Avoiding lemons

With the motoring industry booming, everyone wants to buy a new car. However, this also means the prices of used cars are dropping steadily because, let’s face it, buying a brand-new car has never been easier.

People want to unload their old cars quickly to earn money to put  in as down payment for their brand-new ones.

For the more cost-conscious buyer though, it’s a great feeling  finding a bargain in the form of a used car that’s well taken care of.

Whether you are buying a used car as a spare, a weekend project car, or to fulfill a childhood dream of owning a particular model previously unobtainable, a second-hand car is always worth considering.

Here are some tips to help you buy smart, so that your hard-earned money won’t go to waste.

1.) Ask for a full service history.

Cars should have a warranty booklet detailing all the major periodic maintenance and servicing (PMS) schedules.

Ask for it, browse through it, and see if the car you are looking at skipped any major service schedule. If it missed a lot (more than five times), that’s a red flag.

If you are buying a car that doesn’t have the warranty booklet, ask for proof of servicing, which can be receipts for parts and labor, or for a service history record from the shop/dealership it is serviced regularly. If the seller can’t provide any, then it’s a risky proposition.

2.) Ask for details about how the car was used, parked and driven  regularly.

Since the spate of flash floods in recent years, more and more people are wary about buying used cars that have been submerged in floodwater.

Ask where the owner lives and his/her place of work, what the normal route of the car is, and if the car is in a covered garage.  If the owner lives, works or drives through flood-prone areas regularly, it’s risky.

If you are going to see the seller in his/her home, check to see if his/her garage is clean. If it’s dirty, the area probably attracts rodents and other pests—which can wreak havoc on the car.

3.) Mileage versus daily route

There is a misconception that high mileage cars will be more troublesome. In truth, a high mileage car which sees regular highway use will have an engine in much better shape than a car that has low mileage which has been accumulated mostly in traffic and short distances, assuming both cars followed their PMS schedules.

Cold start-ups cause the majority of engine wear in modern cars, which can be attributed to  friction and  that the lubricating engine oil hasn’t yet circulated throughout the engine.

For example, a seller who lives in Laguna and goes to work regularly in Makati will have his/her engine in better condition than someone who lives and works in Ortigas Center and drives his/her car for less than 15 minutes each day going to and from work.

4.) Give the car a careful walkabout.

Inspect the car thoroughly even before you get in and drive. Give all the body panels and doors a few taps or knocks.

If the sound is consistently metal-like, then the car probably is accident-free. If a particular part sounds dampened or feels solid, that’s probably body filler used to cover up an accident.

Pop the hood, and then check the fluids, their condition/color, and level. Brake and clutch fluid are generally clear with a hint of gold; if they’re dark in color, it means they have never been changed—a sign of neglect.

Coolant should be either green or red/pink; if there’s rust or any other color, the coolant has  also never been changed, which is another sign of neglect.

Check the timing belt and V-belt/accessories belts as well. If the belts look frayed at the edges, or are very dry and brittle, these need changing—an added cost on your part. And it’s a sign of more neglect, which is what you want to avoid.

Lastly, if the owner added electrical accessories, check how the wiring was done. If it looks like a spider’s web (literally), with wires running and jumping all over the engine bay, I’d walk away.

5.) Start the car.

As unscientific as it sounds, a good running engine sounds and feels smooth under a steady beat or tempo. The engine should idle smoothly and evenly; if there’s a misfire or sounds lumpy on idle, something’s amiss, unless of course you are buying a modified car with a seriously tuned engine.

Blip the gas pedal a few times and see how the car reacts; if it dies or cuts out after blipping the gas pedal, something’s amiss. If the engine feels lazy, it needs a more through inspection as to why.

These are all additional costs for you, so perhaps you should reconsider buying the car.

6.) Get in but don’t drive just yet.

With the engine running, get in, step on the brake, gas and clutch pedals. If any of these pedals feel unnecessarily firm, that’s a sign of neglect.

Even cars with aftermarket clutches, despite requiring a hefty shove, will feel even. A stiff clutch pedal means a leaking or busted clutch master or clutch slave cylinders. Easy to fix,  these are another sign of neglect.

If the brake pedal is unusually soft and doesn’t feel progressive in motion, the brake fluid needs flushing, or the brake pads and discs are thin, possibly even leaking brake fluid elsewhere. More signs of neglect here.

Row through the gears with the clutch pedal fully depressed; if it’s difficult to shift or there’s a scrunch getting into first or reverse, something is wrong.

7.) Drive.

Crucially, a test drive reveals a whole lot: Does the car feel safe, i.e., it brakes, turns and accelerates as needed?

Take it to where you can achieve at least 100 kilometers per hour and check if there are any weird noises and vibrations. If there are any, walk away. It will be expensive to find out exactly what is wrong.

If the owner doesn’t even let you test-drive the car, walk away as the owner might be hiding something.

8.) Ask for the latest LTO registration.

So you are happy with the car and want to buy it. Before doing so, ask for the latest Land Transportation Office registration (LTO).

You can go to an LTO office and verify the car’s records. It might be a stolen car, the seller might not be the legal/rightful owner. It might have been involved in an accident. It might have been used for illegal/criminal activities, or it might be late for registration, which means you as the new owner will incur the penalty.

Additionally, if the car has been modified, it’s a good idea to ask for all the stock/original parts as well.

Ensure that the basic hand tools included in most cars are complete, and you have all pertinent documents relating to the car (aside from the LTO registration, deed of sale, certificate of import tax/duties payment if it’s a gray-market import, and copies of the seller’s ID).

If you are buying a car that belongs to a car club, ask other car club members for information about the car.

If you are unsure of these things, bring a friend who is  knowledgeable about cars when you check out your prospects, or bring the car to a reputable shop of  choice so a trusted mechanic can thoroughly check it out.

Good luck on buying your second-hand car!