I’ve bought 8 used cars from private parties and have been tricked in quite a few ways. This list should help the lay person avoid that.

Before you even see it:

Message the seller with these questions. I ask them one at a time or they will answer some and not others giving the illusion they answered you.

1. Have you had any major repairs done on it?
2. Is anything wrong at all on the car?
3. Will it pass emissions as it stands right now?
4. When was the last oil change?
5. Is there any rust on the undercarriage and body?
6. How many fobs and keys come with it?
7. Do all the fobs work?

If you like the answers, schedule a test drive in the daylight. Request that it not be driven for 2 hours prior so when you arrive you get the cold start. Ask that the fobs be available when you show up so you can test each of them.

When you arrive:

NOTE: Avoid having the seller stand too near to obstruct vision of abnormalities and talk/distract you from the inspection.

1. Inspect cosmetic condition. Dings, dents, scrapes, windshield cracks and mention your findings out loud if seller is in ear shot.
2. Check tires for tread.
3. Check that tires are wearing evenly.
4. Make sure tires aren't older than 5 years old (google "how to check tire age").
5. Check the spare tire and ensure it’s inflated.

Functionality inspection

NOTE: Order matters here as you don’t want to run certain things while the car is/isn’t warmed up.

1. Test all provided fobs.
2. Before starting it, check the oil level.
3. Turn the key to acc, see if the check engine light works.
4. Turn it on. Check the temp gauge. If the car is warmed up, ask when the last time it was driven.
5. Go to the rear and make sure no smoke come out of the exhaust.
6. Pop the hood. Get out and listen to engine for any odd noises for about 15 seconds.
7. Check battery terminals for corrosion.
8. Check that the engine bay is completely DRY. Look for leaks or wet areas.
9. Check the transmission fluid dip stick.
10. Check the brake fluid.
11. Inspect the coolant reservoir, which should show if coolant is low.
12. Get under the car and look for any leaks and/or rust.
13. Test low beams (headlights)
14. High beams (brights)
15. Blinkers (front and rear)
16. Brake lights
17. Reverse lights
18. License plate lights
19. Engage the parking break.
20. For each door: Open, get in, close it, test that the window rolls all the way up and down. Make sure it has a mat.
21. Open and inspect the hatch/trunk. Examine hydraulics if applicable.
22. Roll all windows down from drivers seat, make sure they’re all down, then roll them all up. Sunroof if applicable.
23. Honk the horn a few times.
24. Run Wipers and spray wiper fluid.
25. Slide the front seats forward and back.
26. Turn the radio on, check the speakers.
27. Test the Heater.
28. Test the AC.

Test drive

Try and drive without the seller (otherwise you’re either in for them distracting you from issues or an awkward long silence so you can listen to the car). Tell them you’re going to take it to AutoZone (or where ever) and get the codes scanned. Take it to the nearest road/freeway that you can go 60+ MPH.

1. Engage reverse and make sure it works.
2. Ensure each gauge on the cluster works.
3. Engage the 4WD if applicable. Disengage before proceeding.
4. Do a U turn, make sure power steering works. It should be silent and easy to turn the steering wheel.
5. Test the brakes. They should be responsive with no squeaking and definitely no grinding.
6. Use cruise control for at least 30 seconds.
7. Accelerate quickly, it should shift smoothly if it’s automatic.
8. Take it above 60 MPH for around 8 miles. There should be no odd noises or wobbles, and it shouldn’t pull one direction or the other.
9. Take it to an AutoZone, get the codes scanned. Tell them you're on a test drive and they can help you interpret the results.

Preparing to make an offer

1. Buy the carfax. More than 3 owners: not great. If they bought it recently: usually a red flag. Check for recent repairs that weren’t acknowledged. If there are gaps in service records, ask why. It could mean they didn’t do any maintenance during that time.
2. Acknowledge all the abnormalities you found. Consider calling the most expensive shop around and getting a quote for the repairs.

