I’ve purchased dozens of cars, some from rather sketchy sellers, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever truly been “ripped off.” How could that possibly be? Well, I have a strategy that works for me, just as I’m sure you — dear enthusiast — have a strategy that works for you. So tell me: How do you make sure you don’t get ripped off buying a used car?
I’ve made a lot of mistakes when car-buying. I purchased a Willys CJ-3B that, unbeknownst to me, was more of a sculpture than a car thanks to heaps of Bondo covering the imperfect body below. I also recently bought a Chevy K1500 that seems to have a transmission input shaft bearing problem. Plus, that Pontiac Aztek I bought doesn’t seem to want to idle.
I could go down the list of vehicles I’ve purchased that have ended up costing me many hours in the workshop, but I don’t think I could really point to a true “ripoff.” Honestly, the worst deal I’ve probably ever gotten on a car — technically speaking — is my Galvanic Gold 2021 BMW i3S Rex Giga World. I paid over 30 grand for this car, and — because it’s so new, and because it’s an electric car — it’s depreciating like a rock. Right now I bet it’s worth maybe 25 big ones, and as I put more miles on it, that value will drop further and further. That’s fine, as I’ll never sell it.
How is it that I’ve avoided being ripped off? Well, I believe that, if you’re capable of fixing cars it’s quite easy to avoid taking a huge hit to your wallet. Take my Willys CJ-3B. Yes, there’s bondo on it that I didn’t know about, but because the Jeep wasn’t running and I’d have to put time into rebuilding its carburetor and fixing its brakes — I snagged it for $5,900. This is so cheap that, even with the bondo, I won’t lose a dime on this purchase. The Chevy K1500? I bought that for $4,900, so even if I had to replace its transmission, it’s still a good deal.
Still, even if I can afford to be a bit careless checking a vehicle’s condition (since I can just fix it myself for cheap), I do take some precautions, with a few examples being:
- Typically I’ll meet in a well-lit public place
- I’ll make sure the name on the title is the seller’s name
- I’ll make sure the VIN on the title is the car’s VIN
- I’ll check the oil to look for coolant (milkshake)
- I’ll go underneath with a flashlight looking for rust or leaks or other issues
- If there’s rust, I’ll poke at it with a key or flathead to see if it’ll poke through
- I’ll ask to start the engine cold, listen for piston slap or other sounds
- I’ll drive the vehicle at low speeds and highway speeds, getting the temperature up to operating temp
- During the test-drive I listen for bearing/gear noise or any strangeness from the motor
- During the test drive, I pay attention to how easily the vehicle drives in a straight line
- I punch the accelerator during the test rive to check response/stress the engine mounts/transmission mounts a bit
- While driving and while the engine idles, I look at the exhaust for any indication of burning coolant or oil (sometimes I’ll smell it)
- I bring a bill-of-sale for both of us to fill out
What precautions do you take when buying a used car? Do you try to buy from only reputable businesses/friends? Do you take the car to a shop for an inspection? Let me know in the comments!
I generally go into each interaction expecting to get ripped off. Everyone selling a used car is getting rid of it for a reason. And that reason often has to do with the car itself. Whether or not they’re going to up front about that reason is the question. Did they really knock $4,000 off the book price because the AC system “just needs a fuse”, or is the subframe rusted to hell and the car will be lucky to make it home. Even if that subframe looks good, I’m going to ask for another $1000 off just to make sure.
Basically, I just try to buy used cars cheap enough to not be too upset if they crap out in short order.
I am exactly with you. If I am buying a car 5 grand or under I just assume its fully trash and anything better than that is a win.
I bought my first car for the equivalent of around 1500$, and inoperable. Sure, there are things wrong with it, and it’s not in as good shape as the owner said (it’s not maintained as well as she said either, no matter how many times she said she babied it), but at that price I consider it a deal. Also, when buying a 25 year old Japanese SUV in Norway, the biggest issue is almost always going to be rust, and mine is pretty good in that regard.
Turns out I could get it running with parts for around 200$, so it wasn’t bad at all! I also got to know the owner pretty well, she read basically everything up from her big perm of records, gave me the key to the car *before* the sale, and just seemed like an allright person.
I especially got a kick out of one of my coworkers who said it was a bad deal, and that he found a car of the same model for sale. I knew exactly which car he talked about, and it was $4000, and needed a head gasket, exhaust parts, plus suspension bits I believe. Yeah, I think I made a good deal.
Bring a magnet wrapped in a piece of soft cloth.
It will stick to painted metal but will not stick to painted body filler, so you can identify areas where potentially janky bodywork was done.
Only caveat is more and more cars with aluminum body panels can be tricky
Okay, but corrosion is less of a concern with aluminum panels 🙂
Rust on steel can be hidden under crap bodywork long enough to make a sale but it will come back.
