Test Driving Cars

[AutoNoob]

Hi,

when you test drive a car, what sort of indications will warn you that the car has been redlined a lot or thrashed or possibly has a damaged car engine? I am looking to get rid of my 'all show no go ek' and get one of these 'XR4, coltR, C2, swiftsport' . Since those cars are 'sporty hot hatches' , i should expect the sellers to have redlined their car at some stage.

So please help us out :)

regards,

Van

[hisoka]

buy it from a old guy, a dealership, or a lady. or get it inspected from a private workshop

[aaronng]

Redlining is not a problem. It is thrashing it when cold that causes damage. I would look out for that instead. Check for oil at the exhaust tips and also for a lack of power.

[spastic]

buy it from a old guy, a dealership, or a lady. or get it inspected from a private workshop

age does not mean they do not thrash it, old men thrash it quite alot. Dealership drivers treat their cars like crap. Women drivers are the worst they just hop in the car and redline. As you said all these cars are 'hot hatches' so 99% of the time they have been redlined a few times. i'd say steer clear of the suzuki and colt.

[EK1-4SHO]

Redlining is not a problem. It is thrashing it when cold that causes damage. I would look out for that instead. Check for oil at the exhaust tips and also for a lack of power.

i work at a dealership and when we inspect the cars and service them we usually thrash the shit out of them

[Giraffe]

i work at a dealership and when we inspect the cars and service them we usually thrash the shit out of them

LOL thats bad ass

[aaronng]

i work at a dealership and when we inspect the cars and service them we usually thrash the shit out of them

That's why I stopped servicing at a dealership. If you warm the engine up first by driving, then thrashing is fine. If you thrash it when cold, then you cause damage.

[dinorider]

buy it from a lady.

Fail.

Refer to post in this:
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2560710#post2560710

[Manabir]

remember to kick the tyres.
it will tell you everything you could possibly need to know about a car.

[ASSaZiN]

i recommend just purchasing one with full service history, even if it was thrashed at least it has been taken care of.

haha id say if its a p plater its been owned

[hisoka]

Fail.

Refer to post in this:
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2560710#post2560710

i retract my previous comment hahah~

[Chriskoss]

i work at a dealership and when we inspect the cars and service them we usually thrash the shit out of them

Do you? thought you worked at a resteraunt, Abdul

And to the OP.. dont touch a car without service history. Generally.. no service history means ''cbf to properly take care of the car, i service it when I feel like spending 400 dollars instead of blowing it on grog, prob not serviced on time ever and vital parts that need to be replaced probably havent''

I learnt this the hard way, bought a car because of its price, without asking the proper questions about service history or anything.. the guy tells me the radiator is new, it blows up the next time I drive on the highway.. he tells me the engines just been serviced.. massive oil leak appeared a week later// just a money pit as the other bloke as said

No way will I ever buy a 2nd hand car that doesnt have the proof its been taken care of. Take this advice on hand, dont gamble with your $$ and buy the cheaper car out of a few, you may get lucky and its all good, but odds are against you, with peices of shit people who just want to sell you a money pit, while they get paid for it

[dinorider]

I agree with those who say that it's better to find a responsible owner of a well-loved, average to high mileage car than a low mileage neglected one.

From my experience, I'd say:
- Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever believe what the seller tells you without documents to prove anything. People ALWAYS seem nice when they want to get rid of a car and will say ANYTHING to get you to take it. Take for example, he says new engine oil? Is it the good quality stuff, or just some cheap Home brand $20 for 5 litres crap? You'll never know. He says there's a new radiator? is it an OEM replacement, a part from a reputable aftermarket company, or just some crap pulled from the wrecking yard? It's very hard to see unless you know what to look for.

- Be VERY WARY when the ad says 'lady owner'. I'll tell you what it means when it says 'lady owner'. It means: Never trashed, but never serviced on time either. CBF'ed to check fluids. Probably has 5-year old coolant still in the radiators. probably still has factory original spark plugs. Brake pads probably down to its last bits of meat. CBF'ed to check tyre pressure, ever. Car's components (including the vital timing belt) are all probably on the verge of failing, but owner just doesn't know yet. Probably eats in the car on the way to work. You'll find stale soggy chips and spilled coffee stains buried under the handbrake lever cover somewhere, maybe ants too. Car gets washed maybe once a month, never, or rarely waxed. Old bird poop would have etched into the paint. Door edges have picked up countless carpark dings. Area around the boot/hatch release on the back of the car scratched up into a mess because lady holds keys in the same hand that she uses to open boot while loading groceries. There are exceptions, but that's what I've learned from very hard experience.

- IF the car belonged to a P-plater, then:
Probably has cheapo Repco 'performance parts' everywhere. And maybe a cheap and ugly Repco special aftermarket gearknob and steering wheel, when the OEM items would have been much better. Engine flogged half to death from revving hard immediately from cold starts and showing off to friends, maybe worn and cheap Bob Jane special wheel barrow tyres. Body clips and pins missing from all over the interior as the fellow tried to DIY or fix bits and broke the interior trim clips, but then CBF'ed to replace them. Of course again there are exceptions.

