Tips for buying used car??

Check for Leaks like Oil, Tranny, coolant, brake, and steering. Grab the tires at the top and push in and out reall hard, this is to make sure it is tight. Better to do this with the wheels off the ground though. Drive the car, (If the other person has to ride with you, make sure they keep their mouths shut) Keep the radio off so you can listen for any Popping, whining or any other weird noises. Try to find an isolated area to drive the vehicle so it is quiet enough to hear things. Listen to the engine and tranny really well. Make sure it is shifting out good. Shifting out hard or if the engine winds out before it shifts, means tranny is going out.

Make sure the tires have good tread, check the oil and other fluids. If the oil is really black, that means they dont change regularly. Check the transmission fluid to make sure it is full and is a Redish color. If it is brown that means the tranny fluid is burned and the tranny is fixing to go out.

Make sure all windows go up and down smoothly and aren't dragging. If a power window goes up or down really slow, that means the window lift motor is going bad. Check the Air Conditioning to make sure it is blowing COLD air and it doesn't take forever for it to start blowing out cold. If it take quite awhile to start blowing cold or it doesn't, then that could lead to alot of money to replace whatever is worn out that caused the Freon to leak out.

But, The best advice I could give you is to take it to a Mechanic and have them to check it out fully. Find a mechanic that is good and trustworthy. Since your asking this question, I'm guessing that you don't know how to work on vehicles. So you really wont know what to listen or look for. So a Mechanic is your best friend to make sure you dont get fucked majorly. A good mechanic will check all fluids, look for leaks, broken, bent or worn out parts etc. Will save you alot of time and money in the long run.

A little difficult to tell you over a post, but you want to look at the motor oil and taste it (make sure no gas taste to it.

Pop the hood and look down the lines of the fender to insure it lines up all the way down, on both sides.

Don't car hunt in the rain (will hide body defects).

Check tires for even wear.

To tell you the truth, if you have to ask, you should probably take it to a mechanic you trust and have him look at it.

My advice?
Use google and sign-up / read posts from specialized forums.

Thanks for the post!

I will end up taking it to a mechanic, but I want to filter out all the lemons first. I think an inspection costs around $250. So if I end up doing that for 5 or 6 cars that will add up quickly.

I guess the number one thing I can think of to avoid are the modified cars.
Any car that is lowered, has aftermarket mags, KN airfilters, tinted windows, ect has proably been abused and really bagged by someone before.

When you test drive it don't just take it around the block. A minimum of 10 miles which should include some freeway time at high speed. Pay attention to the oil pressure and temperature in particular. Any unusual noises or vibrations should be checked out by a mechanic.
Don't believe anything the owner tells you unless you can verify it.

Taste your urine. If it tastes salty, the car's a dud.

(Pay a mechanic to go with you and do some very basic tests on it.)

try to buy from a private seller instead of from a used car lot. You are more likely to here the truth about the car.

also look and compare on www.traderonline.com

carfax.com

Yea definitely get a title report like carfax but even then it could have been in a knock.

I remember looking for a cheap car in florida and everything we drove had been wrecked.
We ended up doing a private sale with someone from craigslist.

When I found a car on ebay from a used car lot I realy checked it out good. While I was waiting I checked out some other cars on the lot and there were a lot of crash repaired cars.

My car has been fine though so you can buy a good car from a lot.

You realy want to check all the body panels line up
Also check the side underneath the doors to see if both sides match
Check the VIN numbers match on all the panels and stuff

Check the lights are secured in and sit right because if its a had a knock the tabs that hold them maybe broke.

Good cars general have a use forum and and you can find a lot of information about them online. When I bought a subaru I looked online and found a great forum that told me all the stuff to look for.

Some good tips in this thread

The local automobile association will inspect the cars for you.I think it's like 80 bucks a year membership

What he said- AND also have a mechanic check it out for leaks, loose/worn belts etc!

Good luck with your new purchase

In my area, there are a few places that charge $80. You take the car to them, they do a thorough inspection and give you a printout of all the stuff that is wrong with it, estimate on fixes. You can then say 'no thanks' or bargain with the dealership.

Me, my uncle owns a big car lot, so I don't have to worry

I will only buy used cars from very large new car dealers. These deallers tend to check over the cars a bit first. The crap goes to the auctions and they only keep the best. You want someone who has the largest vested interest in not pissing off a customer by selling them a lemon.

even the richest buy used cars.

Carfax isn't always accurate. I had Pathfinder with $6K damage (mechanical) when a tree fell on it. It was fixed through insurance and through a dealer but a year later when I sold it, nothing was showing up on Carfax.

I cannot stress how important it is to have a mechanic go over it. It's worth whatever you pay (though I never paid more than $90). I was going to buy a older truck a few years ago and after clean Carfaxes the inspector found problems with all 4 I had him check including 2 with substantial front end damage in a wreck. I finally just bought new ;)

I agree Carfax is all but worthless but if it makes you feel better go ahead and get it.

Carfax is a joke, trust me when I tell ya...Post what you are looking at or hit me on ICQ and I'll help you out. Im in the business.

Note:Carfax isn't always accurate, also used car dealer salesmen take cars home and sell them as private party, look at the registration address

lol...salespeople take cars home and sell them as private? Wow CA must have some easy title/policebook cars.