What you may need to take with you for a car inspection
1. Paper and a pen - Make notes about every car marking down the VIN number, asking price, mileage, car features, what you like, and what you don't like. These notes will help you in the selection process as well as in the final deal negotiation.
2. Printed copy of Used car checklist
3. Small flashlight - Whether it's looking underneath the car to check for leaks and corrosion or when looking under the engine oil cap to see the condition of internal engine parts, a small flashlight will be very handy.
4. Small magnet - The magnet can help you to find hidden repaired corrosion spots.
5. Paper towel - To check the engine oil.
6. CD-disk and tape - To check the stereo. First Step - checking the car body
First, take a walk around the car and look for general appearance that is an indication of how well the car was taken care of. Mark down any defects you find: cracks on the windshield, scratches, dents, corrosion spots, broken lenses, faded mirrors, worn wipers, missing wheel covers (hubcaps), etc. Later you may ask the dealer to fix these problems as a part of the deal or negotiate the price down accordingly.
Look for signs of previous accidents or corrosion. I don't recommend to buy a car that has been involved in a serious accident, even if otherwise it seems to be in good condition. All sorts of problems may arise later as a result of previous accident - excessive tire wear, problems with the air conditioner, premature corrosion, alignment problems, noisy wheel bearings, etc.
The same is true about badly corroded cars; even if repaired, the rust will reappear again later.
Take your time; normally it takes 30 - 40 minutes to inspect a whole car body all around.
Look alongside of the car. The lines of the car body should be perfectly straight. Look at the top image, this Mercedes-Benz hasn't been in an accident, and you can see the body lines are perfectly straight. Look at the reflection: it is perfect, no ripples and paint quality of all panels looks the same. Try to check the entire car this way. Ripples indicate possible body repair - check the second image, the rear fender of this Toyota has ripples because it was repaired after a rear-end accident.
Look at the paint from a distance and from different angles. Does the color of different panels match? Look at the picture - the driver's door of this red Corolla is repainted. You can tell that by the difference in color of the door and the front fender.
Check the paint quality. Does one of the panels (door or fender) look shinier than the rest of the car? - Then it might be freshly painted.
Check all the gaps between the body panels. All gaps should be of the same width and even along the entire length. If any gap seems too narrow or too wide, go to another side of the vehicle and compare. Is it notable different? - Then it's possible the car has been involved in an accident like this white Mazda in the picture. Does the car have lots of rusty spots like the on the image? - I wouldn't even look any further. Even if you repair these spots, the corrosion will reappear later. Plus, it's probably even worse underneath; brake lines, fuel lines and many other components might be badly corroded making the car unsafe to drive. To discover repaired corrosion spots try to stick the magnet at the most common places where the corrosion starts: around wheel arches, lower door panels, etc. If the magnet won't stick - there is no metal under the paint, only the body filler. Open the driver's door and try to lift it up on the hinges. The hinges should not have excessive free play.
Look for the trailer hitch. If the car was using for towing a heavy trailer, the engine and transmission may be excessively worn.
To learn more follow the link: How to inspect car body for an accident
Body lines are straight - no accidents
Rear fender has ripples - after accident
Mismatched color - the door is lighter than the fender
Uneven gap width - after accident
Corrosion will reappear after repair
Tires
Have a close look at the tires. Are they of well known reputable brand like Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, or "no-name" kind of product? Are they all the same or different? Look at the tread wear. The new tires for a passenger car have original tread depth about 10/32 inch (8 mm). When only 2/32 inch (1.5 mm) of the tread depth left, the tire must be replaced. Also the tire must be replaced if there is any mechanical damage like cuts (see the picture), bubbles, cracks, etc. Look at the wear pattern, irregular wear when one side (e.g inner) is worn more than the other could mean alignment or suspension problems.
The sidewall of this tire has a damage
Check vehicle manufacturer's label
Manufacturer's label
Check the manufacturer's label (see photo), which is usually located on the driver's door or door jamb. Are there any signs of altering? Check the VIN number. Also check the exact date (highlighted in the photo) when the vehicle was manufactured. A car advertized as 2004 model could be manufactured, for example, in August 2003 or July 2004, which is almost a year difference. As you can see in this photo, this vehicle was manufactured in August 1996 but it's sold as 97 model.
Interior
The condition of the vehicle interior is another good indicator of how the vehicle was taken care of.
Look at the driver's seat, is it excessively worn like the one in the picture?
Check all the seat belts paying particular attention to the one at the driver's seat.
Test all doors, are they open and close freely? Try to lock and unlock the driver's and passenger's doors and the trunk with the key.
Be alerted if you notice excessive use of the air freshener, it could be used to block some bad odor, and some of them are hard to get rid of. Open the trunk, does it have musty odor? Then it's possible water is leaking somewhere. Check the spare tire, wheel wrench and the jack. If the spare tire is located under the car, check if the holding mechanism is working properly, often it gets corroded and seizes up. If the car has wheel locks installed make sure there is the key available.
Check the instrument panel: Do all the gauges work? Any warning lights such as "check engine", "airbag", "ABS" stay on after the engine started? If the car has "check engine" or flushing "overdrive light" or any other warning light coming on while driving, have the proper diagnostic done before deciding to buy it; in some cases the problem could be very costly to repair. Electrical features
Check all the electrical accessories. Test operation of power windows locks and other features. Test wipers and windshield washer function. The rear wiper is the part that often fails. If the seats are heated try if they are working; many cars have problems with heated seats. Try seat adjustments. If the car has a sunroof, test all its functions. If the car has an alarm system ask to demonstrate how it works. Test all remote control functions. Try the stereo functions. The CD-player often has some problems and it's quite expensive to fix; try if it plays your CD.
