[boda]

okay...

so it is going to be the first time i am going to be buying a since i have been using my parents car while i was living at home but now that i am living on my own and getting a car... i was wondering what i need to look for in the car... already got a CARFAX report on the car that i wanted to get but what are some of things that i need to ask before handing the guy the check over for the car.... please help me!!!!

So the car I am thinking about getting is a 2001 VW Jetta GLS, it is white, automatic

ps. if this is in the wrong section i am sorry.... please close it if is in the wrong part....

edit on Tuesday, January 20 2009

[kelvin6]

Well its a bit harder to know if there is anything wrong with the car. If you have a friend who knows about cars, you can bring them along to look it over for obvious signs of trouble. If you are the car inclined person you can join a car forum that is specific to that brand or that particular car to ask ahead of time what to look for and common issues and problems.

As for the transaction portion, if any part of it is suspicious or you feel it is, it probably is. Always check the title/registration of the car to make sure the person selling is the person named on that slip. Do not buy from someone who is "selling the car for someone" or anything like that. NEVER pay by cash. In fact I don't even recommend personal checks. Use cashier's checks which can be obtained from your bank as this is the most secure method of payment for you and the seller.

Just as some warning, Carfax reports don't always tell the whole story, in fact my old car which is wrecked and dismantled still carries a clear clean title (they don't know i had it destroyed). There is no certain way to determine if the car was involved in a accident. My previous car had been two seperate accidents which I damaged the bumper, hood and fender. Since I paid out of pocket for the repairs and was not required to inform my insurance company, Carfax or any other agency won't know that my car was ever in a accident or not...

[MsKrnDoll]

Well its a bit harder to know if there is anything wrong with the car. If you have a friend who knows about cars, you can bring them along to look it over for obvious signs of trouble. If you are the car inclined person you can join a car forum that is specific to that brand or that particular car to ask ahead of time what to look for and common issues and problems.

As for the transaction portion, if any part of it is suspicious or you feel it is, it probably is. Always check the title/registration of the car to make sure the person selling is the person named on that slip. Do not buy from someone who is "selling the car for someone" or anything like that. NEVER pay by cash. In fact I don't even recommend personal checks. Use cashier's checks which can be obtained from your bank as this is the most secure method of payment for you and the seller.

Just as some warning, Carfax reports don't always tell the whole story, in fact my old car which is wrecked and dismantled still carries a clear clean title (they don't know i had it destroyed). There is no certain way to determine if the car was involved in a accident. My previous car had been two seperate accidents which I damaged the bumper, hood and fender. Since I paid out of pocket for the repairs and was not required to inform my insurance company, Carfax or any other agency won't know that my car was ever in a accident or not...

^+1

the most easiest way for you to make sure the car youre about to purchase is okay would to bring someone with you that knows a thing or two about cars or you can try google and search for lists that tells you what you should inspect and be aware of depending on when the car was manufactured.

as for carfax reports, they do NOT tell you everything about the history of the car like kelvin6 said. i was looking at a e46 M3 that had a clean carfax report but the price the owner was asking for was on the low side..i asked a friend of mine if he can run the vin# through his systems since he is the regional used vehicle manager who also handles some bmw stores here in washington..sure enough the M3 was t-boned last year..so yeah.

[ghost]

Like everyone's stated,

Taking the car to a trusted mechanic would be the best bet.

Things anybody could check are:
-All fluids
-Interior (pretty much a no-brainer, if it looks bad, then ya it's bad)
-Exterior(any major bumps, bruises, scratches, etc)
-Ask if there are/were any problems (it helps to know some of the history of the car and how the owner took care of it)
-Check underneath the car (people overlook this quite often, you'll know if the car's been in a bad accident this way)
-DRIVE THE CAR!!! (Any car can look nice but driving it is an entirely different story as there are so many things you can't see)

If you're somewhat mechanically inclined and have some tools with you:
-Jack the car up and check each wheel bearing
-Check pads
-Check tire pressure (if it's low it might indicate the owner being a lazy butt)
-Check pretty much everything you can humanely check within a certain amount of time (2 hours is tops for me, Don't mind the owner's rants cuz they're the ones trying to sell YOU the car)

Misc:
-Turn the Climate control onto every setting to make sure it works
I personally don't like cars that smell...
-Radio check 1, 2, 1, 2
-Lights
-And the list goes on

All in all Do What you can.

[Laxntiga]

Bring a car savvy friend with you on the test drive to check everything is in working condition.
Take the car you want to buy to a mechanic to check everything. Ask for a bill for parts that might need to replace (take it with you to negotiate price)


+ everything else above.

[kelvin6]

Usually buying a used car is buying AS-IS, so you really want to have this car checked out before you buy it. Don't be surprised if it does need some form of repair...

[Clix]

One of the easiest ways to check to see if a car was in an accident without a car fax. Check for overspray in the wheel wells. Most body shops tend to spray body parts while it's still on the car.