Things to check before buying a used car?

[EvenStar]

I never bought a used car from anyone selling it in person. What are some things that I should always check or look out for? Things in the engine bay? Thanks in advance!

[j00ni3]

leaks, overheating, drivetrain problems ( drive it ) a/c ( if you want it )
better if stock because they didn't do anything to it to screw it up ...
and it's more fun doing it yourself .. hehehe
car fax it ( it's worth it )
check around the edges to see any repainting or fixes .. ( you can definitely tell )
chassy warpage ( will be hard to tell... if you can bring it to a lift or shop to measure dimensions, <-- that's if you want to be extra detailed)

that's all i can think of

[JDMsosofreshS13]

Check for rust near the show towers in the engine bay.. not where the struts mount on but down more..rust on the rails under the car.thas all i can think of just woke up..peace

[downshift_sideways]

wuts up man. I would advise you to bring a friend, or a personally that is well inclined with automobiles with you, when you inspect a car.

Here is what i would do.

#1 Find out what kind of title the car holds. Salvage? Clean?
#2 Do a Vehicle Backround Check. To see what HAS been done to the car.
Such as accidents, # of Owners. etc.

those are always the 2 best to know right off the bat.

then you want to inspect the car, before you drive it.
Check for any Leaks throughout the engine bay. Such as Power steering, Oil leaks, Radiator Leaks, Brake Fluid leaks. etc.
Locate the spot of the leak, and bring it to the owner of the vehicles attention.
Check out the wiring, make sure it looks OEM, not ghetto rigged in anyway.
Do a light check to make sure all the lights are working througout the car.
Inspect the interior and exteroir of the car, if you noticed anything wrong. Such as Ripped carpets, seats, dents in the car, or rust forming. etc. Bring it to the owners attention. Also look for Bondo work.
Here is a cheap trick i do, kinda funny and the owner might think your a dumbass. Anywho, get a fairly big magnet, and put it below the handle of the car untill it grabs ahold of the frame.. Slowly move the magnent across the vehicle. If you notice the magnent starting to either go upwards or downwards, then it is a POSSIBLITY the frame may be damaged. lol. This is what i do.

also check for exhaust leaks.
get a piece of paper, put it on the muffler tip. ask the owner, or your friend, to raise the rpm's of the car. IF that paper gets sucked into the muffler, the car may be holding some sort of exhaust leak. If the car is blowing out whitish smoke from the muffler, then just leave, its not worth your time.
the engine is malfunctioning, possibly leading up to a blown HG.

drive the car :)

If you notice ANYTHING diffrent about that cars performance to drive, bring it to the owners attention. Its always good to ask questions about a car. You are the one purchasing it, so you are entitled to ask questions.

if it is a 5speed manual, check all gears. if you notice any grindings, hard shifts, Pop outs, or slippage. its a possiblity the transmission is going out.
thats $ so i would suggest you walk away from the deal, unless you are very intellegent with cars.

make sure the tires still have tread on them. It cost $$ for new tires.
If the tires are bald, bring down your price offer for the vehicle, and let the owner know that you will have to purchase new tires.

basically, if you notice anything wrong with the car, when you are driving it.
ask WHY.

like i said i advise you to bring a friend, or a mechanic with you when you do check out a used car.

where do you live in cali?

-Ant

[airsoft]

Make sure also the doors line up evenly when you close them.

Test Drive.

[OdessaS13]

ya and check for oil leaking after test driving the car, when i was going to buy a s14 the car leaked like 1/4 quart of oil haha, and yeah bondo work, you can ussually tell ghettofied bondo and kragen paint spary jobs.

also:

alignment
unussual suspension noises
doors/ trunk / hood dont close evenly may be indication of accident

and yeah ask alot of questions, try to rephrase them and see if the responces arent always the same, thats how you catch people slipping and possibly hiding shit they dont want you to know
/\ make a list of questions you want to ask beforehand becuase some will ussually slip your mind

and yeah, make sure it passes smog

[ReDs13SiLvIa]

check for rust on the frame.i saw large rust holes on the frames around the front drivers side wheel on many s13 in the junk yards:(

[ReDs13SiLvIa]

when your checking out a car,don't buy it there and then.go home and think about the price of the car and how much money it's going to cost to get runing right.take time,look at other cars.find one w/least amount of work and that has a price you can afford.good luck:)

[L1ama]

When you test drive it, ask yourself is this enough for daily driving, maybe you need more power.

[xtheenderx]

^^ yeah adding on to l1ama, if you are lookin for sumthing along the lines of a daily driver than you should make sure that its reliable. if it helps, try to make sure the mileage is as least as possible.

[RiversideS13]

sum up everyone's advice here. but the best thing is bring an experienced expert to check out the car with you because there is a great chance you have no idea you are looking at.

the expert you bring also should have some idea about the repair prices and parts cost..etc. because in most of time, you would found some problems on the used car (and thats the reason the seller decided to get rid of it) and you will have to decide if you want to take the risk in getting it.