hide. Even if, by some fluke, the car's a good one, the odds were against that and you could probably spend your time more productively looking elsewhere.
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On the other hand, if there's no T and the seller is masquerading as a private seller, it's already showing that he has something to hide.
But only from the Inland Revenue.....
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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And the purchaser. You have different rights when dealing with a trader than with a consumer.
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You have different rights when dealing with a trader than with a consumer.
Fancy your chances of enforcing those rights against a dodgy backstreet tax evader?
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Not even slightly. On the other hand, he's not going to brag about them to you either. That's why I'm saying to be careful.
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I don't disagree David. I would be distrustful of someone clearly lying from the outset. What I mean is that having some legal protection in principle against such a trader would not give me any reassurance at all.
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I tend to rely to some extent on gut feel. In the world of bangers a straight, honest, unbodged car is very rare and therefore quite easy to spot.
Yeah, I've phoned hundreds and looked at more that 30. We only saw two that looked right. A 95 mondeo at 1100 quid and the one I bought. Not a high percentage. (I was about to hand ove rht readies, but a clatter on start up that I'd thought was valve noise after being started after a few days stationary occured again - I'm sur eit was just hydraulic lifters but why bother)
Agree about dealers and private ads. We went to dodgy dealers and privates. I was only interested in car condition. As it happens dealers seems to be as prone to buying rubbish as the rest of us.
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These are my own opinions, and not necessarily those of all Toads.
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ToTH
will you be letting us now what you end up with and how you get on with it ?
(or is that a really stupid question !)
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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Two things occur because I've fallen foul of both before now:
Rev engine after it is warm while looking for blue or black smoke.
Check functioning of all doors and windows. If the driver's door drops because the hinge is worn, or at worst because the pillar is rusty, you'll find the crafty seller will politely hold it open for you.
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