- IF the exterior looks so-so but the car is advertised as 'Mechanically A1', it means:
Engine does get regular oil changes, starts ok, but the whole car's suspension system will most probably be failing with worn, cracked bushings and knackered, bouncy shock absorbers. Probably has crap tyres and with poor wheel alignment too. These people just don't get it that 'mechanicals' means the suspension system too.

- What you want, is a car from a chap who actually cared for the car:
Serviced regularly with quality oils, replaced failing parts on time with quality new OEM or good aftermarket bits, keeps interior clean, washes and waxes car regularly, tries to keep it away from under trees or out under the sun. Doesn't eat or shag in the car. Has an intimate knowledge of what the car needs and a good mental log of what servicing needs to be done in the future. i.e., a real car person and not just one that sees a car as transport or a way to show off to his mates. Doesn't matter if mileage is a little high. A well-cared for car will easily, comfortably exceed 300,000kms, while a poorly cared for one will be dead by 200,000kms. Find one of these, mate, and you would have struck gold :)

PS: My Ultimate pet peeve is a car with missing/broken plastic trim clips. Come on, the clips are only a dollar or two each from the dealer. If you break them, F**king replace them. Don't try to sell me a car with a loose flappy interior panel and tell me, "oh it's always been like this." That's not good enough for me.

[EK1-4SHO]

Do you? thought you worked at a resteraunt, Abdul

And to the OP.. dont touch a car without service history. Generally.. no service history means ''cbf to properly take care of the car, i service it when I feel like spending 400 dollars instead of blowing it on grog, prob not serviced on time ever and vital parts that need to be replaced probably havent''

I learnt this the hard way, bought a car because of its price, without asking the proper questions about service history or anything.. the guy tells me the radiator is new, it blows up the next time I drive on the highway.. he tells me the engines just been serviced.. massive oil leak appeared a week later// just a money pit as the other bloke as said

No way will I ever buy a 2nd hand car that doesnt have the proof its been taken care of. Take this advice on hand, dont gamble with your $$ and buy the cheaper car out of a few, you may get lucky and its all good, but odds are against you, with peices of shit people who just want to sell you a money pit, while they get paid for it

yea started at ford 2weeks ago

[paile]

If in doubt, get it inspected by a mechanic / workshop / stateroads. It might cost $200 or so but it is well worth it than buying a lemon.

Ask for receipts for prove of service and work done to the car.

[lithium]

as said above there's nothing inherently wrong with red-lining an engine provided you wait till the engine is warmed up, change the oil regularly and use decent oil. people make too much of a big deal of an engine that has been driven hard and termed 'thrashed' - it's actually poor maintenance and general lack of knowledge and mechanical sympathy that reduces an engines/transmissions lifespan.

here's a list of things that i will check when looking at a used car and trying to pick a good one.

1) open the radiator cap and look at the coolant. if it has oil in it stay away (possible blown head gasket, $1500+ repair). if it has rust in it, the coolant is very old or is the incorrect type/mixed incorrectly and the radiator is starting to rust and fail - stay away (radiator repair is not too bad however it is possible the old coolant has started to corrode waterways in cylinder head - prohibitively expensive repair). coolant should be a nice bright green or bright red/orange colour.
2) open the oil cap and use a flashlight and look inside at the internals (valves, springs, cams). if the oil has been changed regularly they should be nice and clean. sludge on the surfaces indicates skipped oil changes and/or poor oil. pull out the dipstick and look at the colour of the oil - is it consistent with the time since the last oil change?
3) inspect the engine mounts. if any are broken it's a possible sign the car has been driven hard (keep in mind older cars might shag a mount just from normal wear and tear)
4) inspect the rubber boots around the CV joints and steering rack. a broken boot that has gone unnoticed may indicate that the joint will need to be replaced (moderately priced repair)
5) if you're keen inspect the shocks for leaks and bounce the corners of the car up and down to make sure the shocks are ok.
6) start the car. does it start easily? listen to the engine and listen for any abnormal rattling noises - an excessively noisy top end can indicate an engine that has been poorly serviced and on it's last legs.
7) take it for a test drive.
do the gears crunch when downshifting? (indicates a gearbox on it's last legs).
does the clutch shudder badly, or slip when driving in 5th (clutch worn). when doing a U-turn is there a clicking noise? (worn CV joints).
when accelerating do you feel any hesitation in power delivery? (can be anything but an engine in top condition should be smooth all the way to redline - especially a Honda!)
when driving in a straight line release the wheel, does the car drive straight or pull to one side? (pulling is usually a wheel alignment/tyre problem but it can be something more serious like worn suspension components, power steering failure, steering rack slipped a tooth, jammed brake caliper...)
when braking do you feel any shuddering through the pedal? (warped rotors)

there's quite a lot more but they are the main ones. take it to a mechanic to get it inspected if you are unsure :thumbsup:

[lithium]

btw to OP: of the four cars you've listed the RColt is the fastest in a straight line by a significant margin. however, when i drove it i didn't like it - there's a lot of turbo lag and it feels like the car doesn't really get going until the needle is past 3500rpm. not great for the street.

some people love turbos and the torque surge once it spools up, but personally i like accurate throttle response and control more. say no to massive power figures that cause undriveable turbo lag! :thumbsup:

[EK1.6LCIV]

service records, service records, service records

if they don't have a log book, keep good documentation don't buy it, like any car