Under the Hood – You and Your Car

When buying a used vehicle, there are many things that you can do to prevent yourself from purchasing a lemon. In the previous two issues, we talked about knowing the vehicle, doing research, obtaining a Carfax report, and viewing the vehicle. This last part of the series includes tips for test driving and negotiating a price for a used vehicle.

Test Drive: The test drive can obviously tell you the most about the car. Once the vehicle is easily started, the first thing to notice is the shifting of the transmission. It should be smooth acceleration, no clunking or banging into gears. Don’t forget to make sure it smoothly shifts into reverse as well. While driving forward, hold the steering wheel loosely to make sure the vehicle tracks straight down the road. The brake pedal should be firm, not squishy. Squishy means that there is a problem. The car should not pull in any direction when decelerating or coming to a stop.

Turn on the heat and air conditioning to make sure they both work. If either of them does not work, they could potentially be expensive things to fix. Test the window switches to make sure the window regulators and motors properly move the door glass up and down. If the vehicle is equipped with key fobs (buttons on the keychain to lock / unlock doors), ask how many the seller has. These key fobs can be anywhere from $20 – $350 new, and it is a nice bonus if the vehicle has a working set of them.

Remember, if you don’t feel comfortable checking all of these things on your own, you can always have a local mechanic check the vehicle out for a nominal fee. That fee is far less than the headaches of purchasing a lemon.

Negotiate the price: Once you have found the car that you can no longer live without, it is time to negotiate a price. Most car sellers know that the vehicle will end up selling for less than what they list it for. Don’t be afraid to offer less than the asking price. If they accept it, congratulations! If they don’t accept it, tell them that you will think about it some more and get back to them. That way the seller can stew on your lower offer for a few days. Call them back after a few days and nicely ask if they are ready to accept your lower offer. Chances are good that they will, because selling a car can be a hassle, and they don’t want to lose your guaranteed sale. Don’t forget that sometimes sellers can be attached to their cars. If so, make them realize that the car is going to a good home where you will take care of it like they have. Tell them that they can visit it periodically if they need to, it will help them ease the pain of losing an automotive friend.

Fred Young is the President of Young Automotive, Inc., Sturgeon Bay. A 1982 graduate of Motech Automotive Educational School of Livonia Mi. and an ASE Master Certified Technician for over 25 years and now an ASE Certified Automobile Advanced Engine Performance Specialist.