MrWhatsit and I are in the market for a used station wagon, so we have somewhere to put both carseats when Whatsit the Youngest makes his/her big arrival in a few months. We found a listing in the classifieds for a 10-year-old Subaru Outback and we’re going to look at it later on today. 10 years old is kind of a drawback, but the mileage isn’t ridiculously high for that old of a car (125K), it’s supposedly had only one owner, and the price is right. ($2500.)
This is, believe it or not, the first time either MrWhatsit or I have actually bought a car. My dad bought me the one I drove in high school, and MrWhatsit paid his mom $100 for the used Tercel we drove up until a few months ago when we moved from Seattle. So we have no experience with this kind of thing. I looked at the Consumer Reports website and they have a good article on what to look for when inspecting a used car, which we’ll be taking with us.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that you should take the car to a dealership or mechanic and have it inspected before buying it. Has anyone here ever done that? How does it work? Do I ask the owner to drop it at the dealership for me, or do I give them a deposit and take it myself, or what?
A big yes on taking it to a mechanic - they’ll probably charge you something (I paid $50 when I bought my last car), but they should go over it from bumper to bumper and tell you everything that is wrong or could go wrong. Other than that, just check the price against the blue book listed value for the car - if you’re getting a little too good of a deal, you might want to be wary.
Thanks for the tip on checking the blue book value, JerH. I went and looked, and their asking price is almost exactly what the book says we should be paying for that car. So that makes me feel somewhat better.
Just putting in my two cents’ worth - I just bought a used car on Saturday!
I definitely recommend taking it to a mechanic for a pre-purchase check. (Here in Canada it was $80 including tax). He went through the work it would need in the future (just maintenance-type stuff), and helped me prioritize it and cost it out.
Good sellers have no problem with you having it checked. If they don’t like it, leave immediately.
Don’t go to a dealer for an inspection. They will charge more and “fail” the car. (Guess why.)
Take it to a place that doesn’t sell cars. My mechanic has an official two page pre-printed punch list they check. Made up by NAPA. Ask to see their form first. A sign of a true pro.
If it looks bad, don’t buy the car no matter what. The fact that you plunked $50-75 down for the inspection already should in no way affect your decision. Not buying a lemon saves a lot more money.
Also sign up for a vehicle history service. Get the “check any number of VINs for month” plan. Trust me, you’re going to want to run more than one VIN.