Step One: LOWER your expectations.
This. If one can learn to polish turds, they’ll rarely be disappointed.
You just gave me a memory of John Lovitz on SNL about a million years ago- “Ladies, lower your expectations!”
You misspelled Carlos Tavares.
As I learned from the old lighting site:
Step 1: Buy the most unreliable pile of garbage from CarMax
Step 2: Buy the extended warranty
Step 3: Write a series of articles about the extravagant amount of money your warranty has paid out on repairs
Step 4: Parlay your notoriety into a successful media venture and car auctioning website
Step 5: Make videos that are at least 45 minutes long and be sure to drone on about each feature of the car for at least 3 minutes longer than anyone’s interest can be sustained.
It’s not as bad on 2x speed.
Check the eBay feedback, then mash buy it now sight unseen. This actually worked well for me on an accident repair FiST. (I don’t recommend it for real, but I got lucky)
It depends on the cost of what I am buying.
The general items:
Know what the car costs in general.
Any major known issues to watch out for.
If the ads says No Lowballzers or I know what I have got, move on.
Review the pictures.
Actually see the vehicle.
Start it and while idling listen for oddities and walk around.
Test drive in various conditions.
If the car is priced high enough, have a trusted mechanic review it.
And lastly talk to the seller and try to get a feel. If something seems off, walk away.
This works for dealers and private sellers.
It helps to not be this guy -> https://www.tiktok.com/@alexanderalbrighttt/video/7423169764840705322
I always show up and pay in person after a test drive. Otherwise I ignore everything with a set of rose tinted glasses on knowing I can fix and enjoy fixing most problems.
When did you retire from the mob?
Who said anything about retiring?
Pulled back in, then.
I just assumed the mob isn’t buying cars, rather procuring them.
Ah, man the comment I replied to is gone. It was a fantastic comment. COTD some might say.
OH Check the DATE on the tires. They might be good tread-wise but older than dirt.
Since I know I’m going to replace the tires pretty much as soon as I get it home I don’t bother with that.
It’s a good indicator of how much the current owner pays attention to maintenance though.
Here in Ontario, the seller has to give the buyer a used vehicle information package that gives details about when the car has been sold in the past, and at what mileage. You can also get a safety check done, which helps a bit.
A mechanical inspection is always a good idea, if possible, and is cheap insurance for something that could be a daily driver. By the same token, get online and look for common issues for the car, and more importantly, the engine, and what they cost to fix in both time and money.
Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Get on the ground and look under the car. Knock on the rockers. Feel the inside of the wheel wells for evidence of Bondo.
Trust your gut. If a deal seems too good to be true…
Lastly, don’t let excitement blind you to potential issues. That’s maybe the hardest one to follow.
Oh man…
Put your (gloved) hand over the exhaust, listen for leaks
Make sure on the test drive you go through all speed ranges, make full turns of the steering, hit some potholes. If possible, find a crappy road to drive on.
Sit in every seat position, and fasten the belts to make sure. Try every accessory, door, button, switch, and lever you can lay your fingers on.
Slam on the brakes. HARD. Mike Brewer does it, and he’s a pro.
If head gasket issues are in any way possible (ahem, NORTHSTAR), bring test kits and check the oil for coolant and the coolant for oil.
Smell the trans fluid. I rejected a car I was about to buy based solely on this. It was burnt bacon wrapped in Marie Antoinette’s dirty undies.
Bring a big piece of flat cardboard so you can really get your eyes underneath.
And above all, a successful used-car buy starts with the most important thing.
Comes with a 3800, Toyota, Honda, pre-CVT Nissan, I-5 VW manuals without sunroofs, Mazda 6/Ford Fusion (I-4 only so it’s all Mazda), maybe a few others.
Never look at a car at night. Even in a well lit area, lack of ambient light can hide a multitude of flaws.
Never look at a car when it’s wet or it has been raining. That will also hide stuff.
I learned the ‘not in the rain’ lesson when I bought a Peugeot 505 Turbo Diesel in Seattle years ago (this one’s hard to avoid in that town). I only paid $250 for it. When we got a rainless day, you could see that the clear coat was completely hashed. Not really a big deal for a $250 car, even 30 years ago.
Transfer the registration as soon as possible…
Always, always, always, fill out and turn in the title release of liability to your state DMV. This way, even if the next owner gets into tomfoolery before/without titling the vehicle in their name, you have notified the state that the vehicle is no longer yours. Similarly, match the name on the ID to the name on the title; no name, no sale. Do not buy a vehicle without a title unless you can verify the story (ex. your best friend’s uncle who you knew like your own uncle passed away, you want his car, but the title is missing) and know that you’re risking receiving stolen property. At the very least, have a VIN check performed in this case so you have basic due diligence against theft.
