Buying a used car privately.

[Bertuzzied]

Hi all.

I have never purchased a used vehicle before. I want to get it inspected so how would that work?

Do i leave the seller a deposit and then bring the vehicle in myself or would he bring it in?

If the vehicle doesn't check out do i get that deposit back?

Thanx.

[Ren]

As long as you leave collateral with the seller like your keys it should be fine.

[bc-chris]

when i bought my truck i was living in calgary at the time.

the seller knew i was very very interested (had the financing ready) so they took it to a mechanic and got it inspected and let the mechanic know that i'd need to have it re-inspected in bc becuz that was insuring it in bc (unfortunately my stay in calgary was only about 6 months )

they got it inspected and found there were a few things that needed to be fixed (approx $500) - so they dropped their price $500 and the deal was done.

i bought the truck in '97 and still love it just as much today as the day i bought it!

[DionPlett]

Also make sure you do a registry check with the VIN number. There are many you can do but there are a couple important ones like for liens and accident history.

[DownhillGoat]

depends on the seller. Some will take it down to the shop if you pay for it, some will expect you to take it down yourself. Some guys are good about dropping the price of the inspection off the selling price. I've always just done inspections myself. Unless you're paying to get a full compression test done a shop is just going to do a quick visual anyways. Also - carfax now does lein checks. It runs $50 (which is more than they used to be) but worth it. The last thing you want is to be on the hook for someone else's loan.

[redforever]

When I sold my Ford Explorer privately, the buyer wanted to check it out. After receiving a deposit etc, I let them take it in to AMA for a 79 point check up at their expense. Had no problems with the buyer.

[Suzles]

Something that really bugs me but why do sellers not put a price when they are advertising a car for sale (you know, the sticker on a window type) - just their phone number? How many phone calls must they have to field with people just wanting to know 'How much?'.

[mikey_the_redneck]

Look for oil stains on the driveway.....and when you take it for a spin, roll the windows down so you can hear any little clunks or mechanical sounds...

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Suzles

Something that really bugs me but why do sellers not put a price when they are advertising a car for sale (you know, the sticker on a window type) - just their phone number? How many phone calls must they have to field with people just wanting to know 'How much?'.

Lots of those are car dealers.

[Clarkey]

Originally Posted by Suzles

Something that really bugs me but why do sellers not put a price when they are advertising a car for sale (you know, the sticker on a window type) - just their phone number? How many phone calls must they have to field with people just wanting to know 'How much?'.

If someone doesn't put the price I will never call to find out, I just assume they are a cheapskate.

[zamler]

If you go for a vehicle history report, use CarProof it is much better than Carfax, which tends to have gaps or just plain leaves stuff out.

[Clarkey]

Originally Posted by zamler

If you go for a vehicle history report, use CarProof it is much better than Carfax, which tends to have gaps or just plain leaves stuff out.

Those reports range from 35-65 bucks isn't there something cheaper?

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

Those reports range from 35-65 bucks isn't there something cheaper?

If you are serious about buying a car, they are worth every cent. You want cheaper, take the sellers word for it.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by zamler

If you go for a vehicle history report, use CarProof it is much better than Carfax, which tends to have gaps or just plain leaves stuff out.

Whoops. That's the one I was thinking of that does liens too...

[Bertuzzied]

Thanx for the advice everyone. So I got the carproof for the vehicle. It was $53 which was great except the lien reporting for Alberta was down. Good thing the guy told me right away the vehicle had a lien with Honda Finance. Car Proof is suppose to send me another email as soon as the lien reporting from Alberta comes in.

[lucky1]

Carproof has saved my butt more than once.....
When you are interested in a vehicle and you want to get it inspected, you will probably have to give the seller a deposit. Just write on the deposit that it is 'conditional upon satisfactory vehicle inspection. Come to an agreement with the seller that anything over a certain amount...say over $250.00, would require further negotiations on the price...If the vehicle is still under warranty, I generally dont do pre purchase inspections....but I do take the VIN to a dealership and have them run it...they will tell you if the Warranty is still valid and in effect on the car. They used to be able to tell you the work history, but now most wont do that because of the weird privacy laws....

Good luck

[calumniate]

I did not have this advice prior to buying my car. Yes, a 91 lincoln town car! Digital speedo and everything, 180k kms. I whittled the guy down to $700, bought it and then got it inspected. It needed $800 worth of work lol, mostly sway bar / suspension related.. think it had been driven on the farm too much.

The guy was so apologetic to me saying he was never going to sell a car again. I called him back a year later to say that it was still a good deal haha. It's a sunday driver for me, and a sweet one at that.

[moncton golden flames]

does anybody have a mechanic they trust for a pre-purchase inspection? or even somebody to avoid?

my gf is looking at a 97 civic, and wants an inspection done on it for peace of mind (it's her first car)

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

does anybody have a mechanic they trust for a pre-purchase inspection? or even somebody to avoid?

my gf is looking at a 97 civic, and wants an inspection done on it for peace of mind (it's her first car)

Doug Kumick 403-272-9467 - Charges about $60 IIRC. He can drive and meet you as well.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Frank MetaMusil

Doug Kumick 403-272-9467 - Charges about $60 IIRC. He can drive and meet you as well.

how do you know him? is he certified and all that junk?