used cars for sale by owner tips
Are you looking at used cars for sale by owner? I will give a few things to look for, keep I mind it is a used car and there will be a few flaws. When you are walking around the car notice the tell pipe, this will tell you a lot about the engines condition, if it is an oily black the engine is using oil, if it is more powdery black the fuel system is running rich. You are looking for one that is clean maybe a little moisture or chalky white this is a sign of an engine that is running properly. Most people never look at this they just go by the appearance and wind up with a pretty car setting in the drive way they can’t drive.
A few smaller things to look at, when considering used cars for sale by owner or a car lot are the battery cables corroded this could be a sign of a bad battery. When a battery is ran down and then quickly charged many times it will leak a little acid causing the cables to corrode. Doing a quick charge before you get there to look at the car is a good way to make it seem like everything is ok, so keep this in mind if the battery is corroded you may have to buy a battery before long, and it can also be a sign that the charging system is weak, and may have to have a new alternator. I have had batteries that were in great shape and still corroded the terminals but most times I was replacing the battery and or the alternator in a short period of time.
Here is one that has happened a lot, a car with a lot of miles but the carpet looks like it is new, there is a good chance it was in a flood and someone bought it, cleaned it up, put new carpet in and looking for a sucker to buy it. If you see this pay close attention to areas that appear to have rust or dirt that normally are not that way, like the vents is it normal dust or does it look like dirt and water has been in it? Under the hood does it look normal or unusual dirty areas; under the car metal rust quickly when it is in water is it a normal or excessive amount of rust? When a car has been in a flood they can be cleaned up and you may never have a problem with it, but most likely you will start having electrical problems. Things like the window motors stop working, alternator or starter goes out, fuse panel shorts out, and many other things are possible, the big one is the computer goes out.
Most people who have used cars for sale by owner are decent people and tell you all they now if you ask, but it is the few who don’t care how bad a broken car will impact you life you have to watch for. Just remember you are buying a car not a lawn ornament, the appearance should be 2nd priority, 1st you want something that will get you to where you want to go. It does not matter how good a car looks if it is not mechanically sound you have bought nothing more than a picture to put in your driveway.
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