I've only ever purchased new cars and I'm buying a used car this weekend. I don't know a lot about cars and wouldn't be able to tell if it was a piece of crap under the hood or warning signs that something was about to go bad, aside from asking for a Carfax report. Is it standard to ask to take the car somewhere and have it checked out prior to purchase? Where would you recommend doing this over the weekend? Can you just go to any place like a precision tune auto care and ask them to check it out, and what would they charge to do this for you? Is it standard to negotiate a bit? What would be an exorbitant doc fee? Are the extended warranties worth it? Any help is greatly appreciated? And if anyone has experience with Hannah Imports on Capital that would help to. I'm looking to buy a 2005-2008 Honda Civic if it matters and already have the financing lined up from SECU. Thanks!

6/28/2013 12:01:39 PM

I think its pretty standard to ask to take the car to an independent mechanic to look it over. Definitely negotiate.

Couple of things I'd check for :

1) rust on exposed metal/screws/etc -- especially bad if its inside the cabin (possible water damage)
2) large amount of soot in/on/around the exhaust pipe (could be burning oil)
3) bald-ass tires -- not a deal breaker; but tires aren't cheap and it doesn't look good if the dealer is trying to skimp on the tires (more likely to skimp elsewhere)
4) make sure you test drive it for a good long ways to get the car warmed up and see if there are any code-throwing issues they might have cleared out -- I got burned by this on my last car purchase, one of the sensors was fine until it got warmed up (took >15 miles at summer temps) and the bastards had cleared the codes to hide that it had ever happened. Bought the thing running fine and it had broken down before I got all the way home.

6/28/2013 1:14:06 PM

Quote :

". Is it standard to ask to take the car somewhere and have it checked out prior to purchase? Where would you recommend doing this over the weekend? Can you just go to any place like a precision tune auto care and ask them to check it out, and what would they charge to do this for you? Is it standard to negotiate a bit? What would be an exorbitant doc fee? Are the extended warranties worth it? Any help is greatly appreciated? And if anyone has experience with Hannah Imports on Capital that would help to. I'm looking to buy a 2005-2008 Honda Civic if it matters and already have the financing lined up from SECU. Thanks!"

It is very common to take a car somewhere for a pre-purchase inspection. I would take it to the shop you use or find a shop that is familiar with that type of car. If you have a relationship with precision tune auto care and trust them they can probable do it. I've always taken cars to the dealership for pre-purchase inspections and have typically paid about $100-$125, but that's for BMWs and Volvos so if this is just something very common (Civic definitely applies) any shop you trust should be fine. I'd expect to pay about an hour of labor for a PPI.

Extended factory warranties are sometimes worth it, 3rd part warranties are usually not. That's just a rule of thumb though, read carefully what the warranty covers. Negotiation is standard, I'm not sure what Civics that age go for so its hard to say how much you should expect to negotiate. If you let us know the list price someone can probably help suggest what you should offer and then settle for.

I've only ever bought used cars private-party, so I'm not sure what to expect from a used car dealer for doc fees.

I have no direct knowledge of Hannah, but I did look at a car there once and passed because it was in poor condition.

^I'd prefer to buy a used car with bald tires over a car with brand new tires that they put on to sell the car for two reasons: the dealership is going to put really shitty cheap tires on it, and they may have replaced the tires to hide uneven wear that you would have been able to use as a clue to tell about the condition of the suspension. I absolutely hate it when they replace the tires and battery.

[Edited on June 28, 2013 at 1:50 PM. Reason : .]

6/28/2013 1:48:53 PM

^, ^^ +1

Remember used car dealerships are like regular dealerships, they exist to make money. The biggest difference is that used car dealers dont have a national brand name reputation to destroy and thus the bottom line for most is to get it in running condition only long enough to sell it. Assume the worst and hope for the best.
Inspect and run/test EVERYTHING you possibly can. Wipers, windshield washer fluid, lights, A/C, Heat, Radio, trunk latch, etc. Damn near everything that has a button, clip, or knob that can be operated should be checked in addition to what Talage stated. You are buying it so seller beware. They especially may try to say their mechanic checked it out so you shouldnt need to. Fuck them, it isnt their money on the line. A person or dealership that wants you to freely get another garage to inspect it has nothing to hide or is hoping you have a bad poker hand and will fold. Bring a mechanically inclined friend along for reinforcement.
As you can probably tell I dont trust any of them and usually buy straight off a person who is more negotiable and are selling it due to reasons other than making money, but Im speaking as if a family member or friend absolutely had to get a specific car from a used dealership.

[Edited on June 28, 2013 at 1:55 PM. Reason : I type too slow]

6/28/2013 1:54:29 PM

It's this car: http://www.hannaimports.com/detail.aspx?vid=335_V20130520154334
2007 Honda Civic EX with 56K miles

KBB value for dealership is $14162 and their asking price is $10998, seems a little fishy doesn't it?

6/28/2013 2:02:11 PM

I'll preface this by saying I know very little about that generation of hondas other than what coworkers have asked me about or Ive taken a look at. One major thing I found out and you should too if you've done your research on this model is that from 2005-2008 (approximately) there was a sandcasting defect in the engine block on certain engine types at the factory. This can lead to stress cracks and eventually your block cracks which is $Texas. IIRC, there was a mileage or time period of extended warranty where Honda will literally replace the entire engine because its cheaper than the labor to tear everything off the block. The few other minor annoyances coworkers had were worn motor mounts starting around 50k miles and rain sensors for the wipers on the fritz. Look up a Honda forum if you havent already, browsing for 15 minutes would give you 80% of the things to watch out for or that tend to break, and that really applies to all vehicle purchases.

6/28/2013 3:02:05 PM

i bought my truck from a used car dealer. doc fee was $100 iirc, but i got him to waive it. pretty easy to throw that in at the end of the negotiation to get out of it.

6/28/2013 3:57:55 PM

I wouldn't tell them you have your own financing until you agree on a price, they may count on getting some money from financing (assuming they over it)

^^ great reason it might be worth paying a little more for the dealership to do the PPI

[Edited on June 28, 2013 at 4:05 PM. Reason : .]

6/28/2013 4:04:46 PM

One of the first things I do with any used car I check out is to look for a fresh oil spot underneath. If there is anything, I walk.

6/28/2013 9:49:26 PM

3) bald-ass tires -- not a deal breaker; but tires aren't cheap and it doesn't look good if the dealer is trying to skimp on the tires (more likely to skimp elsewhere)

Disagree. New tires can be a great way of hiding abnormal tire wear that is indicative of problems. Bald ass evenly worn tires are a good sign as far as car health and a great bargaining point.

6/29/2013 5:01:10 PM