Dear Maria,
I know you're in hurry to get this, so please forgive and rough spots.
Print out a copy to have with you whenever you're "dealing" with a seller.
Ask the owner why s/he is selling the car. If the answer is flaky, it could be s/he wants to unload a lemon.
Ask how often the owner changed the oil -- at least every 5-6 months -- and if s/he has receipts for all auto maintenance and repair work.
Be suspicious if the owner has not kept records since this is an indicator that s/he has not paid careful attention to the car.
Ask the owner if the car leaks or burns oil.
Leaking oil will be visible on the pavement underneath the engine of a parked car, so when you get back from your test drive, observe the pavement where the car was parked to see if there is a leak spot. Most older cars leak a little. However, "burning oil" is even more ominous than a small amount of leakage. You can lie on the ground in front of the engine, and with the car off, just watch the underside of the engine for five minutes. If no oil drips in that period of time -- and there's no spot bigger than a few inches diameter where the car customarily parks -- the leak is probably a normal sign of age and the "loosening" of seals.
Be sure to ask how much oil the owner has to add to "top it off" -- and at what intervals s/he has to add oil. A quart/liter a month is the maximum tolerable leakage.
When you first meet the owner, ask him/her to start the car but NOT to do so until you've positioned yourself 10 feet behind the car where you can see the color of any exhaust that comes from the tail pipe. Ideally, there won't be any smoke at all. If there is, take note of how many seconds pass before the exhaust "runs clear." Do not buy any car with more than a slight amount of smoke that also "clears up" in less than a minute.
Make sure everything works - all windows, all mirrors, all door handles (inside and out) and all locks - including trunk and gas tank cover. Make sure the horn and windshield wiper works.
Make sure there's no more than two inches of "play" in the steering wheel when you move back and forth. Make sure the steering wheel turns easily.
Make sure all lights work, including the overhead light, the hazard lights, the signal lights (front and back) and the headlights (high and low beams).
Make sure you get keys for the ignition, trunk and gas tank cover (assuming the trunk and gas tank cover have separate keys)
If there is only one key, get copies made straightaway.
Buy a good, big key-chain -- maybe a Kiwi souvenir!!! -- so that your car keys will be readily visible and "beg" you to put them away rather than toss them on the nearest surface.
Electronic keys cost a lot of money - I think they're $50.00 or more. Even so, make sure you have at least two ignition keys so that you won't incur additional expense of "keying" the vehicle if you lose the only key.
To test the suspension, push down hard on all four outside corners of the car. Then suddenly let go. If the suspension/shocks are good, the car will spring back to its original position and stay there without any additional bouncing up and down.
Ask if the timing belt (or timing chain) has been changed, at how many miles on the odometer, and if there is a receipt. Timing belts should be changed every 100,000 miles - every 125 thousand miles at most. Timing belts can last longer - sometimes much longer - but often when they break the collateral damage costs at least $2000.00 to repair. Before buying a car find out what a new timing belt/chain costs with installation. I think it will be around $300.00. Perhaps some models are prohibitively expensive. I doubt it, but I don't know. (Some newer vehicles no longer have timing belts so that replacement is no longer a worry.)
Inspect the tires for wear. Wear should be even on the inside and outside edge of all four tires. Make sure there's a viable spare tire and tools to replace a flat tire.l
Ask when the belts and tubes attached to the engine were last changed. Ask about the last spark plug change and spark plug wire change. If there's a distributor ask when its rotor was last changed. The rotor "rules" the temporal order with which the spark plugs fire. Not a big expense but a very important function.
Make sure the heater works. Be sure to ask.
Make sure the hand brake works.
· Check the oil for the proper level and color. Oil should be honey-colored. Dark brown - or black - oil indicates that the owner did not stay on top of The Basic Maintenance Rule; i.e., change the oil every 5000 miles.
· Check the coolant and radiator for leaks or corrosion. To do this, let the engine run in place for three to five minutes while looking and listening under the hood. While you're looking for radiator leaks (especially from the bottom of the radiator), also be alert to any repetitive clicking, clacking or ack-ack-ack-ing sounds coming from the motor which could indicate need for a valve job which is very expensive work.
· Drive on the highway to gauge acceleration and handling. You really want the car to drive "smoothly" with really easy shifting and a "purring engine." Do not make excuses for a car that doesn't "sound" or "feel" right just because it "runs well" during the test drive. If the car does not feel or sound right, don't buy it. You want the car to feel like a purring kitten. If you're looking at a standard transmission car, be sure that the shifting process is "smooth as silk," especially going into reverse. Difficulty getting into reverse -- or popping out of reverse -- is often a sign that the transmission is beginning to fail (a $2500.00 repair). Be sure to test drive in reverse. Be sure to parallel park. If a standard transmission car, ask if the clutch is still "solid." The owner should know the answer to this although it's hard for someone to make such a determination when test driving and unknown car. If the clutch is "dying" best to look for another car. While asking about the clutch, also ask if there is any sign that the transmission is failing, especially if the car has automatic transmission.
· Test the brakes. When you stop abruptly from a speed of 75 km per hour, the car should not swerve in one direction or the other. You should also "feel" that the car is stopping quickly, without need to push unduly hard on the brake pedal.
· Test the steering and alignment. The car should not "shake" nor the steering wheel "shimmy." Cars with bad suspension or bad alignment will shimmy/shake in a certain "speed range" and then stop shimmying and shaking. Often, but not always, shimmying and shaking takes place in some 5 mph range between 35 and 65 miles per hour... say from 50 mph to 55 mph.
· Practice parking for maneuverability and sight lines. It is important to make sure you can see well when looking over your shoulder into the "blind spot" and when looking out the side-view mirror. You also need to see well when you turn your head to look out the rear window or when you look in the rear view mirror. Be sure that all three mirrors adjust easily.
· After the test drive, lift the hood again and -- with the engine running -- inspect the engine for leaks, odors, smoke and click-clacky sounds. Any visible leak, smoke, unusual sound or strange odor is an ominous sign.
· Request and review the service records, receipts and title. Make sure you transfer the title in the presence of a NZ government agent at the same time you transfer the money to make sure you don't get scammed.
*****