Evaluating a used car

In My Humble Opinion
1

I know there are plenty of how to sites and previous threads but I’d like to get a Doper Perspective.

I’m looking at used cars. Specifically Hondas, Saturns, Subarus. I’m looking to pay around $2,000-$3,000 grand so I’m seeing mostly mid to late 90s cars with 150k plus mileage. Mileage doesn’t scare me as these days cars tend to run forever if they’re properly maintained. Wherein lies the kicker. How can I, a person with basic mechanical knowledge, evaluate a car?

I know to check CarFax of course, inspect maint records if avail. In the test drive, brake heavily, test the tranny by backing up at a high speed. My mom says to check the seller’s garage/yard for neatness. Saturns aren’t made anymore but they’re so ubiquitous as to be no problem getting parts as far as I can tell. Honda is definitely superior as far as MPG goes, but I really like the looks of the Subaru wagons and I do like to camp so whereas a Saturn SL2 is a nice commuter and road trip car, a subaru Legacy Outback would fair better getting me up the mountains in the winter.

Any pearls you can offer that may not be quite so obvious?

2

no they don’t. people believe this meme because they listen to a friend of a friend who has a car with 200,000 miles on it. unfortunately, they ignore the hundreds of similar cars which have been scrapped because they turned into money pits.

a car you pay a couple of grand for might last you three months, or three years. you have no way of knowing.

this is all nonsense.

3

Take it to a mechanic to do a 100 point inspection before you buy anything.

I have no idea how to pick a truly good car out of the haystack. You could get a car with 150k miles that goes another 100k with few problems, you could get one that craps out within 10k miles. I have no idea how to tell really.

4

I completely agree with this.

Your best bet is simply to find a few cars you’re interested in, narrow down your options and then Google as much as you can about problems with similar models.

Even then, don’t take anecdotal advice as scripture; one guy complaining about the transmission on a 20xx Schmurgflier isn’t the same as repeated issues.

5

Look at the engine for signs of leaks. Especially where the engine and tranny meet. Squeeze hoses for firmness and look for pinches. Smell the oil for signs of gas or burnt smell. Look closely at the oil for tiny sparkles of metal. Push and pull hard on the tops of the front wheels for play. Look at the lines where the body panels meet. Are the joints even? Check the edges of the doors, trunk lid and hood at the corners for signs of rubbing. See if there is excessive play in the steering. While test driving do some hard breaking and acceleration. Hard lane changes at speed and look for excessive body roll.

6

Run a Carfax. It’s not the end all be all that people think it is, but it can help you rule out a potential vehicle. Even if the Carfax is clean, it doesn’t mean that the vehicle wasn’t in an accident. Carfax can only pull info if it was reported.

If you don’t know what to look for, take prospective vehicles to a trusted mechanic. Even they can’t tell you how long it will last, but they can tell you if it has any existing problems you should be aware of.

7

Ask for maintainence records. Look for the number of owners. How long has the latest owner had the car?

What you need to know is, when were the hoses/belts/brakes/batery replaced last. In a 150K mile vehicle, they all will have been replaced at least once. If not, they will fail soon.

For cars that have a timing belt (you will need to google the specific engine for the specific model you are looking at), when was it replaced last, what is the recommended change interval?

Same thing for the alternator and power steering pump. at 150K miles, if these haven’t been replaced, they may be nearing the end of their lives. Automatic transmission? If the fluid has been changed in the past 10,000 miles, try to find out when it was changed before that.

Cars with over 150K miles are not necessairly junk if the previous owner has maintained them. The perfect one would be a single-owner vehicle that has been only serviced by the dealer. Those are rare. A two-owner vehicle where the 2nd owner bought it with 30-50,000 miles when it was 3 to 5 years old and has kept records on the maintainence since it was bought is nearly as good. You really want to find one where the owner has kept the maintainence records. DIY oil changes are fine, but I would want to see how the owner is keeping up with the change interval. FYI, I keep all this information on an excel spreadsheet on my vehicles. I may not have all the receipts, but I do have a complete record of when the windshield wipers were replaced.

Of course, as has been said, any oil, coolant, gas, or power steering leaks are bad news. A reasonably clean engine, not spotless, is also a good sign. A spotless engine is suspicious, but one that has oily build-up in easily cleaned areas, but is neat and not obviously wet with leaks, is an indication that they are not trying to cover up a problem.

You might be better off buying a car nearer the higher end of your range if it has a good maintainence record. My “fleet” of cars consist of 3, built in 1980s-1990s. The lowest milage one is at 150,000, the others have over a light-second on them (186,000 miles to non-geeks). I would take any of them on a 1500 mile road trip without a second thought (other than a tire rotation). But, I am very familiar witht the maintenance records of all of them.

excavating (for a mind)

8

Thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions. I was hoping to avoid bringing it to a mechanic to save a few bucks but that seems, well, kinda stupid to worry about $100 dollar inspection when I’m willing to lay out $3,000 for the car.

