Things you should do before you purchase a car. Of course it’s always great to have a mechanic look over the prospective vehicle before finalizing as well, but here is a check list to predetermining if you have a decent vehicle on your hands here. If you feel so inclined, you could print this page out before going to check out the car so you don’t forget anything.

1. Check under the car for leaks.
2. Check for strange sounds during start up and while driving, it should sound relatively smooth.
3. Look for a clean engine.
4. With manuals, check to see if the clutch is riding a little high.
5. Test brakes: Get some speed going on the car, then hit the brakes to a sudden stop to see how well they respond.
6. Check the oil: Black oil is bad, it should have a bit of transparency in it.
7. Now if at a stop the car is shaky, this is usually a motor mount problem. If its just a little shaking its probably not too much to worry about, but just know it could develop into more.
8. Get a Carfax history report using the VIN number on the car.

These is just a quick checklist for checking out a car, the best way to make sure things are working well is to have a friend who is a mechanic or has good car knowledge to look at the car with you. Even better you can take the vehicle to a mechanic to get it checked out before purchasing. It should never be a problem with the seller unless he is trying to hide something.

One big things to remember is that if something doesn’t feel right about the deal there is a good chance it probably not right. I always go with my gut when buying a car and check out everything thoroughly until I am satisfied, I would suggest my readers to do the same.