So I'm planning to buy it off craigslist. What should I look for when I inspect it? Of course i'll be taking it to a mechanic after, but I rather prevent spending 100$ if I could.

 

Well of course go for a test drive. BUT before you do..open up that hood & look for any loose or missing wires/cables/tubes..Look EVERYWHERE..& take your time no matter that the own/dealer says to you..don't make him/her rush you AT ALL..even if they're "nice".

Keep the hood up & start the car.
If there's any trouble starting up..there's problem one, but it just might be a main relay or maybe bad gas over time. Once the car is started look under the car & under the hood for ANY leaks..I mean ANY.

When you shift into any gear or even into drive look for jerkiness in the car. Shift throughout the gears a few times & see if there's any jerkiness. if the jerkiness doesn't smooth out after a couple times..then the transmission could be going soon.

Drive about 5 miles, Stop the car somewhere & look again for leaks(most important time to look for leaks is now).

Those are just my own suggestions but I know there's much more out there..included even taking it to a mechanic.

Btw..if they say "We'll have our mechanic look at it"...just act like someone is offering you drugs & say "NO!!!!" then run away...

 

I'm going to get flak for this but, it works for me. I have learned to rely on intuition. My wife's cars we buy new (the Civic is her's), I drive much older stuff. I have bought vehicles that had warning signs but felt somehow right. Those have turned out to be great, drove them for years, no problems. Other times I didn't have that good feeling, couldn't find anything wrong, bought it and shouldn't have, always something wrong with it. Like I said it works for me. I doubt it will work for everybody.

 

Watch for unever rear tire wear. You can feel and hear the noise on smooth pavement, sounds like a rear end problem. See TSB 8-001 for more info on the problem.

 

I'm old, so I've bought a few used cars over the years. And all the car I bought for the last ten years have been off Craigslist.

Some additional tips:

Check the fluids. If they are all fresh they may have recently been changed. I prefer they are a little old so I get a better sense of what's going on with the car.

Is the oil at the proper level and brown not black. No signs of water (bubbles, whitish mayonaise look in oil). Check under the fill cap to seen if there is brown gunk--indication oil is not being changed that often.

Smell the tranny fluid--burnt smell, run away.

Check coolant--green and clean is what you want. Rust or black/brown and you may have gaskets going--run away.

Check the break fuid--often a neglected item. Should be yellowish transparent and clean.

Look down the body line to see if there is any waviness, and look under the hood and in door jams for paint overspray--could have been in an accident. Also look for the Honda tags on the trunk lid, hood, quarter panels and hood. Not there--probably aftermarket replacement parts. Check the reveal around the doors, hood and trunk--should be even, if not, probably had a accident. Look under the rear bumper cover, trunk pan/spare tire well, and around the front pumber for signs of an accident. Accidents aren't deal breakers but its something to look out for--a bad accident can bend the frame. If you find evidence of repairs ask the seller about it.

Check the motor bay for oil. Lots of times with older cars you'll see it around the valve cover gasket--that's an easy fix. If you see it anywhere else it's probably an expensive fix.

Bring a flashlight and look under the car. Are the CV boots good? Any signs of damage or corrosion.

Have the seller start the car as you stand behind it and look for smoke. A little brief smoke is OK. I lot of intial smoke and continuous smoke--run away.

After started, block the exhaust with your hand. If you hear whooshing or don't feel the pressure build you're looking at exhaust repairs.

Pop the hood and listen for unusual sounds. Valve train tapping--could be badly out of adjustment or time for a rebuild.

I bring an OBD2 reader and check for codes. If the CEL or other warning/maintenance lights are on be cautious.

If the seller won't let you drive it, run away.

When driving, check for smooth shifts up and down. Find an open stretch and check the transmission kick down by flooring it. If a standard, do some hard starts and shift close to red line and feel for clutch slip.

On the open road take your hands off the wheel and see if it drifts/pulls. Could be alignment, tires, worn suspension components.

