Skip to content
Home arrow Universal Salvage Car Auctionsarrow Used Car Shopping By Telephone Part 1

Used Car Shopping By Telephone Part 1
E-mail
Written by Charles N. Oliphant   
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
How many times have you fallen in love with that dream car advertised in the newspaper, only to discover later that it's a pile of junk? According to Andre Idzikowski, Road Test Coordinator for Car and Driver magazine, it's only worth your while to go out and take a look at a car after you've determined certain things about it.

The following 18 key car questions will help you determine the history, condition, and value of a used car in one phone call. Like a good mechanic, these questions will put the car through a rigorous check-up and help you decide if it's worth pursuing. Write down as much information as you can for future reference.

1) Are you the original owner? "This is the question I would always ask first--right off the bat--especially if the car is more than a year old," says Jim Howe, vehicles consultant for Hemming's Motor News. "I really don't want a car that for some reason has changed hands five times in the last five years--there's probably a reason for that."

Howe also believes that buying from the original owner becomes more important the older the car is. "People who keep cars for quite a long time generally tend to take a little better care of them, because they expect to keep them longer," he explains.

It's great if you can buy a car from an original owner, because you know where the car's been for its whole life. The more information you have, the better.

2) How many miles does the car have? Are they highway or city miles? High miles aren't necessarily a reason for rejecting a used car. "That magic 100,000 mile figure really tends to scare people, but there are a lot of cars out there with 100,000 miles that have another 50,000 left in them," says Howe. Sometimes, cars are born strong without any serious endemic problems, and they simply last longer. Other times, owners keep their cars alive with proper care.

Highway miles are better than city miles, because the engine doesn't have to work as hard. "Every time you set off, you use 50% of your engine power to get going," says Howe. In addition, cars on the highway tend to stay at a more even temperature, while in the city they go through repeated cycles of hot and cold. This causes more wear on the engine.

"Transmission, brakes--every mechanical component is strained more by stop-and-go driving than it is on the highway," says Howe.

3) Have you had any major repairs done to the car, and have you kept all the service records? There are several ways to look at this question. If the seller has had to have a lot of major repairs done on the car, it could be a lemon. Or maybe it's simply gotten a lot of hard use. You certainly don't want to get stuck with a car that's a bottomless pit of expenses.

On the other hand, each repair the car's had is one less for you to worry about. If the seller just paid for a new transmission, fuel system, and clutch, chances are you won't have to do the same--especially if the work's still under warranty.

Your best bet is to check the car owner's service records to see if they're reasonable. According to Howe, "If they've complied with the manufacturer's requirements, that's good; if they've exceeded them, that's even better; if they've kept it about 50% of the time, that's an indication that the car might not be in great condition."

Car and Driver's Idzikowski says it's normal for a car with 60,000-70,000 miles to have had a few repairs, such as new brake pads, clutch, or shock absorbers. The same repairs on a 30,000-mile car, however, could be signs of hard use or defectiveness. Be suspicious of "perfect" cars that never needed fixing. Chances are that by the time you own one of these, it will need a total overhaul.

4) Who services your car on a regular basis? It's always best if the car owner has used a consistent, competent service station. Like a family doctor, a regular mechanic who cares for a car over a long period of time gets to know it inside and out. He can tell you about any quirks it might have or warn you about potential problems.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 February 2009 )