Tips on buying a 2nd hand car

Exterior of the car:
1)Try to inspect the car in bright sunlight if possible. Any defects in the bodywork will show up better.
2)Although the seller may assure you that the paint is original, you can do a check on the paintwork yourself. First, open the hood, the boot and/or the doors, check the color of the paint under those areas, is it the same color as the top surface? If not, the top surface paint has been resprayed. Some previous owners may opt to respray the same color as the original, then you'd need to do the following.
3)Check all rubber seals and insulation materials on those said areas. Is there any traces of paint on them? If so, the car has been resprayed. No amount of masking can cover each and every area effectively. Check the various body emblems on the car, are they still there? How about their respective positions on the car? Eg, do you see the word 'Laguna' near the top of the boot instead on the lower right corner valence panel? All these suggest that the car has been resprayed.
4)Bring a magnet along and run it over the car completely. Hover the magnet close enought over the car so that you can feel the magnetism acting on the body panels. Go over slowly and feel the magnetism. Any body panels patched up with body filler/ putty will not impart any magnetism from your magnet. This is a good way to check if the car has been invloved in any accident.

Interior of the car:
1)Open and close all doors yourself. Do they feel right? Test all handles and switches. Do they feel flimsy? (Note: this step cannot be performed on Malaysian, Korean and some low end Jap cars, for they already feature flimsy interior pieces even when brand new!!)
2)Inspect any wear and tear on the interior fittings. Do they look excessively worn? If the car feature leather seats, check the condition of the leather, is it cracked and/or peeling off the edges?

Starting the car:
1) Try to start the car yourself. Can it be started on the first crank? Have a friend stand at the rear of the car to inspect the exhaust. Is it bleeching black smoke? Rev the engine hard a few times (near redline), is the car bleeching any more black smoke? No or light grey smoke is ok, black or blue smoke is a big no no!
2) Test all accessories. Do they work properly? Turn it A/C on and off. Check all warning lights. Does the engine still idle properly when you do all these?
3) Inspect the engine again. Is there any weird noises coming from it? Check the radiator cap, is there oil or water forming on it? There shouldn't be any.
4) Check all ext lights. Do they work properly? Ask your friend to inspect the brake lights. DO they light up properly when you step on the brake?
5) Shift into 'D' but keep the parking brake on. Does the car move forward automatically? It shouldn't.
6) Drive the car foward a few feet. Check if there's any oil patches on the ground. it could suggest an oil leak.

Test drive:
1) If that car had passed all these and you're satisfied so far, it's time to go for a test drive. Go easy on the car initally so that you can get used to the car.
2) In a safe stretch of road, floor the gas padel hard. Does the auto trans drop a gear (or 2) and powered ahead immediately? Is there excessive jerks when the trans is shifting?
3) Go through all the gears manually, ie, shift into 3,2,1 yourself. Does the trans fall into the correct gear?
4) Again in a safe area, get on some speed (about 80-100 km/h) & slam on the brakes as hard as you can. Do not get go on the brakes. Let the tires smoke out for all you care. Let go on the steering wheel when you do this, does the car still track straight when you do this? If the car comes with ABS, does the ABS work?
5) When the car has come to a complete stop, check the engine again. Does it still idle properly? Or has it died? It shouldn't die.
6) Last by not least, try to turn both L&R corners as quickly as you can. Does the suspension bottom out when you do this? Go over a speed bump fast, does the suspension takes forever to settle down? Wallowing suspension may suggest worn shocks and/or springs. If you can do all these and the car is still in one piece when you return to the dealer's parking lot, the car is probably a good buy.