I'm looking for a beater and I need to know what all to check before buying. I probably won't have access to a mechanic, so here's my list so far :

- Take it on the highway to see how it drives at high speeds
- Check how the transmission and clutch feel
- Pull a spark plug to examine internals
- Check braking response (hard braking)
- Go over several bumps to evaluate shocks
- Examine overall engine bay to see how car was treated in general
- Do overall inspection (including underneath) for rust and anomalies

What do you guys think? Suggestions? Thx

 

Depends on what kind of car you are looking at.

 

Not sure how that really matters, but it will probably be some form of older Honda .. civic, prelude, crx, accord ...

 

Check the body line... where the fender meets the bumper, etc. Any accident will show up as misaligned body panels. And, of course, do a carfax. I think it's still free on some promotional sites.

 

Hmm .. how does one do that Cos?

 

Oh, all you need is some nodoze unless you mean a CRX Si or a hatchcrap. Every other old honda is one boring *** drive..

 

slash: get me the VIN number...ill run a Carfax for ya.

As for the beater thing. I just bought one..civic hatch. It drove great, everything worked, body lines looked great, under hood looked in good shape, all orginial pieces it looked to have indicating no accidents....only problems were cosmetic, the owner smoked (NASTY)...and some other things needed to be replaced upon further inspection (Axle, carpet, seats(ripped vinyl)....

 

Thanks man - I'll try and get the VIN today or tonight on a CRX I'm checking out. It's got a dent in the front but I can maybe get it really cheap. Need the good gas mileage!! You know how it goes

 

Ross - Also, check to see if it's been repainted by looking at all the panels, inside the fender well and underneath the trunk carpet. If you go to any automotive store, they sell a magnetic paint thickness indicator. Obviously, most cars w/ metal panel will respond to a magnet... weaker the reading from normal (I guess they come with a booklet?!?) a greater chance that it was repainted.

 

When will people learn ......... :shakes head in disbelief: ......... Carfax is a worhtless bunch of bullshit ........

As long as you can get it for free, go for it, but take the results with a grain of salt. They almost always turn out 100% fine, even if they aren't ......

 

Exactly. They do not report when your car is in astop-light accident. Maybe only if it falls off a cliff or is stolen.

 

Exactly... it's free.

 

Hey - you do what you can. It may blow up after a week, but that's why it's a beater

On a more upbeat note I saw a Z8 on the highway on the way back from lunch. That would make a nice beater

 

Make sure the supplemental-turning device(parking brake) works good

 

Your list looks good. I would try and locate maintenance records if possible. Also, check items that wear out quickly, ie. brakes, air filter, windshield for cracks, tires, spare tire, battery, radio, vent controls, etc. From my experience, Carfax is handy only for identifying if the car has been previously registered under different owners and for verifying the condition of the title (salvage/clear). You can also examine how the car has been "used". For example, lots of pits up front might indicate more highway travel, poorly worn tires might indicate lack of maintenance, hard driving, or suspension problems. Salt anywhere on the car might lead to some hidden rust, yadda yadda. If you are really concerned, try and work an inspection into your deal. Good luck!

 

make sure the interior is really nice, so it looks good in a dumpster. Make sure it smokes or needs a clutch so you get it cheaper. And make sure there is a minimun of feces under the seats/in the trunk ect. IMO get a civic or teg B/C parts are everywhere and if you get bored and do a cheap 1g b16 hybrid, when ever you get now stuff for the ITR, you can put all the ITR parts on your beater. Man, I want one now.

 

Great suggestions so far. I'll add a few more:

1) Vehicle history. Always, without exception, a private-sale 1 or 2 owner car with maintenance records will be a better choice than an auction car or used-car-lot ride (repo, total/salvage-repaired, etc). Knowing *anything* about a car's history is better than knowing *nothing*. The cars that end up on used-car-lots are NOT the ones that are usually worth owning.

2) Read the car by the quality of the components on it. Does it have expensive Michelin tires, or 4-for-$99 Cooper Cobras? Fram/OEM filter or generic? Bosch/NGK spark plugs or generic? Etc... chances are great that if a car has crap parts on it when you look at it, it's had crap parts on it for most of its life, and it's well on its way to NOT lasting forever as a result.

3) Specific to Hondas, look for evidence of timing belt replacement and valve adjustments. I think there are more junky-***, beater, money-pit Hondas on the market than any other brand of car (at least around here). People buy them for their reliability, drive the snot out of them, and don't maintain them much. Then they wonder why the thing is leaking two fluids and clicking relentlessly and idling roughly and etc... at only 120k miles. Then they put them up for sale, and wonder why people are offering them $2000 less than their asking price. Yeah, Hondas are reliable, but they do require maintenance, just like any other piece of machinery...

Generally speaking, your standards should be high in proportion to how much you plan to spend. Under $1500, you're usually lucky to find anything that runs well and needs no immediate maintenance. Under $2500, you can hold out for a well-maintained "no stories" car that will last another 100k miles.

Also, as per your list above, weigh the value of what needs to be replaced against the asking price. Blown shocks are a very small deal financially compared to a clutch job. A leaky valve cover gasket is much less of a worry than a leaky head gasket. And so on...

BTW- Don't be afraid to negotiate. I've found that people selling beaters are generally swayed by *anyone* who shows up with cash in hand. Even "stretch the truth" if you have to. Report to the owner that his/her rear shocks are blown, and mention that it will cost $300 to fix at the dealer. Then get them to knock $200 off the asking price, and go get $40 worth of cheap shocks to install yourself. See what I mean?

Hope that helps,

Jon
former owner of the following beaters: 86 MR2, 87 Supra, 79 RX-7, 84 RX-7, 87 CRX Si, 72 Ford F-100

 

Not really on topic but...

-Dave
former owner of the following beaters: 1986 Pontiac 6000 STE, 1987 LeBaron non-turbo, 1985 Toyota Cressida, 1990 Isuzu Pickup (also autox wh0re)

Current owner of the following beaters: 1988 Conquest TSi and 1993 Nissan 2000 GSR

 

-rust
-cup holder (make sure it hold a 12 oz. bee... mmm soda)

Will