On an open road, get up to speed and brake HARD. Brakes work OK? Does it pull?

Check everything--power windows, radio, power mirrors, sunroof, power seats, trunk latch, gas cap, etc.

Always ask for maintenance receipts. Regular maintenance is a good sign they've taken care of the car.

Look at the car at the owner's residence, not some parking lot. If they don't want you to know where they live do you want to buy a car from them?

Exchange driver's licenses and check their ID against the title? If the title is not in their name they are just flipping the car. Run-away.

Check the title for liens. If there is a lien, don't pay the seller. You need to make arrangements to pay the bank. It's a hassle I try to avoid.

Also check that the VIN on the title matches the car.

Ask the owner about the history of the car and if he knows of any known problems, accidents, etc. Even if you buy the car as-is, the owner has an obligation to disclose known defects if you ask.

Always do a Carfax. Is the report consistent with the owner's statement? If not they are hiding something and you should be wary.

Use a sales contract to confirm the deal. You can find them on-line. The one I use requires the seller to warrant the title if there are any problems. It also has an odometer statement for the seller to sign, and has language about disclosing defects.

Around my area good inexpensive used cars sell fast, so I try and bring cash when I buy a car. If I can't bring the full amount (banks closed on weekends) and he seller wants all cash, I will offer a cash deposit with a good posted-dated check with the agreement that I will return in X days with the cash balance and pick up the check and car. I'll also ask to complete the sales contract noting a deposit was made and the balance is due by X date or the deposit is forfeited. I'll also ask the seller to give me the unsigned title--that way they can't sell the car to someone else that might come along with a better offer. When I return with the cash balance I'll get my check back, get the title signed and pick up the car.

I'm sure there is more. A checklist can help.

Overall--don't get excited. Use your head.

Kontoboy

 

OMG this is the longest post I've ever seen. I like it.

 

As a retired, tired, old mechanic I also us my intuition. My gut feeling never lies if only my head would quit telling me it does. Seriously, you can look it over for hours which you should look it over but your gut is always right. Great post.

 

check the bushings. they are often missed and cracked.

 

This is kind of an oldish thread, but here's a good place to post, since I'm also in this situation, same model, and it'll keep all the info bundled up nice.

One car I've been oogling has been up for a fair price for a few days. Cars like that go really fast, as someone said. Is this a sign there's some problem people keep catching that I, as a complete newb, will probably miss? I really can't afford to pull Carfaxs for every car I look at! Plus, they don't tell everything.

http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/2249442716.html

Same deal: if at a public car auction (Interstate Auto Auction in Salem, NH,) if these cars go quick but one is passed in the previous auction, should I avoid it?

http://www.interstateautoauction.com/

My gut says avoid both. My Yankee self says, "Go for a deal!" Yanks sometimes aren't too bright.

Another: if there's no place on the auction lot to get it up to speed, should I just avoid? I don't want an untested transmission! I know about the transmission burnt oil thing, though.

BTW, all the above info is GREAT! I'm going to make myself a big conglomerate document and print it to take with me. ****, I wish I could take one of you guys with me! My ex-husband used to do all this stuff.

Oh, also, I found this thread, because I was searching for a picture of the engine showing the dipstick locations for an automatic. Anyone have one? Or could grab a pic of a 2000 engine and put some red arrows for them? My head is spinning.

Thanks again,

Kristen

BTW, the big rush to suddenly get a car after over a year is that my friend's mom is in the hospital getting spinal cancer treatment in Mass General. That same friend's daughter has been suicidal lately, so I need to spend time with her. And my mom just had a surgery and is house-bound for 2-3 months. I need to be able to travel up to 2 hrs away a couple times a week for each person all of a sudden. :/ TMI on a car forum? Probably, hah. But I can't just throw the money I spent over a year saving at the first thing I can get to and can afford. I'll be driving without insurance for a bit as it is (but get AAA same day as purchase.)