Questions about Getting a Used car checked out before buying...

['Chair]

So I'm teetering on that fence of buying new or used...

So I'm looking around on the internet -- craigslist and autotrader, and have come across a few used cars that I am interested in. I need some help as to how to go about getting the car checked out.

where should I take the car to get it checked out?
how much does this cost?
how reliable is the checking?
what kind of stuff do they check for?
good idea to get a carfax account and check it myself as well?

any other general advice to help me not get a lemon?

fwiw the used car will be a Honda Accord in the $10k range?

I'm not considering carmax either... only private sellers or buying new.

[Lester B]

[ QUOTE ]
where should I take the car to get it checked out?
how much does this cost?
how reliable is the checking?
what kind of stuff do they check for?
good idea to get a carfax account and check it myself as well?

[/ QUOTE ]

A) Any reputable independent shop would work... I would probably suggest a chain like Firestone, or Midas, or Goodyear or Tuffy, etc.

B) Usually around $25 or so... some places charge upwards of $35 to $40 for a safety inspection.

C) As far as reliability goes, keep in mind mechanics aren't miracle workers. They can't predict wheat's going to be wrong with the car in three months. They'll tell you what they see and that is about all the guarantee you get.

There's a myth that mechanics have a crystal ball and can predict what will happen in the future as far as automotive failures... and that's entirely false. They can tell you if the brakes are going to wear out soon, or if the tires are going to wear poorly because the ball joints are loose, etc. But, they can't tell you an oxygen sensor will fail or a check engine light will come on, etc.

D) What they will do is basically give all the safety systems a good once over... they'll check for major fluid leaks under the hood and under the car, they'll check the suspension for potential failures, they'll remove the wheels and and check brakes... etc. You can ask them to check specific things, like if there appears to be evidence of prior body work, etc.

Usually they'll take the vehicle for a drive to make sure everything is running alright. If you want them to scan the PCM (computer) for codes or check the alignment, that costs extra.

E) I am not sold on Carfax reports. My only experience with them was when I bought a used vehicle with an odometer reading of 7k. The Carfax report listed the mileage at 17k. I don't know if it was an error on the part of Carfax or if the odometer in the vehicle had been rolled back (highly unlikely, since I had worked for the company I bought the vehicle from). Furthermore, a lof of independent shops do not report to Carfax from what I have heard, so their reports may be lacking in completeness. That said, the dealer will get you a Carfax report free of charge if you ask for it, so there's no harm in that.

Other than that, buying a used car is somewhat of a crapshoot. Getting it checked out and buying from a trustworthy dealer that will take care of you after the sale is about all you can really do.

Good luck

[Kmon]

getting a honda accord that was well maintained should be in great shape. Take it to a good shop, have em take a look 50-100 bucks to get there perspective and throw it up on a lift. I like the carfax because the least amount of info you see is where it was during it's life if it had to take emissions, then you have an idea on how many owners were before you.

Post the milage and any other info and I can see what I can find online. I worked at a honda dealer for a couple years as a tech so I've seen what usually goes wrong with honda's. And there isn't that many things that really fail, just maintain essentials, belts, liquids and the car can go 200k + we had a accord 95 come in all the time with 460K miles.

And another thing, this could just be from my own experience, but how clean the car is kept and engine bay and whatnot usually shows how well the car was maintained, yeah I know it usually gets detaild but u get the idea.

GL>

['Chair]

ok so now I'm teetering between these two levels of used cars..


A) http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/242393010.html



B) http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/242290913.html

[Lester B]

I would go with the second one, especially if you are planning on keeping for several years.

Check www.kbb.com for accurate info on pricing. It looks like $9k for it is reasonable if it is well maintained.