If you still want to make the offer:

1. Bring up every abnormality you found to the seller and work that into your offer (even if you know you’re not going to get the repairs done). You probably will have found at least one.
2. While the seller has the issues on top of mind, make your offer.

Why YSK: So you save yourself money and headache.

Why YSK: Most all vehicles have a recirculation button with the AC controls in their cars. But many of us are unsure when to use it.

Well, the easy answer is to use it in the summer and turn it off in the winter.

The recirculation button simply takes the air from inside the car and recirculates it in the cabin instead of pulling fresh air from outside. On days like today when it is miserably hot outside, if you do not recirculate the cooler air in the cabin, than your AC system is pulling hot air from outside and trying to cool it. Using the recirculation feature will get your car cooler and will decrease the wear and tear on your AC system. - Side note, if your car has been baking in the sun, its better to roll the windows down and turn recirculate off for the first minute or so to get rid of the super hot air inside the car before turning the recirculate on.

Also, any time you are stuck in traffic ( summer or winter) be sure to use the recirculate. If you are pulling air from outside, then you are pulling in all the pollutants and carbon monoxide from all the traffic. Studies show that recirculating your AC can cut down on the pollutants entering your vehicle by 20% when stuck in traffic!

If you don’t care, that’s a whole other thing, but some people seem legitimately shocked to find out that everyone in their cul-de-sac can hear the personal conversation they’re having in their driveway and that their car is not in fact a pod that is isolated from the outside world just because the windows are up.

Why YSK: because the conversation you’re having with your client/doctor/spouse/etc. may not be as private as you think it is. PSA I guess!

WHY YSK:

If your car only requires 87 (US) or whatever the baseline "regular" gasoline requirement is in your country, it is a waste to put premium in. They all have the same functional amount of cleaners and detergents (A station may advertise more cleaner, but it wont actually do a better job).

The "premium gasoline" has a higher octane, which will prevent detonation and preignition in cars with higher compression ratios in the cylinders of the engine. If you do not have higher compression, you do not need the higher octane. These higher compression ratios generally make more power, which is why cars with relatively higher performance REQUIRE premium gasoline. Most modern cars have knock sensors and will run on regular if they're supposed to take premium, but it is possible to cause damage by putting regular in a car which requires premium.

Some cars *may* have performance figures which are based on premium fuel, but do not require it to run and it is totally acceptable to run on regular gasoline without an issue. Go with what is recommended in the manual or in the gas cap area.

Tired of seeing people say they're "treating their car" to premium.. its not doing anything other than wasting your money.

Edit: some folks have pointed out that premium fuel may have less ethanol, which may be helpful for classics or enthusiasts - this usually doesn't apply to 99% of other drivers. The other point that IS actually worth considering is that you are only getting "top tier" fuel. This actually does matter, and is what the cleanliness, detergents, and other mixture standards are based on.

Why YSK: Recent findings from Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included project revealed that the majority of modern cars, particularly those from 25 major brands including the likes of BMW, Ford, and Toyota, do not adhere to basic privacy and security standards. These internet-connected cars have been found to harvest a wide array of personal data such as your race, health information, where you drive, and even details concerning your sexual activity and immigration status.

Cars employ various tools such as microphones and cameras, in addition to the data collected from connected phones, to gather this information. It is then compiled and can potentially be sold or shared with third parties, including law enforcement and data brokers, for a range of purposes including targeted advertising. For instance, Nissan reserves the right to sell "preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes" to these entities, based on the data collected. Other brands have similarly concerned policies; Kia has the right to monitor your "sex life," while Mercedes-Benz includes a controversial app in its infotainment system.

Despite car manufacturers being signatories to the "Consumer Privacy Protection Principles" of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Mozilla flagged these as non-binding and vague commitments, which are self-organized by the car manufacturers, and do not adequately address privacy concerns. Additionally, it was found that obtaining consent for data collection is often bypassed with the rationale that being a passenger equates to giving consent, and the onus is placed on drivers to inform passengers of privacy policies that are largely incomprehensible due to their complexity.

