A few things to remember when looking:

Ask them to let your mechanic check the car over, if you are out of town or travel to see a car, take it to a reputable chain chop like Firestone or something of that nature ( believe me they will tell you what it wrong with the car they want your business). Don't tell the mechanic your thinking about buying it, tell them you just bought it and need to know everything thats wrong with it. Inspections are usually free because they want the business but if you tell them the car isn't yours they may charge you.

If your far away ask the seller to video the car running and driving with air conditioning on and off ( without beating on it ) with a walk around, showing the interior, engine, trunk, and as much of the underside as possible. The video should be about 7-10 minutes long and this will give you and idea of the running state of the car, and also of some issues. Does it smoke, knock, creak, squeak, make odd noises? Bargaining chips as well as tell tale signs to pass on the car. Also if the seller is unwilling then something may be up with the car, alot of people will assume that if you traveled a long way you will buy the car despite its problems because of sheer aggravation.

If they can't or won't do a video then ask them to take it to a reputable shop of your choice, and have it inspected and certified by that shop. This will scare off most people who have something to hide, of course you will do this at your cost if there is any, and offer to pay them for thier time of doing this. Why not, if your going to drop 6k on a car then $50-100 to have it inspected properly and certified shouldn't be an issue.


Look the car over well, check underneath it, run a carfax report, drive it, listen to it, and pay attention to the "feel" of the car. If you are unfamiliar with these cars, go to a local Ford event and ask someone to take you for a ride in thiers. Don't turn the radio on when you take it for a ride either, leave the air off on the way out and windows down, then on the way back turn the air on and windows down still so you can hear all the sounds the car makes. There are more things but this should help alot.


Please keep this post going as I feel it would be helpful to everyone who is looking to buy a used car, who knows we may save someone from a big $$$ mistake.

 

ok well dont' forget when you just call up about the car...ask them about the interior and exterior and engine before asking for a video...i'm am looking for a car right now and you don't know how many people havn't told me something until i asked about that part of thecar...such as the front fender having a ripple in it or the fact that there is some rust in the fenders...damn people will try to hide **** on you

 

Bigtime, thats alot of the reason I decided to post this so that everyone can slap some input here and hopefully keep someone from getting the shaft on a deal. You can never ask too many questions!

 

when we took the old ladys car for a test drive, i drove it up on the hoist and jacked her up. everything looked good and the guy didnt even know. thats what i would do again unless the vehicle was out of town cause then i wouldnt have a hoist.

 

well big thing is asking to drive the car...almost bought a 1984 Camaro with a 350 in it...guy wouldn't me drive it so i didn't buy it becuase i thought something had to be wrong...but then he called later and said i could drive it but a guy was coming a half hour after i drove the car so i would have to make up my mine on it then and there...so i told him to screw himself and never called him again...

 

Great advice!! I just bought a used Mustang. Funny thing was I was right on the verge of buying one through eBay without even looking at it! I knew better, but I had the bug BAD. Luckily I hedged. Anyway, drove a 2000 GT w/ only 61,000 miles on it, and it just didn't feel right. Can't explain it, just didn't feel right. I swear my '96 GT vert had more umphh. After I drove it and realized how much I didn't like the car when seeing and driving it in person, I'll NEVER buy w/o sitting in the drivers seat. Even if it's a comporable car to the one I own!!

 

they think if you want to know you'll ask if something is wrong some people won't volunter that info unless it will help you trust them so you won't notice a bigger problem

 

I bought my truck after driving it several times and figured it was ok and in good condition. The clutch was a litte strange I couldn't put my finger on it but later found out what it was. I also noticed that it had black stuff all over it so I asked about it and they told me the truth, about a year and a half before the house caught on fire their car and truck was both moved but still had soot land on them (they should have nocked off a few hundred it took about 15 hours to get it off). The guy that drove it was up in his age so I was pretty sure that it hadn't been hotrodded or anything. I desided to buy it and a few days later stopped to talk to my brother and notice an loud ticking noise. I turned the truck off and back on and it keep doing it so I thought whats diffrent now than when I checked the truck out. The windows were up and when I had the ac on so I had to go get it fixed. Then a few weeks ago my clutch started slipping and I knew what it was that I couldn't put my finger on the clutch was on the edge of going out. So yeah you need to check everything before you buy a used car it can save you lots of money on repairs if you notice something that will keep you from buying a car.

 

A little more advise here

Be weary of the car that was only driven in town with few miles on it.About a year ago i purchased a 96 z-28(please forgive me i learned my lesson)i bought it from the original owner 6 sp all the bells and wistles and 33k miles his wife drove the car only 3 mile a day in town to and from work.thought it would be the perfect car to buy low miles service records the whole 9 yards.couldnt have been farther from the truth. at 40k needed a new tranny($3900.00) at 41K needed new bearings and seals in the rear end ($950.00).I guess the moral of the story here is have the car INSPECTED (and buy a mustang) and find a car that has been driven the way you will be driving it.my mustang had 70k on it when i bought it. everyday the previous owner drove the same road i drive to work and the only part to go bad in 130k miles has been the water pump so take this into consideration also. dont buy a garage queen if you plan to drive it every day to work.

 

the truth of the matter some things you can't see like the above rear going out.it happens but atleast putting it on a rack and checking fluids and the undercariage will help....also the car fax can help to a point but not the most reliable thing as if it's in a 1 car wreak and the owners pays for it ,it might not show up..there are ways to detect if acar has been raced alot, checking with a lift can spot things like
ball joints,exhaust leaks,oil leaks,clutch,body damage,brakeware,uneven tire wear, wore out bushings.also can check to see if the mods are really there.. I have been know to even pull a pan off if it's an automatic.. and just replace the fluid til I buy it 15.00 is alot cheaper than 1500.00. main thing if you have a bad vibe go with it and walk away