buying a 2nd hand car tips and hints

[lmfamglia]

hi im in the market for a 2nd hand car what sort of things should i be looking out for? is it worth getting a 3rd party to check the car out like one of those nrma inspections? i heard they dont do anything worth the money you pay them

[bennjamin]

take a friend with you that knows abit about cars
Take it for a test drive and take it thru al the driving situations you can think of to "feel" the car. After stopping park with the engine on , give it a good rev and see if any blueish smoke comes out ( that refers to oil)

Ask the seller why they are selling , ask IF they own the car ( if any money is owing)
Get all the details on paper - rego number , VIN number , engine number. And use that in a REVS online check.

[DreadAngel]

Like Ben said, if you've got a really really really good and nice friend that actually knows about the cars your after, grab them when its convient to help you look over the car kekeke

[lmfamglia]

unfortunatly i do not lol
anyone out there that can share their experience when taking a car to these nrma inspection places?

[bennjamin]

they come to you - you pay the $100 ish , and the NRMA guy drives out to where your car is and checks it over and gives a full report of what needs replacing etc. Worth it if you dont have a clue

[lmfamglia]

oh really they come to where the car is? i went to the site and they list whole lot of smash repairs which do the inspections

[xntrik]

Okay,
Revs most of the time is USELESS if they smash and fix up the car themselves.

Make sure all the factory standards are suppose to be there.
Eg. Brake pads are the correct colour, Strut bars in the right place etc.

And ESPECIALLY the panels are aligned correctly (Could signify its been smashed) and the colours are blending in correctly in the sun/shade etc.

Check the Lugnuts are the correct size for the wheels. (Mismatch lugnuts = fail)

My 2 cents.

[EZZY]

REVS to check is there are any finances against the car.

get a third party and/or a trusty mechanic to go over the car. best to have the car on the hoist and check the undercarrige. (this will give you an idea about the age of the car, KMs shown on the speedo etc).

as suggested before, check for panel alignment and see if you can spot colour differences (new vs. old etc - this will tell you if the car has been repaired etc)

[EUR003act]

hey buddy,

just check this link out:
http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xch...768EC-ECEB2830
read all of it, even print off this check list:
http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xch...768EC-ECEB2830
and take it with you.
most importantly dont be scared to question anything that seems out of place or different. the seller should be trying to convince you to buy it, not you trying to convince yourself....

dont forget to do REVs check!

[DreadAngel]

REVS to check is there are any finances against the car.

get a third party and/or a trusty mechanic to go over the car. best to have the car on the hoist and check the undercarrige. (this will give you an idea about the age of the car, KMs shown on the speedo etc).

as suggested before, check for panel alignment and see if you can spot colour differences (new vs. old etc - this will tell you if the car has been repaired etc)

REVS is good, known friends that have had cars repossessed because of prevous owner debts... But another friend's car got repossessed by coppers...

[lmfamglia]

cool i've got my eyes set on a 2003 blue dc5r. has all log books and done approx 55,000kms. anything in particualr i should look out for in this particular model?

[Borg]

Things to look out for in a DC5R include signs it has been used for racing - eg: lowered suspension, extra gauges and switches added, roll-cage removed.
Check the gearbox - look for crunches on fast 3-2 downshifts.