Things to look for when buying a used car

[curtis0432]

Hello I am new to the whole car thing. I will soon get my licience and buy a car. I am just woundering what i should do when i got and buy a used car. I have a used car checklist. that's going to help. but the thing is im probably going to buy a car with some after market parts on it.

what question should i ask.

For example for this car.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Chevrolet-Cavalier-W0QQAdIdZ153907476

is there anything i should realy ask before i buy?

[preludez]

Originally posted by curtis0432
Hello I am new to the whole car thing. I will soon get my licience and buy a car. I am just woundering what i should do when i got and buy a used car. I have a used car checklist. that's going to help. but the thing is im probably going to buy a car with some after market parts on it.

what question should i ask.

For example for this car.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Chevrolet-Cavalier-W0QQAdIdZ153907476

is there anything i should realy ask before i buy?

ask him if he did the timing belt and water pump then nothing to worry about it..

[mowglee]

buy a car you like for what it is not for whats been done to it. its easy to slap a bodykit and some cheap rims on a car but would you buy the car if it didn't have those parts on it?

[curtis0432]

you dont think i should ask about who installed the body kit? or ask stuff about the jet chip or the performance exhaust.

Does anybody think thats a good deal for me.

or should i try to lower the price?

thanks

[Dodobird]

I was in the same boat not too long ago, and really all you need when buying a car is to check all of it out mechanically (get a professional to do this, like midas or wherever). And when actually seeing the car just check all of the small things like if the hood actually opens, or the gas cap, or the trunk. And DEFINITELY take it for a test drive.

And finally, don't buy that car, no offense if you're into the whole fast and furious thing, but you WILL get laughed at. Body kits, chrome rims, and fuzzy dice are not "cool" right now. And considering you're young, I'd assume that's one of the things you want in a car.

In my opinion, find a nice 90's civic/integra/accord or something with decent milage and in good condition. Civics for example have a huge mod base, so you can pretty much do anything and everything to them. And if you want something decently modded, check out the marketplace here. You're guaranteed to find a somewhat modded (tastefully, mind you) civic or integra for sale here for a decent price.

[curtis0432]

LOL i like the body kit and the rims. but i dont like the fuzzy dice lol!!

lol I have all those movies. And i love them! I love the fast and furious.

so why do you think i will get laughed at?
Its probably one of the nicest cars in crossfield AB lol.. its a small town.

what about something like this?

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Honda-1992-Honda-Civic-DX-Sedan-Reduced-from-7-000-for-QUICK-SALE-W0QQAdIdZ157963837

[Dodobird]

I like it a bit better... And if you really do like the bodykits and whatnot go for it. I'm not here to judge. And I happen to own all of the Fast and Furious movies as well :) They may be stupid but hey, they're a lot of fun.

Sorry if my posts conflict a bit haha.

[curtis0432]

So do you have a some pictures of your car. I just wana see what you mean.

ya thats ok. everybody has there own dislikes and likes. you were not rude or anything. you were just voicing your opinion. Nothing wrong with that.

so what did you do to your car?

[Dodobird]

Originally posted by curtis0432
So do you have a some pictures of your car. I just wana see what you mean.

ya thats ok. everybody has there own dislikes and likes. you were not rude or anything. you were just voicing your opinion. Nothing wrong with that.

so what did you do to your car?
Unfortunately nothing yet, I'm young too haha.

But I have plans. Want it to look something like this...

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/274653/fs-1999-honda-civic-sir/

Some nice rims, lowered, clean JDM (japanese) styled interior, etc. And that is pretty much the same car I have, but obviously it's upgraded, and it has a more powerful engine.

I COULD list out my whole plans but I really don't want to bore you or hijack your thread haha.

[curtis0432]

Preety nice. So what do you mean by to young?

so what do you think about the price for the honda civic? that i found? look any good. It just needs a new exaust system and a new stereo system and mabe even some read underglow. I hope that is legal.

and when this guy says "NO LOWBALLING" do you think he would accept 4000. cause that the most i wanna spend on a car. Or is that considered low balling.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by curtis0432
Preety nice. So what do you mean by to young?

so what do you think about the price for the honda civic? that i found? look any good. It just needs a new exaust system and a new stereo system and mabe even some read underglow. I hope that is legal.

and when this guy says "NO LOWBALLING" do you think he would accept 4000. cause that the most i wanna spend on a car. Or is that considered low balling.

You can get a ticket with underglow, I mean it's ok for private lots such as chillin' at the school parking lot and Beyond meets at Chinook mall. But make sure you don't have it ON driving on the road or if you see po-po. (i.e. simple ticket would be called stunting)

I think low ball would be like $500

For that car, I'd offer $3,392 to start, but that's just MY OPINION.

[curtis0432]

so to make this sure. You are aloud to install neon underglow. but your are just not aloud to drive with it on. Is that correct.

So I was wondering how much a decent exhaust system would cost on that car? ( would i beable to instal this myself?)

thanks

[maxomilll]

$4000 for the civic, isnt lowballing its OBO. i'd personally offer $3300 and go from there, and for the cavalier offer half what he's asking, i cant see that selling anytime soon... umm $400 and you could do an exhaust in the civic.
all my own opinion, underglow, probs waste of money and its just going to draw unwanted attention to your car..