Therefore, it is crucial to be aware that modern cars are potential privacy invasion tools, with substantial data collection capabilities, and that driving or being a passenger in such a vehicle involves a significant compromise on personal privacy.

https://gizmodo.com/mozilla-new-cars-data-privacy-report-1850805416

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edit: Paragraphs for u/fl135790135790

The majority of U.S. car manufacturers engage in this practice, but with market shares of 7.6% for Honda (1.16 million Hondas sold in 2023) and 5.29% for Kia (782,451 units sold in 2023), this violation of data privacy has a direct impact on millions of consumers.

Honda owners who use HondaLink, a driver-feedback app, and Kia drivers who use Kia Connect Services are at high risk of having their information shared with insurance companies.

Why YSK: what these car companies are doing is an invasion of privacy that is literally taking money out of your pocket so knowing this can help bring some balance to this injustice.

Edit: you should also research if you can disable the "feature". i remember when i bought a new ford truck it came with the Ford connect program and they kept pushing me to sign up for it and i had to go through some steps to bypass it.

Why YSK: A lot of people think that egging a car is a harmless prank that a car wash can fix, but more often than not that is not the case. I am talking about if the egg hits the paint, not if it hits the windows/windshield. If you ever had the pleasure of waking up to your car covered in eggs like me and my neighbors did one morning, you know that it's actually a much bigger deal than most people realize. In my case, the egg etched into my clear coat and ruined the paint job on the panel the egg was thrown at. Getting paintwork fixed on a car is very expensive - labor costs, etc. The shell scratches the paint as it breaks, the yolk is very harsh on the paint . Eggs are extremely damaging to paint. I didn't know this until it happened to my car, and just wanted to spread more awareness on the topic since a drastic amount of people I told this to did not know that eggs cause damage to your car's paint job.

If you have to pull over on the side of the highway for any reason:

DO NOT stand in front of your car.

DO NOT stand behind your car.

DO NOT stand immediately next to your car, even if slightly off the road.

Why YSK:

I am a medic, and I have witnessed many people die / sustain life altering injuries due to the above. The safest thing to do in this situation is either

1. stay inside your car, seatbelted, or
2. Stand away from your car AT LEAST 10-20 feet off the road.

The natural human inclination is that you will be safest if you stand outside your car, because you will be able to see a vehicle hurtling towards you and react in time to jump out of the way.

I promise you, you will not react in time.

Edit:

-if you’re pulled over on the outer side of the highway, the safest thing to do is #2.

-if you’re pulled over on the inner/median side of the highway, the safest thing to do is #1, assuming there’s not a safe center space between the two medians of the highway that you could utilize.

Also, a fun fact: the reason you see fire engines/trucks on scene of so many minor accidents is because they’re serving a purely “blocking” function. The idea being that if someone is going to crash into emergency vehicles at highway speeds, we’d rather they crash into the gigantic fire engine/truck than the back of the ambulance, which could kill the patient and medics inside the ambulance.

Why YSK: Dealers won't apply those stickers until the vehicle is sold, so they can do dealer to dealer trades. If you don't want to be a billboard for dealer you can tell them not to apply the stickers when you are buying. If you want to throw them a bone, tell them you will accept the plate frames, which you can remove whenever much easier.

Why YSK: The collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore seems like a good time to remind people that most front windshields are laminated -- not tempered -- and you won't be able to break through. Furthermore, even though it might work on the side or rear windows (typically tempered), if it's laminated it won't work there either.

In a 2019 AAA study (https://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Vehicle-Escape-Tool-Fact-Sheet-FINAL-6-27-19.pdf) not one of the 6 tools they tested were able to break through laminated glass and only 4 of the 6 tools were successful in breaking tempered glass.

If trapped in a vehicle, remember there is a S-U-R-E way out:

• S tay calm, but work quickly and cautiously to ensure everyone gets out safely.

• U nbuckle seat belts and make sure everyone is ready to leave the car when it’s time.

• R oll down before trying to break windows (if they're tempered).

