First thing you do when you buy a used car?

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skip029

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I'm getting a 2004 Acura TL from my sister. She says everything runs fine and nothing is wrong with it. No idea how many miles are on it but she's owned it for the last 6 years and no idea who owned it before that. I just want to be able to have peace of mind when I get it and was wondering if I should do anything to it? I'm no mechanic and would prefer not to do a major tune up but something like replacing spark plugs I can do! I'm going back to school so to keep the car until I graduate from college in 4 years would be nice with no car payments. I will miss my Juke
frown.gif
 
change the oil? Actually I'd think if someone is considering buying a car, take it for a ride and have the oil changed and maybe add a quart of MMO then see what oil pressure you have. It might provide the best estimation of the condition of the engine. Many sneak in motor honey to mask a worn engine.
 
First and foremost before you buy do this in my opinion .. Before you buy it do this..Get a jack and back stands. Jack car up.. Get underneath it. Look for any signs of leaking oil, transmission fluid or coolant. If its bone dry.. No signs of any leaks.. Good. But check for any serious rust as well. . wheel wells, rockers floor pan. No signs of that .. Good. Check the tires.. Any unusual wear patterns on any of the tires?? Amount of tread life left?? If there is a clear abnormal tire wear problem.. This should lower the price right out of the gate. Tires that are darn near out of tread.. Lowers the price too. Also if the tires are abnormally worn. Will need an alignment.. Lower price if that's the case too. Inspect the drive belts.. Worn? Cracked, fraying?? Lower that price again. Test drive.. Does the car idle rough?? Lower the price again. Under braking car shudders?? Warped rotors..squealing?! Needs pads. Also while under the car inspect CV axles.. Are they clean and sealed?? Or cracked or throwing green or black grease ?? Lower that price. Also when was the battery replaced last??
Go over the car with a fine toothed comb.. Could save yourself some money. Have to get yourself dirty to see what to see what's really going on and what could have to be addressed by you if you buy it. Well worth the effort.
When NY lady and I sold her Sunfire.. I had my jack with me and offered for the fella buying it to look under it. Just to give him more peace of mind. He declined. But I felt it was the right thing to do. So, those are my thoughts IF you haven't bought it yet
smile.gif

Or just take it to a mechanic take a good inspection of it prior to agreeing to a price.. Maybe a lot easier
smile.gif
 
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Drive it home....

Seriously though I do a basic under hood, chassis check and structure check. I usually do this before I buy.

Bring it to a trusted mechanic for an oil change and an alignment check.

To have a mechanic look it over would be $15 and for $5 more it gets fresh oil
Alignment checks look at suspention and structural issues
Tell the guy up front that you just bought it and you'd like a mechanic to look at it and advise you on what it needs. He will see a sucker and hound the mechanic into doing it. The mechanic will see a job and will start digging until he finds work. You will get a list of things for you to check on yourself and then do/ have a mechanic do

Just say no to what they throw at you unless its absolutely about to fail
 
Bare minimums :
- Check the oil
- Put it on stands, pop the wheels off and check the brake pads

These days you can take it to a chain service centre and pay $45 for a "100 point" safety check. Stuff like brakes, suspension, steering and basic mechanical checks. That'll give you a baseline to work from if you are not handy with a wrench.
 
Get some jugs of water.

On a flat, empty, parking lot
pour out the jugs creating a puddle...

Drive through it slowly, hands off wheel...

Look at the tire tracks
to see if they are straight...
 
Go out for a beer...
Next working day I stop at car parts store and buy filters, break fluid, cambelt, tensioner, water pump and outer belt.
 
I do the checking before I take the car, not after. That helps me decide if the car is problem free, or full of problems. Not knowing the mileage or any service history IMO is not a good idea. But sometimes you can get lucky I guess.

Back to your question of what you should do to it. I'd change the oil and filter, check the air filter, trans fluid, ps fluid, coolant [cool engine only]. Check the tires and brakes and brake fluid, look for leaks, wash and wax it. You might also consider tuning it up. Take it for a long drive and see how it runs. Monitor it for oil use.

W/O knowing the miles on the vehicle or how it was serviced there could be other maintenance items that need to be done, like a transmission service, brake fluid change, etc. Good luck with it!
 
I do the checking before I buy, and figure out what I am going to do. Often it is nothing, as it is coming off a dealer lot; or I have an idea of what mods are essential. Then I might short change the oil change, put it onto the schedule I prefer, and maybe do anything I think might have been overlooked (diff, atf).

Now this sounds like a car given by a relative, either cheaply or free. So I would go over the maintenance schedule and find out what has been done, and what has not. Look online to find out what are the weak spots on this model, if any.

Then I would under the car, look for problem areas like rust or suspension. Fix those issues and then oil coat. Or flip the car if the sum total of work to be done starts to exceed the cars value.

2004, is this a timing belt motor? Should have had the coolant changed twice by now, I would think.
 
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I always change out all the exterior light bulbs. Cheap and easy to do. They loose output over time and are likely to fail sooner than later.
 
cam belt and all fluids
rotate tires and check PSI
Go stem to stern and look at the metal brake lines, fuel lines, and rubber bushings and hoses. 11 years in the rust belt is about when innocence is lost-- the car's still shiny up top but a blown line down below can ruin your day.

When each corner's in the air tug on the tire-- up and down, left and right, in and out, and spin it. Note any play or odd drag or noise.
 
no doubt the suspension, struts, bushings, tie rods, brake pads and so on have been neglected and will soon need service. good luck.
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
First and foremost before you buy do this in my opinion .. Before you buy it do this..Get a jack and back stands. Jack car up.. Get underneath it. Look for any signs of leaking oil, transmission fluid or coolant. If its bone dry.. No signs of any leaks.. Good. But check for any serious rust as well. . wheel wells, rockers floor pan. No signs of that .. Good. Check the tires.. Any unusual wear patterns on any of the tires?? Amount of tread life left?? If there is a clear abnormal tire wear problem.. This should lower the price right out of the gate. Tires that are darn near out of tread.. Lowers the price too. Also if the tires are abnormally worn. Will need an alignment.. Lower price if that's the case too. Inspect the drive belts.. Worn? Cracked, fraying?? Lower that price again. Test drive.. Does the car idle rough?? Lower the price again. Under braking car shudders?? Warped rotors..squealing?! Needs pads. Also while under the car inspect CV axles.. Are they clean and sealed?? Or cracked or throwing green or black grease ?? Lower that price. Also when was the battery replaced last??
Go over the car with a fine toothed comb.. Could save yourself some money. Have to get yourself dirty to see what to see what's really going on and what could have to be addressed by you if you buy it. Well worth the effort.
When NY lady and I sold her Sunfire.. I had my jack with me and offered for the fella buying it to look under it. Just to give him more peace of mind. He declined. But I felt it was the right thing to do. So, those are my thoughts IF you haven't bought it yet
smile.gif

Or just take it to a mechanic take a good inspection of it prior to agreeing to a price.. Maybe a lot easier
smile.gif

All good ideas. Don't forget to check UNDER the floor maps on a "low miles" used car, especially if the mats are brand new. If the carpet's really worn it has probably seem more than "low" miles.
 
Obviously I check everything I can under the hood and under the car but I usually like to detail the car inside and out first. Even cars that are cleaned out are usually still not exactly clean so I like to check under the seats, vacuum it, and wipe everything down. That way from then on the dirt inside is mine! LOL!
 
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