John's Car Blog

Pre-purchase Checks

2007-09-10T12:00:00+10:00

There are many Internet resources where you can find out a little history about a used car before you buy it. Some of them are free and you should always do at least the free checks.

For NSW Revs will tell you if a vehicle has outstanding finance, if the vehicle has been written off, and if the vehicle is under investigation by the police.

You will need the VIN number and registration number to do a search and preferably the engine number too (you can enter a random number in place of the engine number and still do a check but it will warn you that the engine number isn't correct).

There are two types of write-offs: statutory write-off means that the vehicle cannot be re-registered; and repairable write-off means that the vehicle can be repaired and re-registered after inspection. If the vehicle was a repairable write-off and has been repaired it will still show on Revs as a repairable write-off. However, the rules were changed and if the car was re-registered prior to 1 July 2003 then Revs will not show it as a repairable write-off.

From my experience the RTA will not provide any further information should you call them and ask about a vehicle.

For a small fee you can purchase insurance which will protect you against the car being repossessed by a finance organisation in the future.

There are similar services in other states but many you have to pay for. WA offers a free check.

CheckItOut (checkitout.com.au) and Autocheck (autocheck.com.au) are commercial services that both offer a free basic check which will tell you the make, model and colour. You can pay a fee to get further comprehensive information.

The government department in NSW, the RTA, offers a free vehicle check (go to myRTA, then go to myRecords and select vehicle details enquiry) that will tell you if the car is registered and when it expires, the number of owners in the last 12 months, who the CTP insurer is, written-off and stolen vehicle status, and the last four digits of the engine number. Other states may offer similar services.

Other checks you can do include ringing the manufacturer who might be able to tell you what dealer originally sold the car and what options were factory fitted. You may then be able to get some service history from the original selling dealer. For some makes you may find an on-line parts sales service where you can enter a VIN number and get some details about the car. For example, for BMW there is realoem.com where you can enter the last seven digits of the VIN number and find out the exact model and production date.

Expect the Unexpected

2007-09-04T12:00:00+10:00

How many times do you see people enter intersections like a "give way" or roundabout and have to stop suddenly because they had unexpectedly had to give way?

If this has happened to you take it as a warning sign that you are not expecting the unexpected.

Most of us travel the same routes over and over again and there are probably certain intersections where we get complacent as we rarely have to give way there.

My advice is to treat every intersection where you are obliged to give way (including roundabouts) as if there is a very good chance that you will have to stop and give way.

If you drive into the intersection at a speed chosen because you doubt you will have to stop then you are going too fast. That one time when you do actually have to give way will result in a best case of a sudden stop that is uncomfortable for passengers and perhaps embarrassing, and a worst case of a collision.

Internet Used Car Buying: Easier and Cheaper

2007-08-28T12:00:00+10:00

The Internet has certainly made buying a used car much easier... And possibly cheaper.

Being a pretty regular car buyer myself, either for myself or family and friends, in the past I would usually take a drive down Parramatta Road (a road in Sydney where there is lots of car yards) looking for the particular model required at the time.

If it was an unusual model this arduous task might have been a waste of time.

So you don't need me to tell you that used car advertising on the Internet can save us time. Most dealers, even the small ones, now advertise their used cars on all of the major classifieds sites so you can just go and visit specific private sellers or dealers with a good idea of what you are going to see.

But can shopping for a used car over the Internet save you money?

From my experience, yes!

For the last few cars I have bought, and the one that I am looking for at the moment, I have used the tactic that I will explain to you now.

Say I have a budget of around $10,000. I would make a short-list of all the cars that I would consider buying but include cars that were advertised for up to maybe $14,000 or $15,000. Private sellers are more likely to drop their price considerably than dealers but it is worth a try regardless.

Then I would send an email to each seller explaining that I am very interested in their car but only have a budget of around $9,000 to $9,500. I would tell them that I have the cash ready for a quick sale, and ask them how close could they get to my price?

Now many private sellers are usually sick to death of trying to sell their car after the first week or two. Most people can only take so much car washing, people who don't show up, high speed test drives, etc. These are the people who will just want to put themselves out of misery and take a bit of a price cut.

