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By purchasing a used car you can save a lot of money. You could buy a loaded model with all the bells and whistles that you might not be able to afford had you bought a new car. A new car depreciates quickly in the first few years and after 3 years it is worth only about 60-70% of the original price. In fact, as soon as you leave the dealership, your new vehicle is suddenly worth $1000-$2000 less. When purchasing a new car you basically are paying for its fresh "new" aroma and warranty. However, buying a new car does not always mean the buyer will get perfection. A new car may come with problems associated with poor design or manufacturing defects that may have been already repaired during the warranty coverage period if it's a used car. The same is true for all kinds of recalls and campaigns.
Buying a used car is still a bit of a gamble - there is no guarantee that the car is accident-free, has real mileage, and was properly maintained. There may be some hidden problems like a worn out automatic transmission, or engine problems that may not have been obvious when you test-drove the car. So, next you must ask yourself: Will I save money when buying a used car? How do I eliminate the risk of potential problems and is this actually possible to do? Read on to find out more information.

 

 

The following checklist is a rough guide to the most frequent problem areas likely to be encountered on a used cars. After inspection, please add up all of the appropriate numbers for the car you considering buying. If you get a total of more than 50 points, you are probably looking at a car, that requires eexcessive repairs.
Item Points
Engine  
Mechanical noices 5
Low compression 5
Exhaust smoke (white or blue) 4
Oil (emulsification) 5
Coolant (emulsification) 3
Oil leak (head gasket) 2
Radiator fan removed 2
Water pump leak 3
V-belts broken or missing 1
Hoses broken or missing 1
Fuel/Ignition  
Air cleaning housing missing 2
Plastic seal on fuel injection pump missing if required 5
Hard starting 2
Rough idle 3
Erratic power under acceleration 3
Mixture richness (sooty exhaust smoke) 2
Ignition timing spark knock 2
Fuel pump low pressure (light on) 5
Generator mountained securely 4
Errastic starter switch on ignition 2
Electrical  
Battery charge light inoperative 4
Some gauges inoperative 2
Fuse block visibly damaged 1
Light or accessories inoperative 2
Power window switches don't operate 3
Transmission/Driveline  
Oil leaks 2
Continious mechanical noises 5
Hard gear shifting 4
Clunks or erratic noises while driving 4
Vibration 1
Torn/Broken rubber driveshaft joints (donuts) 2
Abnormal clutch operation 4
Brake booster inoperative 2
Chassis  
Uneven tire wear 2
Body bounces after a bump 1
Clunks over bumps 2
Body pan rust 4
Rocker panels rust 2
Sub-shassis rust 5
Wheel arches 3
Trunk/spare tire well rust 3
Bottoms of doors/door sills rust 2
Areas surrounding windshield / rear window 4
Unequal tracking (front / rear window) 5
Steering pulls to one side 2
Power steeringrack fluid fluid leak 3
Bodywork / Interior  
Obnious body damage (sheet metal wrinkles) 5
Loose seat mountings 4
Missing seat belts 2

 

Buying a used car, be prepared. Do as much research as you can. Read reviews, consumer reports, ask colleagues and friends, compare options, gather gas consumption data on the make and model you're interested in. Try to determine maintenance costs and upkeep, etc. Your goal should be to narrow your search to one or two models. Why? Because if you just enter a dealership without knowing what you want, chances are more likely than not that you won't be happy with your purchase. Later you may find out that it's simply not exactly what you wanted or what you can afford. Someone I know bought a used BMW wagon for quite a reasonable price. When he went for servicing, they discovered that the rear shock absorber was leaking. The price for the part alone was close to $1000! Finally, he sold his BMW and bought a used Camry that proved less expensive to maintain.
Another purpose to narrow your choice down to one or two different models is because when you test-drive a few different cars of the same model, it will be much easier for you to compare their condition and pick the best one. Recognizing a transmission problem during your test drive would be easier to do if you were to try a few vehicles of the same model instead of becoming confused by testing out different models.