So you called an ad for a used car, and based on your interrogation of the seller, it seems like it would definetily be worth checking out.
If your interrogation skills were up to par then there is a pretty good chance that you won’t be in for any big surprises.
You arrive at their house and now its really time to see if the seller was telling you the truth.
This is confirmation time and now its up to you to use your used car inspection skills.
You don’t need to be a mechanic to know how to do a thorough inspection on a used car but you absolutely and positively MUST know the difference between “expensive noises” and “inexpensive noises.”
Inexpensive noises (relatively speaking) squeak, whistle and hum.
Expensive noise growl and grind and emit smoke and steam and other nasties.
Inexpensive noise just sound nicer than expensive noises. However, there is no question that inexpensive noises can turn into expensive noises later on if ignored.
Once you learn and develop the skill of listening to the car, you still may not know exactly what the problem is…or exactly how much the repairs will cost…but you should know whether this used car is worth buying or walking away from.
Thats it for now, and here is to more squeaking and whistling instead of growling and grinding!
Steve
Please leave your comments below.
Hey Steve,
I know about those expensive noises you’re talking about. Ouch! Too bad I didn’t have your ‘Lazy Way’ book sooner because i had to learn my lesson the hard way!
John
Rod knock in the engine is something you have to hear if you never heard it. It sounds so “innocent” and looks like “tune up will fix it”… Yeah, right… For those of you who don’t know what a bad rod sounds like, it’s not loud and it “ticks” in the lower part of engine. It also “ticks” on acceleration. But car might drive just perfect.
Yup. Any noise coming out of the lower part of an engine is something that I will walk away from because it means a major re-build. I learned that the hard way too and discuss that in The Lazy Way To Buy And Sell Cars For Profit. However, if you can fix those things yourself…and you bought the car for almost nothing (which is the only way you should buy cars that need major repairs), then you can make a lot of money buying and selling cars that require major repairs.
You could hook yourself up with local auto repair shops and have them refer you to their customers whenever something comes into the shop where it will be too expensive for the owner to repair. Better you pay them something for their car than to have it go to a junkyard, right? Right. For example, a car that might sell for $4000.00 but requires a $2000.00 transmission repair (or whatever the EXPENSIVE repair is). Well, you might buy it for $500.00. Put $400.00 into it plus your labor…and shazam! You just made a profit of $3100.00 from a car that was minutes away from being towed to the junkyard.
And that is a totally do-able plan for buying and selling cars if you have mechanical skills. :-)
Steve
Steve
Your site has lots of interesting stuff about selling used cars. I just subscribed so I’ll be back!
Steve, I got your book a few years ago and your car inspection check list was a HUGE help when I was starting out and I still refer to it now as a reminder. Thanks!
Great, I’m so glad the check list helped Jason!