what kinds of questions should i ask when buying a car

[rphan1]

Saw an ad on cl that wasn't very detailed. I was wondering what types of questions should you ask when you're replying to an ad? Any help will help a ton as this is my first time buying a car on my own.

[Chrisv006]

Well - what are you wanting to know?

Mileage, condition, lots of large pictures, VIN (car fax report), maintenance history (and if they have records), if there are any leaks/problems/etc, rust spots if the car is older, has it be modified (usually a big red flag to me depending on the mod), title in hand or is there a lien.

Probably a few good questions above applicable to the car your interested in.

[DrJosh]

Did you find two M3's while bakery shopping with your dad?

[A Sucked Orange]

oil leaks, clutch change, timing belt change, burn oil, rust, does it pass emissions, mechanical issues...

[E30_pilot]

Is it stolen

[Holland]

Clean title, mileage, condition of interior, exterior, maintenance records, quirks.

[Bearmw]

Don't believe what isn't verifiable such as mileage with a broken odometer or repairs without documentation. I suggest having a competent mechanic check it out if your not sure.

[rphan1]

thanks everyone for the input, this helped me a lot. another question, how much would it cost to replace the timing belt and fix one of the cylinders?

[LuckyHenriksen]

Fix a cylinder?
I think shops charge around $350 to do the T belt. You can do it yourself for much less

[rphan1]

yeah, the owner said its a 6 cylinder, but its running on 5?
i have almost no mechanical experience but i have some co-workers and friends that might be able to help me with that, what would be the cost to take it to the shop and do the T belt?

[A Sucked Orange]

time to get some mechanical experience.
buy the tools, parts and a bently manual.
think of the money youll save over the course of your life.
plus youll get your man card back.

[pandaboo911]

ask for a compression test.

[R3Z3N]

Can it do a burnout?

;-)

[rphan1]

Orange: haha, I definitely want that man card
Pandaboo: what is a compression test? And what is it for?

[phenobarb1]

A compression test will sort of tell you if the head is warped in a particular area, or if the piston rings are worn. It could also tell if there is any other sort of leak in a particular cylinder. Really it just narrows down which cylinder is causing the problem, or not functioning correctly. They just hook up a pressure gauge at each cylinder, where you screw in the spark plug, and crank the engine, and then compare the readings from one cylinder to another.

Whatever questions you ask the seller, you have to always assume that they are lying, or perhaps just idiots. So, it's best to find a mechanic who give the car a quick look. They'll check most of the major areas out and it really doesn't cost much. You can also run a Carfax report, though this has somewhat limited usefulness, and ask to see if the kept receipts for work that was done on the car.