Used Car History
Get An Expert Opinion Before You Buy
Professional Inspection Checklist
Do It Yourself Used Car Inspection
Do It Yourself Inspection Checklist

Used Car History

It's important to investigate several areas for a used car: (1) Was the car serviced regularly? (2) Did the manufacturer issue a recall? and (3) Was the vehicle involved in an accident, flood, theft, wreck, etc.?

Call the dealer and ask if service records are available for a particular vehicle. Many regularly serviced vehicles have records that may be available if you match up the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number located on the dashboard) with the dealer service network records.

Check for possible recalls for cars on your list at Highway Traffic Safety Records. Click on recalls and enter the vehicle's year, make and model.

Call the manufacturer and ask them to check the VIN number to see if the vehicle was subject to any recalls, and if it was returned to a dealer for the necessary service.

CARFAX collects information that may protect against buying a used car with hidden problems. A VIN search of its nationwide database usually provides a detailed vehicle history report. A link to CARFAX is included at the right. The database contains information from public and private sources including DMVs from all states, vehicle inspection stations, auto auctions, fleet management and rental agencies, automobile manufacturers, and fire/ police departments. The report usually includes information about the specific car's title, odometer, registration, and whether the car experienced flood, accident, fire, theft, etc. Your best value may be to order a CARFAX plan that gives unlimited searches for a period of time, since your first search may yields disappointing results, or you may want to investigate multiple cars.

Although you can never reduce your risk to zero, the combination of a CARFAX vehicle history, an inspection by a qualified mechanic, and a careful test drive usually give adequate protection when buying a used car.

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Get An Expert Opinion Before You Buy

Before you buy a used vehicle without an extended warranty certified by the manufacturer, have an independent auto technician examine the vehicle thoroughly. You'll have to pay, but its money well spent. Have the inspection before you sign a contract or put down a deposit. Don't buy the vehicle first and then have it inspected, even though the dealer offers to take it back since (1) some dealers only let you apply your payment to another car on the lot, (2) money-back guarantees often don't cover sales taxes, dealer fees or registration costs, and (3) some dealers deduct for the miles you drove while you had the car.

A professional auto technician's evaluation can be costly, so you want to make sure you get your money's worth. Ask the technician for an inspection including all items on the Professional Auto Inspection Checklist and get a written record of all findings, including a repair estimate for all problems.

Professional Auto Inspection Checklist

• Technician Test Drive
• Drivetrain
• Steering
• Suspension
• Brakes
• On the hoist inspection
• Fuel tank
• Exhaust system
• Suspension
• Tires
• Brakelines
• Oil leaks
• Improper body repair work
• Corrosion
• Vehicle Computer Scan
• Engine Analyzer Diagnostic
• Exhaust Gas Analysis
• Under the Hood Inspection
• Fluids
• Electrical
• Battery
• Belts and Hoses

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Do-It-Yourself Used Car Inspection

You will be doing this pre-evaluation before you take the car to an expert, so don't worry about being perfect. You are trying to save money by only taking really good cars to your expert for further evaluation. Print the Pocket Buyer's Toolkit, which provides this Do It Yourself Inspection Checklist. You will also need a flashlight, small mirror, tire-pressure gauge, weak magnet (like a refrigerator magnet), and a friend.

Several steps check to determine if the vehicle was in an accident and then repaired. Even if the repairs don't detract from the vehicle's looks or utility, the fact that the car was in an accident is important. While this doesn't automatically eliminate the car from consideration, the car might be unsafe if the work was done improperly. Have the professional you hire to examine the car look at the repaired areas carefully.

Pick the right day. You don't want to look at a car in rain or snow, or in the dark. If you have an appointment, show up a half hour early. You may be able to see if the car has a cold start problem that might be masked by warming up the car.

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Do-It-Yourself Used Car Inspection Checklist

• Examine the car parked on level ground from a distance and from all angles in natural light:
• looking from the side, does the front or rear tend to droop?
• looking from the front or rear, does one side seem to droop?
• Are all body panels exactly the same color and do they reflect light the same way? If not, some body work probably was done. Body work on a relatively new car reduces its value, and the fact that the repairs are visible means that the work quality was not good.