Heater and air conditioner
1. Paper and a pen - Make notes about every car marking down the VIN number, asking price, mileage, car features, what you like, and what you don't like. These notes will help you in the selection process as well as in the final deal negotiation.
2. Printed copy of Used car checklist
3. Small flashlight - Whether it's looking underneath the car to check for leaks and corrosion or when looking under the engine oil cap to see the condition of internal engine parts, a small flashlight will be very handy.
4. Small magnet - The magnet can help you to find hidden repaired corrosion spots.
5. Paper towel - To check the engine oil.
6. CD-disk and tape - To check the stereo. First Step - checking the car body
First, take a walk around the car and look for general appearance that is an indication of how well the car was taken care of. Mark down any defects you find: cracks on the windshield, scratches, dents, corrosion spots, broken lenses, faded mirrors, worn wipers, missing wheel covers (hubcaps), etc. Later you may ask the dealer to fix these problems as a part of the deal or negotiate the price down accordingly.
Look for signs of previous accidents or corrosion. I don't recommend to buy a car that has been involved in a serious accident, even if otherwise it seems to be in good condition. All sorts of problems may arise later as a result of previous accident - excessive tire wear, problems with the air conditioner, premature corrosion, alignment problems, noisy wheel bearings, etc.
The same is true about badly corroded cars; even if repaired, the rust will reappear again later.
Take your time; normally it takes 30 - 40 minutes to inspect a whole car body all around.
Look alongside of the car. The lines of the car body should be perfectly straight. Look at the top image, this Mercedes-Benz hasn't been in an accident, and you can see the body lines are perfectly straight. Look at the reflection: it is perfect, no ripples and paint quality of all panels looks the same. Try to check the entire car this way. Ripples indicate possible body repair - check the second image, the rear fender of this Toyota has ripples because it was repaired after a rear-end accident.
Look at the paint from a distance and from different angles. Does the color of different panels match? Look at the picture - the driver's door of this red Corolla is repainted. You can tell that by the difference in color of the door and the front fender.
Check the paint quality. Does one of the panels (door or fender) look shinier than the rest of the car? - Then it might be freshly painted.
Check all the gaps between the body panels. All gaps should be of the same width and even along the entire length. If any gap seems too narrow or too wide, go to another side of the vehicle and compare. Is it notable different? - Then it's possible the car has been involved in an accident like this white Mazda in the picture. Does the car have lots of rusty spots like the on the image? - I wouldn't even look any further. Even if you repair these spots, the corrosion will reappear later. Plus, it's probably even worse underneath; brake lines, fuel lines and many other components might be badly corroded making the car unsafe to drive. To discover repaired corrosion spots try to stick the magnet at the most common places where the corrosion starts: around wheel arches, lower door panels, etc. If the magnet won't stick - there is no metal under the paint, only the body filler. Open the driver's door and try to lift it up on the hinges. The hinges should not have excessive free play.
Look for the trailer hitch. If the car was using for towing a heavy trailer, the engine and transmission may be excessively worn.
To learn more follow the link: How to inspect car body for an accident
Body lines are straight - no accidents
Rear fender has ripples - after accident
Mismatched color - the door is lighter than the fender
Uneven gap width - after accident
Corrosion will reappear after repair
Tires
Have a close look at the tires. Are they of well known reputable brand like Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, or "no-name" kind of product? Are they all the same or different? Look at the tread wear. The new tires for a passenger car have original tread depth about 10/32 inch (8 mm). When only 2/32 inch (1.5 mm) of the tread depth left, the tire must be replaced. Also the tire must be replaced if there is any mechanical damage like cuts (see the picture), bubbles, cracks, etc. Look at the wear pattern, irregular wear when one side (e.g inner) is worn more than the other could mean alignment or suspension problems.
Check vehicle manufacturer's label
Check the manufacturer's label (see photo), which is usually located on the driver's door or door jamb. Are there any signs of altering? Check the VIN number. Also check the exact date (highlighted in the photo) when the vehicle was manufactured. A car advertized as 2004 model could be manufactured, for example, in August 2003 or July 2004, which is almost a year difference. As you can see in this photo, this vehicle was manufactured in August 1996 but it's sold as 97 model.
Interior
Look at the driver's seat, is it excessively worn like the one in the picture?
Check all the seat belts paying particular attention to the one at the driver's seat.
Test all doors, are they open and close freely? Try to lock and unlock the driver's and passenger's doors and the trunk with the key.
Be alerted if you notice excessive use of the air freshener, it could be used to block some bad odor, and some of them are hard to get rid of. Open the trunk, does it have musty odor? Then it's possible water is leaking somewhere. Check the spare tire, wheel wrench and the jack. If the spare tire is located under the car, check if the holding mechanism is working properly, often it gets corroded and seizes up. If the car has wheel locks installed make sure there is the key available.
Check the instrument panel: Do all the gauges work? Any warning lights such as "check engine", "airbag", "ABS" stay on after the engine started? If the car has "check engine" or flushing "overdrive light" or any other warning light coming on while driving, have the proper diagnostic done before deciding to buy it; in some cases the problem could be very costly to repair. Electrical features
Check all the electrical accessories. Test operation of power windows locks and other features. Test wipers and windshield washer function. The rear wiper is the part that often fails. If the seats are heated try if they are working; many cars have problems with heated seats. Try seat adjustments. If the car has a sunroof, test all its functions. If the car has an alarm system ask to demonstrate how it works. Test all remote control functions. Try the stereo functions. The CD-player often has some problems and it's quite expensive to fix; try if it plays your CD.
Heater and air conditioner