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When purchasing a vehicle that has over 100,000 miles on it, is there something I can really listen for or see that will help in determining if that purchase is worth the risk. I realize a car that high in mileage is a risk anyway, but some vehicles are good for another 100k if they’ve been properly maintained. I just want to know what to look for to make the best informed decision. I appreciate the help in advance. Great site btw Eric!
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The biggist things that some to mind:
TEST DRIVE! and when you do, pay close attention to things. Bring a friend or family member; they may pick up on things you miss. make sure it gets run through every gear in the tranny (this may require a trip on the interstate). once that has been done, turn on the radio to see if the sound is in good shape (no dead speakers). pay attention to handling to get an idea on what kind of shape the suspension is in.
with the hood up, let it idle to make sure there are no funky noises… you don’t wan to buy a car only to throw a rod a month later…
check any fluids you can… not just the oil, but the coolant, tranny fluid, brake fluid, etc. also check the belts; if the enigine uses a timing belt, verify that the belt is not too old/used. pay attention to the condition of the wiring…
I would also keep private sellers in mind… dealers tend to markup things somewhat… ebay is ok if the price is low or it is local and the seller allows test drives.
Otherwise, happy car hunting!
One tip i have is to open the oil cap and see if its sludged up, if it is then stay away,chances are they never maintaned it or changed oil….I am sure others will have some things to offer. Be patient as this site is just beginning to get going and people are joining every day….good luck.Oh make sure it has a clean title too..
Try to get any maintenance information from the owner (or dealership). Some dealerships will print out a carfax for you. It can’t hurt to ask.
I would suggest getting a buyer’s inspection done on your car from a reputable mechanic. Maybe find a garage that specialized in the model of car you want to buy. Spending around $100 now may save you a ton of headaches later. I call around to see what someone will charge and what they will for their buyer’s inspection.
For example, someonw with ETCG’s background would be a good choice for inspecting a Honda/Acura.
One thing that will tell you if they had the factory service done or not or if they are cheap, is the cabin filter! On the Acura’s, 2nd generation to be more specific, you have to physically cut the plastic tab in front of the cabin filter to change it for the first time. If that is not cut, never been done and thus the service not performed or they cheaped out. I hate cutting corners, so to do so only makes me wonder what other corners where cut….
This is another question that I get a lot. Keep in mind that a car can have 10 miles on it and be junk, I’m thinking collision repair or flood car here. I plan to make a video on this subject at some point but till then I’ll post here.
First, drive the car, I can’t stress enough how important this is. When you drive it drive it throug a range of conditions, city, highway, offroad? Whatever you can do to run it through it’s paces. Listen to it. Feel it. A good test drive can tell you a lot about it’s condition.
Second, push EVERY button and check every light, see if everything works especially the AC if it has it. AC can be a costly repair and in some parts of the world is a MUST so be sure it works before you commit.
Third, I hear “CarFax” thrown around all the time but keep in mind that they only shows things that were ‘reported’, some collistion repairs are not and that could lead to some serious issues down the road.
Forth, the tires. In my opinion the tires are the most important part of the car, if it has crap tires on it the rest of the car will suffer so if you like the car be sure to price in a good set of tires and you will NEVER be sorry.
Lastly I STRONGLY recommend that if you have ANY questions in your mind you should take it to a professional mechanic and if you can find one that specilizes in the vehicle that you want to buy all the better, and have it looked over. This will be the best money you spend in my opinion and can save you thousands in repairs.
Good luck
A lot of good advice and idea’s. I’m sure more to come, but thanks guys. Never really thought about the tires, but it makes sense. Thanks!
Quoted From dnlbraden:
A lot of good advice and idea’s. I’m sure more to come, but thanks guys. Never really thought about the tires, but it makes sense. Thanks!
Also be aware if it has brand new tires, some times they will put on a cheap pair of new tires to try to hide something like front end worn .So if it has Brand new tires just make sure u check the whole front end out,wiggle the tires and look for loose or worn parts in susupension an steering..Good luck
In my opinion, everyone above has great ideas. In addition to those, I would also like to add a few…
Regarding tires, in addition to checking them as Eric had stated, also check the brand. The reason I say this is if they are a Wal-Mart brand tire, it probably means they have cut corners/neglected that car. Cheapest tires possible, cheapest battery possible… and finally cheapest oil possible, which is why I suggest this. It sort of ties to getting the maintenance history of the car/truck/van/whatever, but if you can’t get that then this is just something else I consider. It certainly isn’t a deal-breaker if it runs great and the price is right.
Another thing I do is have somebody else test drive with you, have them sit in the back seat, and then do a full 0-60 sprint with them looking out the back window. Typically if a car burns a little oil or something like that you won’t notice it until you floor the car and see some smoke out of the exhaust.
