I'm glad you didn't ask what brand of used car... First, go online and get an idea of price ranges for different cars. The learning is on you, and don't depend on a sales person to be totally honest with you. Some are, and some aren't. It's on you if you find a car for $1500 while the same car is showing for $3500 most places. Think of Andy Rooney. "Why is that?"
Beyond that, look for the obvious things. How does the finish feel? Chips? Dents? Scratches? Do the doors close tight? Do you need to slam them closed? And while you aren't a mechanic, look at the tires. Pay attention to the edges of the tread area. If you feel the nubs like a new tire, that's a question mark. If you feel cupping or a concave surface across the tread area, the tire has been under inflated. This often indicates neglect by the owner. If the inner or outer edges are beveled or warn away much more than the rest of the tread, this is a suspension problem. Anything from a bad ball joint to being out of alignment. Make sure the engine fires quickly and runs smoothly without having to touch the gas at all. Computers will often make the engine turn over a few times before it fires and that's fine. It does need to fire and idle smoothly within just a few seconds. Once the engine has fired and is running smoothly, give the gas a shove. Don't stomp your foot to the floor and hold it, this makes the engine run wild and with the transmission out of gear, there is no load on the engine and you can damage things. Give it a couple quick jabs with your foot however. You don't want the engine to hesitate as you hit the gas. You also don't want to hear extra knocking, clicking or pinging as you hear the engine rev up. Finally, with your foot on the brake, drop it in gear. Go a couple times from drive to reverse. Hopefully you won't feel the car jolting as it changes directions. All engines will twist a bit as they change directions but you don't want a lot of shaking or clunking going on. Beyond that, someone will need to drive it for you and make sure the engine runs smoothly on the road and the transmission shifts firmly without slipping. Sorry I can't make it more simple than that. I worked as a mechanic for over 30 years and those seem to be the important parts to focus on. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jennifer Jackson To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 12:05 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] buying a used car Ok, what should I ask and look for when buying a used car? Any special tips? I know very little about cars, and have forgotten some of that in the last 23 years since I drove. *smile* Just to remind you, I am totally blind. Jennifer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