They won't always come back with your price, but will usually reveal the lowest price that they would consider accepting. Some people will be so insulted at your low offer that they won't respond at all.

Here is a few recent results that I have had from using this tactic.

1) A BMW that was advertised for just under $45,000. I offered "high thirties". He agreed in the interests of a quick sale. I looked at the car and said that it was still a little out of my price range but would be irresistable at $35,000. After much deliberation he accepted.

2) A Toyota that was advertised for $5,000, then re-advertised for $4,000. I offered $3,000 and this was eventually accepted. I bought the car it turned out to have some major problems which goes to show that sometimes if someone is willing to drop their price considerably there is a good reason. So be extra careful and pre-purchase inspections are often worth the expense.

3) A BMW that was advertised for $9,500. Offered $7,000 which was straight turned down. Suggested I may be able to stretch the budget to $7,500. The seller responded saying they would not go a cent below $8,000. A pretty good deal.

So, as you can see, this tactic will often either get you your price, find the seller's lowest price, or in the case of no response, tell you that it is out of your price range.

Used Car Inspection

2007-08-21T12:00:00+10:00

There has been several used cars that I have bought where I have later found problems that I should have found before I handed over the money.

Sometimes these have been minor problems but some have been major. Like the Toyota I bought with a cracked cylinder head.

Here are a few simple but important points that are most relevant for cars over 5 years old/100,000km.

Under Bonnet/Car Checks

If the engine bay shows signs of just being cleaned then you should probably look again after a test drive. That's probably a good idea regardless.

Look for any oil leaks and find the source of them. Bring along a rag so you can clean the suspected area then take the car for a test drive then check again to confirm your suspicions. Most cars leak some oil and most leaks are not always something to worry about but ocassionally it can be a sign of a major problem.

Take, for example that Toyota I mentioned earlier. I saw some oil leaking down the side of the head but without taking the time to check properly I guessed it was coming from the cylinder head cover, which is pretty common. Had I inspected closer I would have seen the true cause and walked away immediately.

Quality coolant is important for most of the cars on the road these days. Look for coloured coolant (green, red or blue usually) and be wary of clear and very wary of rusty coolant. Any oily film in the coolant expansion tank or radiator requires further investigation.

Test Drive

Ideally you want to start the car from cold. Unfortunately, this is not always possible but yould could easily find yourself with a car that is difficult to start when cold. That could be something minor or could indicate more significant problems.

If looking at a car with higher mileage then looking for any exhaust smoke is very important. Blue smoke means the car is burning oil. White smoke means water which could indicate a blown head gasket but even a healthy engine will have steam coming out of the exhaust when warming up. A certain amount of black smoke is normal when accelerating very hard.

You should check behind the car when it is first started. You should also check for smoke during the test drive during a brief burst of hard acceleration to near maximum revs. You should also find yourself a steep hill and drive down it at reasonable revs (over 3,000 rpm) with the throttle closed. At the bottom of the hill start accelerating and keep your eye on the rear view mirror.

You may not see small amounts of exhaust smoke from the driver's seat but you will definately see some if there is a major problem. Ideally you could have someone watching by following in another vehicle or standing at the side of the road.

If you do see any blue smoke you need to make note of when it occurs and seek further advice. Depending on the symptoms, it could indicate anything from worn valve guides to worn cylinder bores (or cracked cylinder heads).

Don't be put off doing a proper test drive by not wanting to scare the elderly/pregnant owner (that's what happened with that damn Toyota). Warn them that you need to do a proper test drive and if they want to come along then fine, if they refuse then be very wary of the car.

Run all four wheels over bumps to check for any clunks that would indicate that steering or suspension parts are worn and need replacing.

Take the car for a long enough drive for it to get to normal operating temperature. Most modern cars will get to half way on the temperature gauge and stay there. Any significant deviation downwards might indicate a simple faulty thermostat, any deviation upwards could mean the cooling system is not working properly and the car may overheat or have been overheated which could be real bad.

Run the heater and air conditioning to ensure they are both working.

When you get back from the test drive make sure that the car starts when hot too.

Other Checks

I thoroughly recommend that you research the model that you are looking at first.

For virtually every model there is excellent advice to be found from other owners and enthusiasts on the Internet.

