In this guide I won't be going into much detail when or where to buy as we will be looking on things to check on a car itself.
When inspecting a car be very thorough and check every single thing you can.
Engine - The most important and most expensive part to fix. So be very vigilant when checking engine.
Check the overall condition of the engine, see that there are no oil leaks in engine bay also check oil level, if it's under Full mark this might indicate that engine is either leaking oil or using and that means there could be some major issues. Oil should be dark brown and not black, there also should be sticker in engine bay or in door isle saying when was the last time that oil was changed. Also open oil filler cap and check that there are no white foam on a back of the cap, this could indicate that engine has been overheating or that the cooling fluid is leaking into oil system. It's ideal if you have a possibility to test the engine from cold and hot start. When engine is running check the exhaust pipe for blue smoke - this indicates that engine is using oil and thus can be very expensive to repair. White smoke is ok - white smoke is produced from condensation in exhaust.
Exterior visual condition.
Check exterior for any scratches and dents, usually not very expensive to repair but it shows how careful previous owner has been with the car, as many people tend to modify their cars also check wheel arches put your hand into wheel arch to check for any damage from wheels hitting wheel arches. Also check the gap between doors and panels, and if they are not the same this could indicate that car has been in a serious accident.
Interior condition.
Check seats, steering wheel and gear knob for wear. Try and open every single window fully and then close it, press every single button there is and see if it does something, because if something isn't working there might be some electrical problems with a car and usually they are quite expensive to repair. Check under the spare wheel in boot, this usually is the first place where rust starts to build up.
Wheels.
Check the wheels for wear and disks for any damage. Put your hand on a wheel and check that thread is even, if thread is more worn on either side this could mean that wheel alignment is off, it's an easy fix but you can either get seller to fix it or get him to lower a price a bit to cover the cost of repair.
Fraud and scam.
As you know used car market is huge and as with every industry there are people who will cheat.
Odometer
There has been many cases where odometers have been rolled back even the new electronic ones, but it's possible to detect that, first check the interior if the odometer says the car has only done 20 thousand miles but seats are worn this could mean that odo has been rolled back, you can also check things like pedals, gear knob etc. Also look under hood if the car has had air-con serviced usually they put a sticker with millage when it was done. Also check tires on average car can do up to 50,000 miles on one tires and again if the car has only done 10,000 miles and tires are worn this could indicate in fraud attempt.
Service Books
Check that every single scheduled service has been done, compare the VIN number on service book to the one on a car.
If you are unsure on something about the car you are thinking to buy, you can always seek advice in your local garage, and they should be able to inspect the car for you and it usually doesn't cost a fortune either.
How to get most out of Private Car Sales? Or maybe you are looking for Audi A4 For Sale
When inspecting a car be very thorough and check every single thing you can.
Engine - The most important and most expensive part to fix. So be very vigilant when checking engine.
Check the overall condition of the engine, see that there are no oil leaks in engine bay also check oil level, if it's under Full mark this might indicate that engine is either leaking oil or using and that means there could be some major issues. Oil should be dark brown and not black, there also should be sticker in engine bay or in door isle saying when was the last time that oil was changed. Also open oil filler cap and check that there are no white foam on a back of the cap, this could indicate that engine has been overheating or that the cooling fluid is leaking into oil system. It's ideal if you have a possibility to test the engine from cold and hot start. When engine is running check the exhaust pipe for blue smoke - this indicates that engine is using oil and thus can be very expensive to repair. White smoke is ok - white smoke is produced from condensation in exhaust.
Exterior visual condition.
Check exterior for any scratches and dents, usually not very expensive to repair but it shows how careful previous owner has been with the car, as many people tend to modify their cars also check wheel arches put your hand into wheel arch to check for any damage from wheels hitting wheel arches. Also check the gap between doors and panels, and if they are not the same this could indicate that car has been in a serious accident.
Interior condition.
Check seats, steering wheel and gear knob for wear. Try and open every single window fully and then close it, press every single button there is and see if it does something, because if something isn't working there might be some electrical problems with a car and usually they are quite expensive to repair. Check under the spare wheel in boot, this usually is the first place where rust starts to build up.
Wheels.
Check the wheels for wear and disks for any damage. Put your hand on a wheel and check that thread is even, if thread is more worn on either side this could mean that wheel alignment is off, it's an easy fix but you can either get seller to fix it or get him to lower a price a bit to cover the cost of repair.
Fraud and scam.
As you know used car market is huge and as with every industry there are people who will cheat.
Odometer
There has been many cases where odometers have been rolled back even the new electronic ones, but it's possible to detect that, first check the interior if the odometer says the car has only done 20 thousand miles but seats are worn this could mean that odo has been rolled back, you can also check things like pedals, gear knob etc. Also look under hood if the car has had air-con serviced usually they put a sticker with millage when it was done. Also check tires on average car can do up to 50,000 miles on one tires and again if the car has only done 10,000 miles and tires are worn this could indicate in fraud attempt.
Service Books
Check that every single scheduled service has been done, compare the VIN number on service book to the one on a car.
If you are unsure on something about the car you are thinking to buy, you can always seek advice in your local garage, and they should be able to inspect the car for you and it usually doesn't cost a fortune either.
How to get most out of Private Car Sales? Or maybe you are looking for Audi A4 For Sale
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