what is your "50 pt" check on a new car?

[BerniniCaCO3]

Not actually looking for a car at the moment.

But now that I've been through a harrowing car buying experience, first with a volvo that was a lemon, and now with a colony park wagon that was actually in very good shape, but still needed tons of work just by virtue of being 20 years old. Systems that worked fine when I bought it, stopped working without overt warning. But, 3 months ago i didn't know how to change my own oil; maybe they'd be more obvious to me now. Like the new cooling hoses and radiator that I eventually needed, and the fun fact that 4 window motors all failed within a month of each other, without warning :-D (it WAS the motors, not the wiring or a simple fuse, btw).

The average guy knows a few of the plainer things. Are the tires bald? Does the AC blow icy cold? There aren't any check engine lights blaring are there...? And unfortunately, to some degree these aren't even the most important thing. A stuck window motor or new tires can be some of the cheaper repairs by car standards today.

What is on YOUR 50-point checklist when looking over a car? Can you usually tell what systems are on their way out, before waiting for them to fail with a surprise a couple months later?

[sly]

check all electrics (door locks, windows, lights, door lamps, blinkers, hazards, radio, etc etc), check for rust, smell the dipsticks (oil and trans, look for black/burnt looking fluids and smell oil for gas smell or milky look after test drive). Check radiator fluid for milky look, oil floating on top. if possible, check wheels/brakes/rotor wiggle that would indicate bad bearings or suspension components. Go up a slight hill at 30-45 mph with light throttle to check for torque converter shudder for those transmissions that use clutch type converters (think aero/whale).

check for rust as much as possible. Generally you can only tell what mechanical stuffs are worn and tending to need attention. Electrics are very hard to foresee.

[pantera77]

I only check for 1 thing.
Rust.

[1990LTD]

engine - does it run? does it sound like a typewriter when its running? any fluids leaking ANYWHERE? check all gaskets. how do the oil in the crank look? is the coolant gross?

any visible signs of neglect or shitty hackjob repairs being performed in the past.

[GM_Guy]

Rust. Starting by a good long poke along the underneath of everything. If there is visible body rust I probably won't even start looking at it, if it looks good, then I try to spot if its a cover up job. I get the strangest looks when the first thing I do after a cursory once over the bodywork is crawl under the car and start tapping everywhere. Poor structure isn't worth repairing. Some people only care about makeup on the face, the bones are more important.

Secondary is how it runs. Engines are easy. Bodywork just plain sucks.

Electrics. Stuff that don't work is money knocked off the asking price. If we're talking a low buck vehicle, then you just need to assess it on whats important to you. If I've got a rust free vehicle but no windows work, I would consider it at asking price. Just depends on what it is, and how bad I would want it. Not much you can do about stuff that breaks afterward. Shit happens, deal with it.

As a whole it just affects the price I'm willing to pay. How much depends on where the vehicle is in its lifecycle. A $15,000 fully restored classic gets $ deducted in line with the cost to repair. A $1000 beater mobile just gets minor price adjustments since its already priced dirt cheap and you KNOW the thing has issues before you even get there. Ie: The $15k restored with 4 bad windows would get the cost of 4 window motors + token labour deducted. The beater mobile may just lose a hundred bucks cause if you where to hit them with 4 motors + labour, they would owe you money. =-)

The most important is just getting familiar with the model your interested in before hand. That doesn't necessarily mean asking "what should I look at on a used crown vic?" Too generic, it'll get you some common problems though. I mean getting a service manual and knowing where things are, how its bolted together, perusing forums and checking photos of repairs/restorations to see what extent problems are if its a new-to-you model. GM trucks from 67-72 body mounts are one of the things I'd be looking at the closest here since the road salt eats them. The 73-87 trucks don't suffer from it as much, so its just a cursory glance.

Alex.

[gadget73]

look for rust and body damage. If you find some, look for more. Keep looking until you're sure you found it all, then be prepared for the stuff you didn't see. I own that car. The mechanical stuff was far easier than trying to find good panels for all the repairs. Also finding someone crazy enough to actually be willing to replace a chunk of the roof wasn't the easiest thing.

[87_crown_vic]

i check tires, brakes, hoses, radiator and other fluids, look for leaks that werent cleaned well, open radiator cap and start car watching for bubbles exposing blown head gasket, check exhaust, look at overall condition of vehicle, look at suspension parts and bushings, check electrical
(dont worry about radio since i do my own install), check to see if it has locking lugnuts and if key is with car, listen to engine and watch it while parked testing different things, those are my main things... besides looking up common issues with cars and finding out the cost to repair common issues

[zoomie]

check to see if the car has been repainted anywhere if it has good chance it has been in a wreck at some point inits life.