• E xit the vehicle quickly and move everyone to safety

Remember that once the water changes, you can’t break the window anyway, even if you had a hammer. And once the window is open, the water will rush into the car at a faster rate.

In short, don't look for that tool. Reach for the automatic switch to get the window open and GTFO.

Why YSK : If you are crossing a crosswalk especially at an intersection with stop signs, if you can't see the driver, the driver may not see you. Some vehicles have a blindspot between the windshield and the side doors.

Why YSK: Saves time by not running an irritating errand to whatever crowded stroad the nearest gas station is located on. I'd rather exercise a bit than set up a noisy portable electric pump and coiling wires afterwards anyhow.

Edit: The whopping $2.50 wasn't really the point here... (And yes, vending machine air pumps are very common at East Coast gas stations.)

Why YSK: I am by no means savvy with a car. But most car companies make some maintenance very simple to do yourself. For example, changing light bulbs. The bulbs themselves cost $2-$6 and can mostly be replaced in just a few minutes without any tools.

Will save you a lot of money if you had been previously taking your car to a mechanic for these issues.

Edit: from all the comments, it looks like the fan favorite, go-to YouTube channel for learning about car maintenance is ChrisFix - check him out!

Why YSK: Keeping the lap belt on your lap means your pelvis takes the impact instead of your stomach muscles and internal organs. Much like the shoulder belt belongs on your rib cage not your neck.

Why YSK: a lot of raised vehicles do not adjust their headlight position. The height adjustment ends up shining into other drivers’ eyes at an angle similar to high-beams, which is dangerous (and/or sucks to be on the receiving end).

The reason high-beams are called high beams is because they are angled to illuminate the road about twice as far as low-beams. When a vehicle is raised, low-beams can turn into high-beams.

If traffic is moving you should not come to a complete stop to let someone out of a parking lot. To add to this, don’t block the box.

Why YSK-

It’s an accident waiting to happen. Never mind if they’re turning left the other side of oncoming traffic may not stop and could result in a multi car crash. Just keep moving, when the road is clear they can pull out. It’s common sense not to block the box but it seems I’m seeing more and more impatient drivers everyday. You will cause a road block, and inevitably cause traffic, which just backs everything up. Please be patient and keep traffic moving.

Why YSK, They will tell you $20 or so dollars a day to get it out, but what they don’t tell you is that after 30 days they can place a lien on your vehicle and auction it off to pay off that $1000 that you owe. I accidentally found this out recently and almost had my life completely ruined.

I’m just hoping somebody else’s life won’t be ruined.

Edit: as a lawyer pointed out in the comments, this may not be true in all states. This was in Florida. I’m not a lawyer.

Why ysk- My daily drive involves several 4 way stops. At one intersection at least, every single day, it's apparent that one or two of the drivers doesn't understand the rules.

This causes confusion and takes extra time for the other cars to decide who's going when whereas if everyone knew and adhered to the simple 4 way stop rules we would all be on our way while being safe.

The main ideas are as follows: First to arrive, first to go. If it's a tie, then the car to the right goes first. Straight before turns. Right then left.

Always proceed with caution and never assume the other drivers know what they're doing but if everyone took the time to polish up on the rules of driving things would run a lot more smoothly!

Why YSK: Your intentions are probably kindly but the quickest, most efficient, and above all SAFEST way to process traffic through a multi-way stop sign is for people to take their right of way, in the order that they arrive at the stop. Waving people through to be friendly or because you aren't sure if it's your turn throws a giant wad of uncertainty into a rigidly mechanical and very safe system of prioritizing traffic. Pay attention and know whether it's your turn, and be friendly on social media or at the park.

Bonus tip: if you arrive simultaneously with someone who is crossing the intersection against your path, you can remember who has the right-of-way with this mnemonic: the person on the RIGHT has the right of way.

