Viewing a car

Unfortunately there are very few totally honest car sellers out there - whether the car is on a forecourt, a driveway or an eBay auction - you have to be careful and know what you are looking for. If you are not sure, take someone with you who knows a bit about cars.

Here are some tips to help you avoid car buying hell. It's a long page- but worth reading if you want to avoid buying a lemon!

The Onion Principle

Start from the outside and work in, like peeling the layers off an onion.

Top 5 DON'Ts about car buying.
Don't rush	There are plenty of cars out there. Don't buy the first thing you see because it's shiny. When you have looked at 4 or 5 you will begin to see the range of quality even though they were all described as 'immaculate condition'.
Don't be pressured	Don't fall for pressure from the seller. "I've got someone coming round in half an hour." If you hear "I've already been offered full price from a dealer" then ask why they haven't taken it.
Don't buy without documents	There are a couple of circumstances where it is ok to buy without documents but general advice is DON'T DO IT. Legally the seller has to be the person named on the document. If they can't prove it is their car to sell, walk away. If they don't have the whole V5 registration document, wait until it arrives. The car could be stolen and you'll have to give it back if the police track you down.
Don't buy blind	Make sure you know as much as you can about the car in question. Ask all the questions, get a finance report, and get some advice if you need it. Buying on eBay without first seeing the car could lead to all sorts of disappointments.
Don't pay by cheque	Cash is the best way to buy. If you pay by cheque the seller will want it to clear (fair enough) but anything can happen in the three or four days while you are waiting for clearance. The car could be stolen, be vandalised, or be sold to someone else for more money- and then you have nothing but hassle getting things straight. Besides, when you are haggling, the site of ready money can help you clinch the deal you want!

1. Walk around the car

Look for dents, rust and uneven panels which could indicate a minor crash. Mismatched paint can also be a give away if repairs have been done. Check the tyres are legal. If they are worn unevenly, there could be a steering problem or something not running straight, although it could be that the tyres have been over or under inflated. Check the brake discs are not grooved or rusty.

2. Open the boot and the doors.

Check inside the doors for any damage to sills. It is easy to cover up a crash on the side with a new door, but the mouldings of the door frame in the body are harder to repair.

Check inside the boot for any interior damage from a rear end collision. Look under the carpet. Is the floor pan creased or uneven? Does everything appear symetrical around the back of the lights? If not, there may be a large dent or bump which has been covered by a shiny new bumper. This could mean chassis damage which is serious.

3. Check underneath the car.

Can you see excessive rust along the sills? In the wheel arches? It is rare to find something totally rotten, but welding is expensive and sometimes not possible if there is too much corrosion. Is the exhaust falling off? Is there any oil in the underside of the engine? If so, there might be a serious oil leak.

4. Open the bonnet.

Check the oil and coolant levels from cold. If the car is warm, ask the seller how it starts from cold (they may be covering up a problem getting it going). Look for oil and water leaks around the engine bay and drops of oil on the floor below. Check inside the oil cap and the radiator reservoir. Each should be pure and clean. If oil and water mix they make a creamy white sludge which is a sure sign of a head gasket problem. This is nearly always expensive to sort out.

Look at the inner wheel arches and the front beams of the engine bay above and below the radiator. Everything should be symetrical and straight. If not, this is sign of a repaired front end crash.

5. Sit inside.

Check the mileage and then check the condition of the seats and the pedals. Are they excessively worn? If the miles are under 70,000 but the seats are frayed and the pedal rubber worn down then you may be looking at a car which has had miles taken off the mileometer.

Turn the engine on and let the car warm up.

Does everything work? Electric gagdets are great until they go wrong. Operate all windows, sunroofs and wing mirrors. Try the lights, the indicators, the fan (hot and cold). Move the steering wheel a bit. Is there any slackness? Does the power steering work or does it squeal? (It might be out of fluid).

6. Listen to the engine.

There should be no obvious knocking noises (unless it is a diesel!) Get a friend or the owner to rev the car whilst you listen with your head under the bonnet. Listen for background knocking/tapping behind the general roar of the engine. This could be a sign of engine wear. As the car is revved, check for excessive smoke coming from the exhaust. If it is a cold day there will be quite a lot of steam, and most cars when they are cold give off a bit. But as the engine warms there should be less smoke. If it is particularly dense white or blue smoke, this is a symptom of a problem.

7. Test drive.

Make sure you have insurance to drive other vehicles, or get someone who does to drive it around the block (with the owner's permission - he or she will probably want to come with you). If possible, get the car up to 50 or 60 miles an hour (if the speed limit allows). Chassis or steering problems will be more evident at speed.

Change into all the gears. Is the clutch slipping? Do the gears crunch at all?

Brake progressively and then hard to check all is as it should be. If the car pulls to one side under breaking, there is a problem with the brake calipers. Don't forget that ABS brakes do cause a judder under your foot if the system comes on. This is normal.

Keep the stereo off! The car might have the best sounds you've heard but the tunes could be covering up some serious noises coming from the engine.

8. Check the documents

If you have got this far with no serious concerns it is time to start thinking about striking a deal. Check the documents as follows:

V5 Ownership Document
This is multi-coloured, but mainly blue. Tells you who owns the car, when it was bought by the current seller, what the registration and chassis numbers are (check these figures against the car to make sure they match- this is VITAL).

MOT
A car with a long MOT is a good buy, but beware:- a car can still have a serious mechanical problem that will not show up in the MOT test. eg a blown head gasket. If the car has a short or expired MOT, it could need a lot of money spent on it to get it road worthy. This could help you knock down the price but you need to know what you are looking at mechanically. The car may be for sale because the car failed its MOT and it's too expensive to bother repairing it.

Tax
If the tax has expired, you will not be able to renew it without the new ownership document and proof of your insurance. It is illegal to drive your new untaxed car home. Always buy a car with tax on it to make sure you are covered legally.

History
If a car has a service history with dealership stamps in the book and lots of receipts to show what work has been carried out, then this helps you know the car has been looked after. A car with history is worth more, if only for the peace of mind that repairs have been carried out when they were needed. Don't listen to the seller if they say "It's just had a complete overhaul" but they can't produce evidence on paper. Regular oil changes, air filters and spark plugs are good but look out to see if more expensive jobs have been done. eg the cambelt. This needs replacing every 50-60,000 miles on most cars. It is relatively cheap to do (£120) but If it hasn't been done, or there is no proof, and the car is on 100,000 miles, you have to presume it is about to snap (which will mash the engine and be expensive to repair).

9. Strike the deal.
Do some research and see what other cars like the one you want are selling for. Phone up some recent ads and find out what price the person actually got for it in the end. Check the internet price check sites. Work out what this particular car is worth, taking into account increased mileage or damage or lack of service history and decide what you are willing to pay for the car.

Nearly every car seller expects to get knocked down in price, so they advertise it a little higher. A private seller with a car at £1650 will probably take £1500, unless it says No Offers. Even then, it is worth a try. If they have had trouble getting a sale, today might be theday when they decide to come down in price. Don't make silly offers, even if the car is truely over priced. If that is the case, it will still be there in a few days, by which time the seller may be more willing to reduce the price. If you liked the car, ring back and ask if they are willing to negotiate. Often you find yourself meeting in the middle. If the seller wants £1800 and you are only willing to pay £1600, offer £1500. The seller will likely refuse but settle at £1600. If you say £1600 to start with, the seller can try £1700- when you could have saved yourself a hundred notes!

10. Drive it away!

Make sure you have insurance to do this (did you check you could afford to insure it before you bought it?!) Phone your insurance company when you have done the deal and ask them to cover you from the time of sale.

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