YES! Illinois SoS has a way to “report you sold your car”, very good idea that protects you from idiots.
Agreed, and the ability to do it online now means it takes only minutes compared with the old days.
Right? Even if the jagoff robs a bank on the way home, you’re covered.
Unfortunately my state has made it so the only way you can do it now is online, and you have to pay a $5 fee to do so.
IL Secretary of State and Mass RMV. Also Mass RMV allows you to cancel the plates online (but you do have to return the plates to an RMV facility in person). Also,once the vehicle is sold cancel the insurance on it (it’ll release you from liability once the vehicle has been sold.
“Also,once the vehicle is sold cancel the insurance on it (it’ll release you from liability once the vehicle has been sold.”
^^This this this^^
MA RMV doesn’t require returning plates when they’re cancelled. (Also, though they’ll issue plates to you if you have an out-of-state ID, they’ll only let you cancel them online if you have a MA ID.)
My mistake. It is recommended that the plates be destroyed or recycled however to prevent any hijinks.
Before they went online (circa 2008-2010) they recommended that the plates should be returned. In 2009 one of my vehicles was totaled in an accident. When the car was towed to a body shop I noticed that the front plate was missing. I went back to the accident scene the next day and the plate was nowhere to be found. I quickly cancelled the registration and returned the rear plate(insurance was going to total the car out due to the driver’s airbag deployment).
My bonus son thankfully did that at my wife’s insistence when he sold his XJ. The guy who bought it didn’t transfer the title and proceeded to use the toll lanes and get a bunch of parking tickets too. It meant that for each of those bills he got he had to contact them and go through a big dance proving that he had sold it and turned in the paper work, to get them to take the bills out of his name. Now since they make you get new plates as a new owner the last couple of vehicles I sold I kept the plates and gave the buyer a 3 day trip permit. Might not save me from a parking ticket since they could look at the VIN if parked, but at least no toll bills.
Just because you can fix it yourself, doesn’t mean you didn’t get ripped off.
Holy shit is this the truth, good lord
This is where judgement comes in. You have to compare the cost of parts, your time, and overall effort with the “goodness” of the deal.
Sometimes, a good deal goes bad if you underestimate how much you will have to do.
If it’s an obdii car, plug in a scanner and see how many drive cycles took place since last reset, not all cars keep that info though. Also check for codes and make sure smog readiness sensors are set.
Owning a car that had worn out suspension, you know what to feel for on the test drive.
Good one, I forgot that. Check code history too in case it was recently cleared.
Another thing to consider is that with older vehicles be wary of any warnings that pop up on the instrument panel or when plugging into the diagnostics. That check engine light could be masking potential issues. It could be something as simple as a loose gas cap or a bad O2 sensor or something a little more in-depth,like a bad or missing catalytic converter.
Yup, definitely make sure the Cat is there. Especially if you have to pass a smog test.
Never buy from or sell to a friend, family, coworker, or anyone you expect to see again or have any sort of cordial relationship with. Too many opportunities for bad feelings if a problem develops or is existing but unknown to the seller. Also, some people can’t let go so if the car they babied gets a ding or isn’t washed as much then there could be conflict I don’t need.
The one exception is if you have a known basket case and basically give it to a friend for free with the clear understanding it is in a non-operable, or at most marginally operable, condition but only if you can let it go and aren’t going to resent them if they get it into a more reliable state.
We sold my wife’s Forester to our neighbours across the street. Hasn’t been a mistake so far but there is that lingering “what if something expensive goes soon”. At least they aren’t scared of high mileage older vehicles and accept the risks.
I’m actually about to do this, buy my buddy’s late father’s car. But in this case, I knew the man who owned it, I already have reviewed the thick folder of service history, and I know that if anything goes wrong, it’s not my buddy’s or his dad’s fault. This is a sweetheart deal that we kinda planned back when his dad stopped driving. All I have to do is inspect and test drive it, and I’m not expecting any surprises. Unless something is seriously amiss, I’ll almost certainly buy it.
2004 Solara SLE Coupe V6 90k (secretly a Lexus inside)
Or…don’t buy or sell cars to or from people who are unreasonable morons. It has nothing to do with friends, family, or coworkers.
Within my department, I’ve bought a motorcycle from coworker A, sold a car to coworker B, coworker C has sold cars to coworkers D and E, and I’ve brokered deals between coworker D and two friends. My wife and I have sold a car to one of her good friends for their daughter, and we sold my FIL’s car to a different friend’s son. When dealing with my parents’ cars, I sold one to my best friend, and fixed up another before selling it to a friend for his son.
There’s never been a single negative thing said about any deal, because we’re all adults and know what we’re getting into.