I also want to add on to the CarFax topic… I hate CarFax. I am like Eric, people throw that name around too much. I have seen more than one instance where somebody has bought a car with a “clean” CarFax just to turn around and find out it was wrecked and not reported. Get the CarFax but take it with a grain of salt and have the car inspected by a reputable mechanic. If you are serious about the car, getting their opinion and some peace of mine is worth their small fee.
I’ll write something that may happen or that you should change AFTER you buy a car.
For instance, Eric says that you need to check every button etc. I checked it when I bought my car. And what? After <50km when I went home, there was a problem with electric wiring. Some lights weren't lighting, it had a current drain that left the battery dead after 2 days of not using the car etc. When I bought the car, EVERYTHING was ok. Engine had no oil spots (but wasn't cleaned for sale), electrics were ok etc.
Another thing that is popular in Poland after buying a car is to change all of its fluids (oil, power steering fluid, brake fluid etc) and the whole timing gear assembly (rollers, water pump, belts) unless the selling guy has solid papers, that he changed it few months ago (but even then it's recomended to change these things) . People like to hack the odometers, so if you see a '96 car with 96kkm, it probably has 196kkm or 296kkm or something in between.
Also what I did when buying a car was ... to push it to the limit. Check if it's accelerating as it should, if there aren't any misfires. Also drive slowly with steering max to the left and next to the right to check if joints (in FWD cars) aren't clicking. Do the same also on reverse, because then more weight is pushing front of the car towards ground, so more force is applied to the joints and it's more probable they will click.
Just what kind of car are you looking at with 100k on it? What I look for at that kind of mileage depends on what kind of car it is. the type of car also decides if I’d be willing to own it regardless of mileage. For example, if the car is a GM truck, I’d check the idler arm and Pitman arm for excessive movement. I’d check the ball joints on a Ford fruck. I’d tell the guy trying to sell me a Chrysler product that I find his heartbeat offensive. I’d check for timing belt replacement on pretty much anything that had one. Most of the Japanese cars I’d check for oil leaks and worn out/torn CV axles. If the high-mileage car was a piece of Euro-trash, including but not limited to: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Saab, Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, etc, I would’t even consider buying one. Then again, I wouldn’t own a new piece of Euro-trash either.
Ncarter hit on one of the things I often asses is exhaust. This is hard to check cause sometimes when youre looking at a car its already warmed up and not in a “cold start” standing which often reveals if you have a car with a smoky startup. Im not sure on diesels but I know if youre blowing blue or white smoke youre burning oil or coolent which means the engine has internal issues. Black isnt good either but to me less serious than blue or white. Black to me says first off the car needs a tune up.
Something I like to do to is smell the oil on the dipstick. If it smells burnt or smells like fuel youve definately got internal issues. If you see whitish bubbles in your oil (correct me if im wrong) but it usually points to bad head gaskets.
A good test to check on tranny issues is if its slow to engage in reverse or if it kicks when it does engage. Also pay attention to how it shifts.
Lastly its like Eric says in a lot of his videos when it comes to buying parts or autos 95% of the time its you get what you pay for. SOMETIMES you get lucky and find someone selling off a car or truck for a good price because they are moving or have too many toys. But dont count on this situation all of the time. You may be saving money initially by buying a super cheap car but youll more than likely be spending time and money fixing crap later
In my experience, it’s hard to get a history from the dealer or a buyer even. In most cases, they either don’t know or they don’t want to tell the whole truth. The best thing to do is have the car inspected. You are your best advocate. Take the car for a test drive. Inspect the fluids, listen for noises, check the wheels, brake ines, etc, etc. You cand have an independent shop inspect it, but I found that doing it myself or having a good friend who knows about cars help you inspect the vehicle is the best thing.
I know I’m a bit late to the party, but this is some good stuff.
Taking the car for a good test drive is a great step anyone can take. If the car behaves well for the entirety of a 15-30 minute test drive under a variety of conditions, you’ve already ruled out a lot of potential problems.
Also take the time to fiddle with the interior components a bit. This is something you should be able to do just about as well as a mechanic. Make sure you can adjust all the mirrors, roll all the windows up and down, adjust the seat / steering wheel / pedals, tune the radio, adjust volume on the stereo, pop the trunk and hood, get in and out of the back seat, find and adjust seat belts, turn lights on and off, etc. Many of these things don’t take long to check and are pretty expensive to fix.
I definitely support the advice of taking the car to a mechanic to have it checked out. If you’re buying the car long distance or just very busy, have a mobile inspection company check it out for you.
I try not to share too much stuff from my website on here, but since I already wrote an article on this topic, here it is: http://www.onpointinspection.com/articl … important/ . We also have other articles on vehicle history reports (e.g. carfax), tips for buying and selling cars, and other stuff that may be helpful.
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