Help me sound smart when purchasing a car!

June 8, 2009 9:05 PM

Buying a used car from owner: what questions to ask?

As my old Toyota is on its last legs, I'm looking to replace it with a new(er) model. I'm hoping to buy it directly from the owner to avoid paying a dealer's markup. I'm meeting a guy for a test drive tomorrow..what stuff should I ask him?

I already know: ownership history, reason for selling, highway v. city mileage. I plan to ask for the VIN to get a carfax report, and have the car vetted by my mechanic, but I feel like I'm missing something...what smart things should I ask, or what do you wish you had asked a previous owner?

*bonus question* he's asking exactly the Kelley Blue Book value- is this considered a totally reasonable (even a good) price? Almost all the cars of this make and model in my area are being sold by dealerships, so I'm having a hard time finding other sellers to compare prices to.

posted by genmonster to Shopping (10 answers total)

I always look for signs that the person has a clue about maintenance... When you buy a used car, you're signing up to start replacing all the wear items on it. It's good to know how recent they are, especially if the owner has maintenance records (belts, fluids, filters, brakes, tires, etc.) Everyone says they change the oil every 3,000 miles, but of course that's not always true. (Really, every 5000-7000 is acceptable.) On cars with timing belts, it's crucial to know when this belt was changed, and ensure you replace it at the correct interval (stated in the owner's manual). Rant: It's frustrating how often you see someone with a Honda with 150k miles on it, and no clue when (or if) the timing belt was changed.

Getting the mechanic's inspection is a great idea. That's really the best thing you can do. The other stuff is mostly gravy. Also, pay attention to the owner as much as the car itself. You can learn a lot about how he/she may have cared for the vehicle. If you get a bad vibe, just skip it and move onto the next car. Modifications such as aftermarket intake and exhaust may be a sign that the car is driven very hard; I usually prefer cars from mild-mannered old folks. :)

I've always found KBB values to be slightly high. Usually the Edmunds value is closer to reality, but the book prices are generalizations, and every vehicle is different. It's pretty normal to haggle down at least a little, unless the owner declares the price is 'firm'.
posted by knave at 9:37 PM on June 8, 2009

I didn't ask much beyond what you have listed. Carfax and mechanic vetting sealed the deal for me on my 2001 Camry last year. Look for signs of water damage, make sure things smell ok, not moldy at all. Be sure to turn on all the signals and lights. Inspect the trunk. Sit in the backseat. Take your time and don't feel rushed.

Kelley Blue Book tends to be too high. He's probably asking that price knowing he won't get it. Look instead at Edmund's and the NADA guides. I actually went to my library and photocopied the pages from the NADA guide for the cars I was specifically looking for. That way I was armed with information when I was out test-driving cars.

Good luck!
posted by anthropoid at 9:39 PM on June 8, 2009

One more thing to add. If you are buying a car with higher mileage, do some research to find out what wears out when for the specific cars you are looking at. When I bought my Camry, it had 85K miles on it, so I knew to ask about the timing belt. I bought it from a mom and pop dealer (who bought cars from auctions and sold them for a good price) and had them split the cost of changing the timing belt. I also knew that I was going to have to invest in the 90K mile tune-up shortly after I bought it.
posted by anthropoid at 10:02 PM on June 8, 2009

Don't forget to ask if there is anything 'unusual' about the car. A mechanic's check up will catch the major stuff, but may not discover that, for example the car always rattles at exactly 38 mph, or some other weirdness that it's nice to know beforehand. Every single car I've owned (and I've never owned a brand new car (n=4 Toyotas)) has had some odd thing about it. It's also a good check of how open the seller is in communicating.
posted by birdsquared at 10:49 PM on June 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

Carfax is pretty great, but it only tells you what was reported to the insurance company. If someone's had an accident and paid out of pocket for it, there'll be no record of that on Carfax. Ask your mechanic to look at the body, not just under hood or under car. A savvy person will be able to detect subtle changes in the paint surface by eye or touch that indicate if a car has been repainted.
There have been times that, on inspection, I've noticed that a front fender, radiator, door and windsheild are all obviously newer, indicating that the car had been in a substantial accident. The repairs looked fine, but I advised the customer against buying the vehicle since you never really know what you're getting, once the car has been in a collision.

Make sure your test drive covers a range of roads and conditions. Listen for noises and check if the car wanders or if the wheel is straight. For instance, it's nice when the previous owner puts some brand new tires on the car before they sell it, right? Well, there's always the possibility that the car needs an alignment and the demolished previous tires would have indicated that. When selling a used car, sometimes it's cheaper to fix the symptom than the cause.
posted by Jon-o at 3:57 AM on June 9, 2009

In my neck of the woods, anyway, it's currently a buyer's market for cars. I wouldn't pay more than the low book value for anything right now. If he's asking for the high book value, he may be offended when you offer less that the low book value, but that's what I'd do.
posted by bricoleur at 4:02 AM on June 9, 2009

SerendipityFilter: I was just about to post this exact same question to MeFi. Thanks to questioner and answerers all.
posted by Holly at 5:39 AM on June 9, 2009

You want to ask them if you can take it for an hour or two to your trusted mechanic for a safety and mechanical inspection. If the seller says "No," don't buy the car. If the seller says "Yes," it can be the best $50 you ever spent to know what you're getting into with a used car.
posted by aught at 7:19 AM on June 9, 2009

Quoting the Kelly Blue book is basically retail for a used car - no one pays that price. Go to Edmunds.com and put in the info into their Used Car Appraiser and try to pay somewhere between trade in and private party. Edmunds also has


Other things are missing maintenance records or owner's manual, strange tire wear
patterns or mismatched tires, bent rear license plate, and incorrect fluids or fluid levels are all bad signs with any used car.
posted by any major dude at 7:29 AM on June 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Are you the original owner.
Why are you selling it.
Ever been in an accident.
Service records. Oil changes.
Where do you keep it- outside/garage.
Who drives the car.
Where do you work.
posted by Zambrano at 9:40 AM on June 9, 2009 [1 favorite]