So I’ve narrowed it down to to possibles and I’ll check them out tomorrow.

9

Only one thing to add-if you can find a car that was only run on the highways (salesman’s car) buy it! Highway miles are incredibly easy on the car’s running gear. Many cars today have a display of the car’s average speed-from this and the odometer, you can determine the engine hours run. I have seen cars with 200,000 miles plus (all highway) that look like brand new.

10

A friend of mine told me to visit a website called www.CarComplaints.com when I was in the market for a used car last December. It’s a site where car owners go to list issues they may have with different makes, models and years. It appears that nearly everything from the early 90’s to today is listed there. Unfortunately, I didn’t go there until AFTER I’d already bought the the lemony PoS 2001 Chevy Malibu I have now. It seems that 2001 scored the highest number of complaints for the new Malibu. And as fate would have it my last car (2002 Toyota Corolla) scored the 2nd highest number of complaints among all the Corolla model years.
Check it out.
I wish I had. But I’ll never buy another car without going there first.

11

The problem here is all the people that aren’t having problems don’t post there. In 2001 Toyota sold 1.2 jillion Corollas. If .01% had issues that post to that site there will be more complaints posted on Corollas than the entire US sales for some smaller brands like Saab or Volvo.
Self selected group. Just like my technicians at work. Every car they see is broken. They don’t see the thousands that are just driving down the road with no issues.

12

No matter how personable and forthright the seller is, assume everything he says is a lie until you can verify it.

13

Average speed can be reset just like the trip odometer; I wouldn’t rely on it.

14

Yes, they do. The problem is that very few people maintain a car properly (or at all). They drive it until something breaks, often ignoring trouble codes if the car keeps starting and running, then declare it a money pit or unreliable. This is especially chronic for the cheaper models.

Ideally, you want an older seller when you’re buying someone that old - they’re more careful about maintenance, they usually drive fewer miles. They tend also towards bigger, less efficient cars, though.

You might also try an enthusiast forum for the model (and there is one, no matter how bland the car). They tend to be better cared for, even with crazy miles. The concern is modifications, which I try to avoid.

15

So if anyone is curious I settled on a 1996 Subaru Legacy L AWD drive wagon. 188,000 miles which scared me. But, based on my research of the model, the guy did all the right maintenance things at the right time. New water pump, fuel pump, belts, timing belt (which includes some sort of tension doohickey), etc. Has one year old battery, nice tires and an interior in pretty amazing shape considering the miles. It has a few dings but nothing major.

I kicked the tires, pinched the hoses, checked for leaks, smelled the engine, backed it up fast in reverse, gunned it a few times, braked hard, listened for knocks and got a nice fast start a few times so I could feel the gears shift.

He had it priced at the higher end of the KBB value. I figured it should be lower based on the condition and mileage and the gas tank was empty. We amicably agreed on a price, he knocked off $50 for gas and we parted ways happy.

Clean CarFax. I did not take it to a mechanic to check. I hope that doesn’t bite me in the ass.

I know it’s a bit of a gamble, but the car fits my style and my budget and right now I’m ecstatic just to be driving again. My days of waiting for buses in the rain are over. At least until the engine explodes and the tranny drops and sends me pole vaulting ass over tea kettle.

16

So if anyone is curious I settled on a 1996 Subaru Legacy L AWD drive wagon. 188,000 miles which scared me. But, based on my research of the model, the guy did all the right maintenance things at the right time. New water pump, fuel pump, belts, timing belt (which includes some sort of tension doohickey), etc. Has one year old battery, nice tires and an interior in pretty amazing shape considering the miles. It has a few dings but nothing major.

I kicked the tires, pinched the hoses, checked for leaks, smelled the engine, backed it up fast in reverse, gunned it a few times, braked hard, listened for knocks and got a nice fast start a few times so I could feel the gears shift.

He had it priced at the higher end of the KBB value. I figured it should be lower based on the condition and mileage and the gas tank was empty. We amicably agreed on a price, he knocked off $50 for gas and we parted ways happy.

Clean CarFax. I did not take it to a mechanic to check. I hope that doesn’t bite me in the ass.

I know it’s a bit of a gamble, but the car fits my style and my budget and right now I’m ecstatic just to be driving again. My days of waiting for buses in the rain are over. At least until the engine explodes and the tranny drops and sends me pole vaulting ass over tea kettle.

Thanks everyone for your advice/suggestions.