• Now take a look up close:
  • Check for any problems with the paint or body panels
  • Look down the sides of the car and examine the hood, roof and trunk lid. Look at the car from a shallow angle. You may find ripples in the surface or obvious fender or door alignment problems. These are evidence of body damage and poor repair.
  • Look for uneven paint application, differences in paint surface texture, color shifts and overspray. Overspray is the little strip of paint on the edge of a door handle, molding, etc. where the masking tape wasn't aligned perfectly. Rubber blocks that hold the hood in alignment when closed and rubber gaskets around doors and the trunk lid may also show overspray.
  • Check the gaps between body panels. They should be even and uniform. Run your finger along them to see how well they are aligned. Check for differences in height as well as varying distances between panels.
  • Are the gaps between the hood and fenders the same on both sides? How about the trunk lid?
  • Check the moldings around the windshield and rear window as well. Uneven gaps often mean poor body repair. If you are suspicious about a body panel, see if your weak magnet sticks to the surface. If the panel is metal and the magnet won't stick in some places, the repair used filler to straighten out dents or patch rusty areas.
  • Open and close each door, the trunk and the hood. Make sure all latches and hardware work smoothly. You shouldn't have to slam the doors, hood, or trunk to close them. They should also move through the entire range of motion without binding or squeaking.
  • With the door open, use your mirror to look at the door bottom for rust or mud (the flashlight may prove useful). Rust or mud may mean that the car was involved in a flood.
  • Check all external lights and mirrors.
  • Look at the windshield wipers and make sure the windshield washers work.
  
  
• Open the engine compartment
• Is it free of oil and coolant leaks? The leaks trap sand and dust and make a paste that sticks to the motor. If an older car has an unusually clean engine, it has probably been cleaned by the dealer. Inquire if this is done to all cars, or only to cars that need it. If the car needed the engine wash, it may have been an oily mess, and excessive leakage is not a good sign.
• Check all the fluid levels. Nothing should be too low or too high.
• Examine the engine oil. It should be reasonably clean, between the golden-fresh oil and slightly darker -- but not pitch black. The dipstick should be free of varnish deposits and there shouldn't be milky-white foam visible anywhere on the dipstick or around the top seal. White foam means moisture in the crankcase -- either condensation or engine coolant. If there are water droplets on the dipstick, reject the car. If there is only foam and everything else looks okay, ask your expert to investigate.
• Examine the coolant. Coolant should be clear and colorful. It should not be rusty, cloudy, dirty or muddy. This is cause to reject the car.
• Check the power steering fluid. The power steering fluid reservior should be properly filled and the pump, hoses and power steering mechanism should be clean and dry with no evidence of leaks.
• Check the transmission fluid. With the engine off, you can't get an accurate transmission fluid reading, but the fluid should be clear. If it looks burned or black, is bubbly or seems to be leaking, be cautious. Ask your expert to check on it.
• Check the battery. The battery should be clean and the terminal connections should be tight and free of corrosion. The battery should be firmly mounted to the barrery tray so it won't bounce around on a rough road. Check the test-eye to see if the electrolyte level is correct.
• Check belts and hoses. Belts should be free of major cracks and be reasonably tight and not look glazed or polished. Squeeze the hoses -- they should be flexible but firm. If they feel spongy or brittle, or leak where they attach to the engine or radiator, they should be replaced.
• Look for signs of damage or recent repairs in the engine compartment. For instance, wiring harnesses that have been broken apart and then rebound should raise questions.


• Examine the interior
• Use the mirror and flashlight to look under the instrument panel and seats for mud or rust. This could be an indication the car was in a flood. Reject the car.
• Look at the pedals, driver's seat, and driver's armrest pad. These items usually won't show wear for 50,000 miles or more. If they are severely worn but the odometer shows low mileage, be suspicious.
• Check the operation of all seats and seat belts.
• Check operation of all windows, the tilt-wheel, hood latch, trunk release, cigarette lighter, clock, etc.
• Check that all accessories which normally work without the engine running function properly.


