Used car buying checklist

Before you go

Run the VIN Check the history report yourself rather than trusting the one the seller shows you. They cost about $25 and they are the cheapest part of buying a car. Walk away if: Salvage, rebuilt, flood or lemon title. Odometer readings that go down. Look up common faults for that year and engine Every model has a known weak point at a certain mileage. Ten minutes of searching tells you what to look hardest at. Walk away if: A known failure that is due at roughly this mileage and no receipt showing it was done. See it in daylight, dry, and cold Wet paint hides scratches, dark hides everything, and a warm engine hides a hard cold start. Walk away if: The seller only offers evenings, or has the engine already running when you arrive.

Outside

Sight down each panel Crouch at one corner and look along the side. Ripples, mismatched paint or uneven gaps show up instantly from that angle and are invisible head-on. Walk away if: Ripples in a panel, or paint that changes shade between two panels. Check the panel gaps They should be even all the way round. Doors, hood and trunk should line up with each other. Walk away if: A gap wider at one end than the other usually means the car has been hit. Look for overspray Check the rubber seals, the wheel arch edges and inside the door shuts for paint that should not be there. Walk away if: Paint on rubber or plastic trim means repair work somebody did not do carefully. Tire tread and wear pattern All four should wear evenly across the tread. Uneven wear tells you about alignment and suspension, not just tires. Walk away if: Worn on one edge only, or four different brands, or a date code more than six years old. Check the spare, jack and tools Lift the trunk floor. A missing spare is not a dealbreaker but it is a hundred dollars and it tells you how the car was kept. Walk away if: No spare, no jack, and standing water under the trunk floor. Look underneath the car Get a phone torch on it. You are looking for fresh oil, crusty brown rust on the frame rails, and anything bent. Walk away if: Wet oil rather than dry grime, or rust you can push a finger through.

Inside

Smell it before anything else Damp, mould or heavy air freshener are all worth noticing in the first ten seconds. Walk away if: A musty smell, or carpet that is damp when you press it. Water gets everywhere and never fully leaves. Turn the key and watch every light All the warning lights should come on together and then go out. That is the bulb check. Walk away if: A light that never comes on has usually been removed so you cannot see it stay on. Try every switch Windows, mirrors, locks, seats, wipers, horn, every fan speed, heater and A/C. Walk away if: A fan that only works on the highest setting, or A/C that blows warm. Compare wear with the mileage A worn steering wheel, shiny pedals and a sagging driver seat on a car showing 60,000 miles do not belong together. Walk away if: Interior wear that looks like twice the mileage on the clock.

Under the hood

Pull the oil dipstick You want honey to dark brown. Rub it between your fingers — it should feel smooth. Walk away if: Milky, foamy or the colour of coffee with cream. That is coolant in the oil and it is usually the head gasket. Look in the coolant reservoir Clean and the right colour for that make, whether that is green, orange or pink. Walk away if: Oily film on top, brown sludge, or a rusty tidemark. Check the transmission fluid where there is a dipstick Red or pink and it should not smell burnt. Many newer cars have no dipstick at all, which is not a fault. Walk away if: Dark brown, or a smell like burnt toast. Squeeze the hoses and look at the belts Hoses should feel firm, not spongy or rock hard. Belts should have no cracks across the ribs. Walk away if: A hose that feels soft, or a belt with cracks you can see. Look for leaks while it is cold Fresh wet oil, coolant crust round a hose clamp, or a clean patch where somebody has just pressure-washed the engine bay. Walk away if: A suspiciously clean engine on an otherwise ordinary car. Ask why it was washed.

The test drive

Start it from stone cold This is the single most useful thing you can do, and it is why arriving unannounced matters. Walk away if: Blue smoke, a rattle for the first few seconds, or a long crank before it fires. Drive it at 30, 50 and highway speed Faults appear at specific speeds. A car that is fine round the block can shake badly at 60. Walk away if: Vibration through the wheel or the seat that comes and goes with speed. Brake hard once, somewhere safe It should stop straight, without pulling and without shudder through the pedal. Walk away if: Pulling to one side, a pulsing pedal, or a pedal that sinks slowly while you hold it. Find an empty car park and turn full lock both ways Slowly, windows down, listening. This is where CV joints and power steering give themselves away. Walk away if: Clicking on full lock, or a groan from the steering. Feel every gear change An automatic should change smoothly without hunting. A manual should not baulk going into second. Walk away if: A jolt between gears, a rise in revs without a change in speed, or a clutch that bites right at the top. Turn the radio off and listen Sellers turn music on for a reason. Drive the last few minutes in silence with a window down. Walk away if: Any noise that changes with speed, with steering, or over bumps.

Paperwork

Match the VIN in three places The dashboard, the door jamb sticker and the title should all agree. Walk away if: A VIN plate that looks disturbed, or numbers that do not match. Check the title is in the seller's name And that there is no lienholder still listed on it. Walk away if: Selling on behalf of a friend or a relative. That is how curbstoning works. Ask for service records Receipts are worth more than a verbal history. Look for the expensive scheduled items being done on time. Walk away if: No records at all on a car old enough to have needed a timing belt.

Before you pay

Have it inspected on a lift Half of what matters is underneath, and you cannot see it on a driveway. An inspection costs a fraction of one repair it might find. Walk away if: A seller who will not let you take it to a shop. There is only one reason for that.