I sold a near lemon of a car to my boss once, but I was straight up with him that it was that bad, and I sold it to him for what I was being offered as a trade in value. It was about 4.5 years old, and when I say “near lemon”, it’s because it was in the shop for repairs for 27 days in my first year of ownership (new car) and also had the same problem 3 times in the first year, but not the 4th time. It literally went in the shop within 2 days of me buying it because the alternator went bad. Right before I sold it, it had gotten a new lower intake manifold gasket (GM 3.4L in an Olds Alero). It still had 6 months of an extended warranty on it, but I was so sick of dealing with issues. It did continue to give him problems too, but he never complained about it. He’s still my boss, but the car is long gone.
When we first got married, my wife and I sold her Saturn Vue to my parent’s (don’t remember the reason). In hindsight, it wasn’t a good idea and I would not have done it again. I remember they were skeptical about how much they thought it was worth.
We lucked out because a few months later it was rear ended while my mom was driving (she was fine), and insurance paid out more than they gave us for the vehicle, so they gifted us half the difference. If it had any other end, I feel there would be animosity.
Absolutely correct! In the past I have sold vehicles to coworkers and even though I have always been upfront and honest about condition and known issues, it has been a pain. I will no longer sell anything to coworkers or family.
I was selling my old ZJ about ten years ago, a coworker asked about it, she wanted to buy it for her son’s first car. I told her, no, it needed work and wouldn’t be a good fit for that purpose.
I ended up selling to my neighbor, a mechanic who wanted a 4wd winter beater. I told him he was going to have to put in some work, it needed pretty much every ball joint replaced and the steering was super loose, among other things. 4.0 and trans were perfect though. He just wanted me to take him for a ride around the block, he didn’t even want to drive it. Ran into him a few days later; “Man, you were right, I got it on the highway and that thing was all over the road!”.
He had it a few months, then one day I never saw it again. He moved shortly after, so I don’t know what happened to it.
Funny thing is, the things are selling for more now than I got for it ten years ago.
I ignored the too-cheap-to-be-true ads, and bought a car I figured was too simple and undesirable to lose on. Still ended up putting a lot of parts and labour in to get it to a decent state over the next few years, though.
Make a list of known problem areas of the vehicle you’re buying and go over every single one of them: has it been recently repaired? If not, how long has it been since it’s been checked or replaced? You can find these on YouTube on just about any vehicle on the road today. Always push every button, rotate all the dials, turn off/on every feature possible, because anything that doesn’t work and wasn’t mentioned is leverage for haggling.
Take a real test drive, not just around the block, but take it on the freeway as well. Offer to buy the owner gas if you end up not buying the car, but do a thorough test drive.
Also make sure you research the correct vehicle/engine. I had a potential buyer who had convinced himself that our car had a timing belt and CVT when it had a chain and conventional automatic.
Yup, be wary of any information from non-car people. We know how to look this stuff up!
I live in Ontario where salt will eat your car if you don’t oil spray it. If you can’t be bothered to take pictures of the underside of the car to show how rust free / rusty it is, then you clearly didn’t care about the longevity of it or don’t understand that’s where the salt and rust will show, I don’t want a car from someone who doesn’t understand these things. Also, if the seller says “will need nothing for safety” that’s a red flag. Just get it safetied and sell it for that much more.
Concealed carry. Or open, depending on the state
Tomato, tomato..
Im dying to know what the comment said before DT changed it, lol
Getting a feel for a seller and getting the car inspected. And never buying from a dealer. Ever
Last time I bought a used car, I took a shade tree mechanic with me. I avoided the blue smoking pile someone wanted to offload, and a bad suspension /half shafts (front tires inner diameter down to the cords) on another car. However, we both missed the transverse motor mount cut off the car I did buy, that had a replaced engine and motor that rocked excessively. Not that it slowed the car down, or had to be repaired, just noticed when other stuff broke.
Honestly, that was thirty years ago, I just buy new and run the car into the ground until it not worth fixing. I put too many miles on cars than the average person.
I buy from a major manufacturer dealership like Ford, Chevy, or Ram.
Don’t buy used cars?
I came to post this, thank you!
Not even Vipers? They’re all used, right?
They are now, but I don’t need to buy one now.
But what about the rest of us? We need Vipers too.
Luckily Viper owners are inherently trustworthy, upstanding citizens, and no precautions are necessary when buying.
Bill Stephens excepted.
I should send you pics of the local Viper Boiz Gang at our C&C. 4 or 5 Instagram flex cars that you can tell are coming in when everyone is sighing & ‘Aw, damn’ing. Well, that and the noise.
Talked to one guy with a clean one who showed up with them the 2nd or 3rd time and he was cool. Haven’t seen him since…
🙂