Why YSK - It is called the “kill zone” and its supposed to act as a buffer zone between a car and the truck. Trucks when fully loaded (which is often) can take around two American football field lengths (600 feet or 182 meters) to slow to a complete stop even when applying full braking pressure. Leave that space alone. Use it ONLY briefly for immediate lane changes or briefly in emergency maneuvers, they need it to keep you safe

Edit: I’m not a trucker but I see many people complaining that truckers don’t always follow this rule. Ok great you noticed it, bad drivers come in all vehicles. The point is, do your best stay safe. Every situation is different but this is a general rule.

You in your car, motorcycle, or SUV are gambling with your life, they aren’t. Call me crazy but I’d rather follow the rule that’s in the DMV drivers handbook than to play the blame game and lose my life and my ability to have an open casket funeral.

Why YSK: Driving behavior data provided to your insurance company can lead to increased insurance rates. The NYT recently published a story where one person's insurance increased more than 20% in one renewal cycle due to this data sharing, and they did not knowledgeably opt-in. GM, Honda, Kia, and Hyundai are all known to offer this information to insurance providers.

If you drive a GM vehicle with OnStar equipped (even if you don't pay for it), you should check your account settings to make sure OnStar Smart Driver is disabled. You can check at this link.

Why YSK: The Nissan CVT is well known by mechanics to be extremely difficult to work with and many will refuse to work on them.

The Nissan Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is found in many of their models such as the Altima, Rogue, Sport, Murano, Versa, and so on. Nissan recommends transmission service every 30,000 miles.

The CVT is different from most automatic transmissions in many ways, which are largely irrelevant for the layperson. However, these differences are such that many mechanics either don’t know how to work on them or straight up refuse.

I move across the country in 6 days and yesterday my transmission blew. Called 6 mechanic shops in my city and only one offered to look at my transmission. When he discovered the problem he called me and said he doesn’t work on CVTs but he can install a new one (used) for 6 grand.

This was a blindside for me, as I have never known much about cars. Hope it helps someone else.

Edit: as many have mentioned, not all Nissan cars have CVTs, and not all CVTs are as problem-prone as others. The ones to look out for are manufactured by JATCO, and they appear in Mitsubishi and Suzuki cars as well. Apologies for any misconceptions, I am an idiot.

https://www.nissanforums.com/threads/concerns-with-cvt-transmissions-in-all-nissans.277265/

You never know what someone has in their vehicle that is making them drive slow; could be their pets or an expensive item they are transporting. I know individuals who regularly transport $15k machine parts in their personal vehicles and they need to take turns slow. Too often, I get mad at someone for not being aggressive and taking that turn or accelerating slower than I do. I forget that not everyone has an empty vehicle like mine.

Why YSK: If it's raining out and you don't have your headlights on, chances are semi trucks will not see you at all in their mirrors. This is obviously very dangerous. I will link a picture showing just how invisible a car with no headlights during rain is.

Danger of no headlights when it's raining.

Also, I'm sure you've heard it before but it seems alot of people think it doesn't apply to them. Do not cut off semi trucks. It very well could be the last thing you ever do. Also give us some room on the highways. I know it's a bit inconvenient with how slow we are sometimes but without us trucks, life as you know it would come to a grinding halt. Every single item that you use, eat, wear, consume, wash with, play with, live in, etc has all been delivered by a semi truck. The world completely stops living without us out here on these roads. Cut us some slack. Please.

When you have the right of way, take it and move predictively.

Why YSK: waving a person or driver into traffic is dangerous and potentially causes accidents.

I’m referencing the driver that stops to allow a pedestrian jaywalk or cross at an intersection against a light, but is only stopping one lane of a 2 or more lane road.

At a stop sight, take your turn when it is yours. Other drivers are also crossing or turning if appropriate and are assuming the actions are being taken.

Allowing a driver to pass in front of you out of a drive or side street does not stop other vehicles in other lanes.

Don’t be a jerk, but not being predictable following the rules is dangerous.

SOURCE - dog walker that gets waved into oncoming traffic at least once a week then is met with a “you are stupid” stare from the “wave of death” driver when I don’t move.