[curtis0432]

So in your guys opinion all these guys are asking way to much.

so would i beable to install the exaust system my self. Or how much would it be extra to get it profesionaly installed?

[maxomilll]

to do it yourself would be cheaper. but can you weld? or have any idea what your doing?

[curtis0432]

um not really. but i could learn lol. I tried welding but i sucked. it might be different though. When i tried welding It was in school and we had to weld a flat peice of metal to and make the best beads you can. It was an electric welder.

Im thinking it would be easier getting it welded by a pro. but it still would be cool and fun to learn!

[bjstare]

If you can't weld flat pieces, I would be very surprised if you could do an exhaust. Do yourself a favor and get the civic instead of the cavalier, it will run forever (or until you grow up and decide to get something else).

[Hamann]

Your call on what your looking for, looks wise, but unless you are mechanically inclined have a professional go with you (if you can, a friend or something thats a mechanic would be great).

Common things to look for would be leaking oil or really any other fluids.
Make sure all the lights etc work
Be suspicious of small things, if the person doesn't want you to have the hood open with the engine running, oil looks like it was just changed, or if you ask a question and he brushes it off.

Mainly Use Common Sense, if you get a bad or uneasy feeling leave.

Never buy the first car you look at either, take your time and find the right one, this also helps because it gives you more time to save $$$ and you can decide if you want to look at more expensive cars.

[Neil4Speed]

Did you happen to take a look at this car, I don't even like Civics but this is done so tastefully.

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/277261/fs-1998-honda-civic-si-g/

[curtis0432]

So how much would a after market muffler cost to be installed?... say if you went to a place like Calgary muffler. would they install something you bought somewhere else. or do you have to use one of there mufflers in stalk

[SRT10Killer]

Do yourself a favor, do not buy that cavalier.. I'd start with a honda or a toyota if I was buying my first car

look under the car see if there is any oil stains where it is usually parked, ask if it burns oil, look for tranny grinds etc.

[curtis0432]

so what would you guys think a performance exaust would cost for a honda civic??

[LittleAngel]

i read that add about the cavalier, and it looks like its still registered out east because in the ad it states that it needs an out of province... you should defiantly get it checked out before buying this, because out of province inspections are pretty strict. Maybe make a deal with the guy for HIM to pay for the out of province and HIM do it before you buy it...

[curtis0432]

how much is an outside of the province inspection anyways?

every body says to go with a honda? does anybody think that cavaliers are good? any good things about them? anyone have any good or bad experiences with them?

thanks.

Im still woundering how much it would cost to get a muffler and get it installed.

[LittleAngel]

my dealership is 230. but im pretty sure there are cheeper places out there

[curtis0432]

$230 dollars for the installation?

so do you know how much an outside of the province inspection is?

Do you know anything about cavaliers? any good or bad? Reliable or not?

[LittleAngel]

huh? 230 is for an out of province inspection.

i dunno, maybe .5 - 1 hour labour for a muffler. dunno much about cavaliers sorry

[ShermanEF9]

Get a civic.... but if you wanna go for a fun car get coilovers FIRST. Exhaust can come later.

[revelations]

Do not buy said Cavalier unless you are willing to shell out a pretty penny for the post, out of province inspection repairs for a domestic car of this vintage.

[curtis0432]

Get a civic.... but if you wanna go for a fun car get coilovers FIRST. Exhaust can come later.

so what do you mean by Coilovers First?

[FiveFreshFish]

Buy this first:

http://www.e-autosports.com/product_images/KW/kw_evo.JPG



Then buy this:

http://www.beastpower.com/products/tubi/new/tubi-on.jpg

[curtis0432]

So how much are those and what do they do? are they just new shocks? or what?

and are they easy to install? or should it be done by a mechanic

thanks

[J NRG]

.

[TT-fast]

coil overs are like ur strut and spring except they are one piece and they adjust your height of the car, camber(like if u look at a wheel and its a little bit at an angle that's camber, can be negative or positive) also depends if u get full coil overs they do Wat i listed above, or you can get sleeves which just adjust the height,

so far it doesn't sound like you are gonna do much ur self but just to sum up some stuff
--the out of province is gonna be 200+ and if everything doesn't check out right u have to get whatever is listed fixed before it can pass to get it registered.

--the coil overs will run u like 800+ at the least and doesn't seem like a really big deal for u now, but that's up to u.

--the exhaust should be cheap seems like ur just getting a muffler so maybe like 150+ for the muffler depends used or new and installation is prob 1.0hr work so shop fee between 80-120$$.

cavaliers are good first cars for people who just wanna get from A-B but have a horrible reputation and not the greatest cars. a civic is a A-B car for cheaper and a lot more potential and fun and cheaper. when u buy the car look for obvious stuff that people mentioned before, shift through gears get to 5th, go on deer foot, check oil leak bounce the car on each side and make sure doesn't bounce more than once or twice, if it doesn't need a out of province get a basic safety inspection like 89.99$$ anywhere plus ur insurance might want one if ur car is 12+ years older, check the frame for rust and the wheel wells since this is Calgary and not California haha.

and one main thing about buying a car is never rush and if something doesn't feel right just leave it i personally have had to many close calls lol. oh and next thing is never take there word on the car being in a accident or not lots of people fix written off cars and re sell them so get a car-fax or car-proof just go to too one of those websites or pm someone who can do it for free because the car might have a lien on it or might have been written off.