Find yourself a forum or message board that deals with that model, read previous posts and learn the common problems. Search for any posts on common problems and if you can't find anything ask for advice on what to look for.

Links:

Good advice: http://www.samarins.com/check/engine.html

Internet Classifieds

2007-08-14T12:00:00+10:00

Following is my list of the best Internet sites to use when buying or selling used cars in Australia, in no particular order.

When searching on any classifieds web site I recommend using the advanced search facility that most sites have.

Also, be aware that sometimes sellers don't always enter the right information so searching by all means possible may find you a car that noone else has found because it is incorrectly categorised or misspelt. This could help you get a good deal on car you want.

Drive

This web sites draws its ads from various newspapers throughout Australia (SMH in Sydney) as well as offering the option of Internet only advertising. Usually associated with the more prestige makes and models.

Drive's search engine is quite good, allowing you to search for an entire model series, or a specific model variant (you usually need to switch to the advanced search option). Unfortunately Drive recently dropped their search for multiple models at the same time feature.

Cost to advertise is: Internet only from $19.80; Internet and newspaper $varies.

Trading Posts's Auto Trader

More orientated towards the cheaper end of the market. Ads come from Trading Post's various classifieds newspapers as well as Internet only advertising.

The search facility appears quite good, allowing you to search for multiple makes and models simultaneously which can be quite useful if you bookmark regular searches. However from my experience their search often fails to show some relevant ads. I suspect this may be a problem more with the way the seller placed their ad but I also found their system flawed when I recently advertised a car for sale.

I would recommend that when searching that in addition to using their make/model search that you also search by keywords (the search box near the top of each page). But the keywords search has a few problems of it's own. Try searching for BMW 318IS... You get everything with BMW 318I as well.

Cost to advertise: Internet only from $19.95; Internet/newspaper from $29.95.

Carsales

A very successful Internet only source of classified advertising for all types of vehicles.

The search facility is very good, allowing you to specify an exact vehicle model variant if required.

One problem is the fact that advertisers must select a specific make and model variant from Carsales's database which is (a) not always accurate, and (b) probably confusing to some sellers who find it difficult to select the right model. The fact that you can't change your make/model/variant later doesn't help either. And you have to pay upfront for your ad, so if you find your model doesn't exist you have already paid and can't exit the process.

How many times do you see people having to add to their Carsales ads things like "1996 model not 1994", "manual not automatic" or "model is 318IS not 318I"?

It would also be nice if they would combine their private and dealer listings.

That all said, Carsales is still one of the best.

Cost to advertise: Internet only $30.

Carsguide

Carsguide offers ads from various newspapers (Daily Telegraph in Sydney) as well as offering Internet only advertising.

Their power search is quite good and allows you to search for up to three makes and models simultaneously.

The only negative thing is that on the search results page you cannot right click on ads to bring them up in a separate window or tab. A little annoying if you like to bring up several ads at the same time like I do.

Some of the newspaper ads are brief and text only so are not always very informative.

Cost to advertise: Internet only from $9.95, newspaper $varies.

eBay Motors

eBay have various ways of selling a car: auction, reserve price auction, buy now, buy now with best offer, or classifieds format.

The search facilities are quite good and there are various ways to search. Searching by keywords is usually best but some foolish sellers neglect to include their proper make and model in the title which is the only field searched unless buyers search by title and description (no point in putting important keywords is the optional sub-title).

Personally I think auction selling with a very low starting bid usually means that a seller will probably get a sale but at a low price. Unless you just want to get rid of car at any price I would recommend using eBay more as a classified ad with a buy now/best offer or classified ad.

Cost to advertise: Internet only, various methods, from $5.

Other Sites

Carsales recently bought Carpoint and they seem to share ads so there doesn't seem much point in searching both sites.

Many web sites (like Yahoo) have deals with some of the big companies above (like Drive and Carsales) to show their ads.

There are plenty of places to advertise cars free on the Internet.

If you find a message board or forum that deals with your make and model it can pay off advertising their but many of these sites dislike people coming once to their site just to advertise something so either delete the ad or don't allow access for new users.

Other free classifieds sites are generally pretty useless but if you have the time and inclination then won't cost you anything (except spam possibly).