• Look in the trunk.
• Is the trunk clean and dry?
• Remove the spare tire to look for moisture and rust at the bottom.
• Check for the jack and tools.
• Examine the spare tire -- including the tire pressure.


• Check the tires.
• Is the tread evenly worn and the depth ample?
• Use the pressure gauge to check inflation of each tire. Uneven tire pressure or a nearly flat spare may indicate that the owner didn't follow the maintenance schedule very well.


• Check the warning lights and instruments.
• Put the key in the ignition and turn it on, but don't engage the starter.
• Are all the warning lights on ("service engine soon", "ABS", "oil pressure", "battery", etc.)? If the warning lights don't come on reject the car. Warning lights that don't come on are either burned out or have been disconnected by the owner because there is a problem.


• Check the engine. Turn off the radio and heater/air conditioner fan so you can hear the engine clearly. The motor should be cold for this test.
• Start the engine. The engine should start quickly -- no more than 2-3 seconds of cranking. There shouldn't be any unusual noises from the starting motor or the engine. Once started, the engine should settle down instantly to a smooth steady idle.


• Check the transmission. Leave the engine idling.
• Put your foot on the brake (automatic transmission) and shift the transmission through the gears. The transmission should engage quickly in either reverse or drive. A delay of more than a couple of seconds suggests transmission trouble.
• Put your foot on the clutch (manual transmission). There should be no usual noises.
• With foot on the clutch, shift into each gear. The gears should engage easily and the shift pattern should not feel loose. Shifting into neutral and releasing the clutch shouldn't cause any noise.


• Check the brakes. With the car idling and with the transmission in park (automatic) or neutral (manual)
• Press hard on the brake pedal to the point where it stops moving toward the floor. Keep pressing for a minute (time it on your watch) -- the pedal should not soften or sink further during this time. If it does, there may be a problem. Some cars equipped with ABS may fail the "press test" above. If the brakes seem to operate normally otherwise, have it checked out by your expert.


• Test Drive.
• Make sure that the car is registered and insured or has legitimate dealer's plates. You may save yourself a ticket for driving an unregistered vehicle or driving without insurance.
• The car should run well both cold and at operating temperature. Make the test drive long enough to get the car's engine up to full temperature.
• Drive the car in a similar way to how you plan to use it. Spend some time on a freeway or highway even if you don't do a lot of highway driving. Highway driving may reveal problems that hide at lower speeds, such as drive train vibration, tire balance issues, overheating, etc.
• Is the acceleration smooth?
• Are the engine and drive train free of vibration and roughness during gentle and rapid acceleration?
• Does the automatic or manual transmission shift properly?
• The clutch should engage smoothly on a manual transmission.


• Check alignment and tracking
• On a straight, smooth, flat, lightly traveled road, see if the car pulls to the left or right by driving at about 45 mph and loosening your grip on the wheel (don't completely take your hands off!). A tendency to pull to one side or the other should be investigated -- it could be a minor alignment problem, or it could be evidence of improperly repaired crash damage.


• Check braking
• After making sure nobody's behind you and while lightly gripping the wheel, apply the brakes firmly to stop quickly (but not an emergency stop). The car should not pull in either direction. You should't feel any vibration in the brake pedal or steering wheel, nor should you hear any squealing.


• Do you hear or feel any unusual vibrations or noises as you drive?
• Smooth roads are best for this test. Accelerate briskly onto a limited-access highway at least once and drive at freeway speed for several miles to detect vibrations.


• Go back to the lot and let the engine continue to idle
  
  • Check all of the lights. If you brought a friend, have them verify that the headlights, brake lights, each signal light, fog lights, park lights, etc. work -- otherwise you may get your exercise getting in and out of the car.
    
  • Check out all the accessories. Air conditioning, heater, sound system, radio, tape, CD, power windows, power locks, etc.
    
  • Keep an eye on the engine temperature gauge. It should remain steady. If the temperature begins to climb or if you run into non-working accessories, reject the car.

If the vehicle passes all of these tests, it's probably in pretty good shape -- but not always. That's why you still need to arrange for a professional to take a look if you are serious about the car.

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