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Buying A Used Car Part 1: Exterior Inspection – EricTheCarGuy

   May 7, 2021  49 Comments on Buying A Used Car Part 1: Exterior Inspection – EricTheCarGuy

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I’ve been asked about doing this video since people started watching my show 3 years ago and since it’s a subject I wanted to spend some time with I made it into 4 parts, this is part 1 Exterior Inspection. I hope this video helps you and gives you some ideas of what to look for when purchasing a used car and if you have anything to add feel free in the comments below.

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49 thoughts on “Buying A Used Car Part 1: Exterior Inspection – EricTheCarGuy”

  1. Udder fings to know
    1. Don't reck ur car…. that;s bad
    2. Don't try to drive ut car wifout gasoline…. often don't werk
    3. Never drive ur car wifout a steering wheel….. anudder common mistake
    4. Always use a car that has brakes…… help when trying to stop the car.
    5. If tires are bald….. making extra turns may help
    6. Usually go forward when driving ur car….. Especially if ur rookey
    7. Never go down the highway when cruising in reverse
    8. Never drive ur car wifout a windshield – bugs git in ur teef
    9. Usually never have a blind driver in ur car…..

  3. I just bought the same car today… these videos are going to help me so much with getting all the fluids and essential things done to get it back into good shape… the head gaskets and timing belt were changed about 15,000 miles ago. The only problems right now are AC wont work, brakes press to the floor and pulse back, and possibly a coolant leak, i didn't see any in the reservoir so i'll be getting all that done this week/weekend

  4. The guy I'm thinking about buying a fun car from is ASE certified himself but since I have another car and I'm mainly getting this one because it's a panther platform ('94 Grand Marquis), I'm not way too concerned about it having to be something to rely on on the daily. I definitely plan on looking it over well and running tests on it if he lets me. My friend says he's wanting $400 for it and it just needs a water pump (so cooling system flus too), so I'll say I can probably get a somewhat healthy car for under $1000 plus the legal stuff.

  5. I want to say to anyone who thinks people will be weird if you start doing everything on this list, don't panic.
    They will be weird. But…then they'll realize you're not stopping, and you're checking everything, and they'll volunteer information about past crashes, dents, and problems they felt were too small to list in the listing.

    Source:
    I literally bought a car today and the only reason I felt confident was these videos. I have zero knowledge about cars, all cars are either cars or trucks. My dad does, but he focused on what was under the hood. I wrote down a list of everything EricTheCarGuy said to check (except the gas and bending down the back seats, whoops) and the reasons why, including under the hood. Then I started to check everything, and both my dad and the sellers were kinda weirded out. But then the seller took my dad and started pointing things out before I could get to them. My dad did try to rush me, but I just kept going.
    Later, during the test drive, my dad actually asked me what was next on the list he was so impressed with it, and when he asked, I could tell him what to check for, which impressed both my dad and the seller. I thought this was nice as I was buying it off craiglist, and haggling is important, and people generally drop their price if they think you're on to them. Luckily, the sellers wasn't doing anything shady.

    Thank you EricTheCarGuy, you made me confident in what I was doing, in an area I have NO confidence in. I don't even feel confident buying gas. I felt like I knew what I was doing because you showed me, and it seemed like I knew what I was doing to everyone else. Also, thanks for showing me where the windshield wipers and windshield vent were, I've never had to use them, but I definitely checked them.

    Now, you just need to have Part 5: 'The paperwork'. I looked it up on my own, but it would be nice if you did the complete set.

  9. Some years ago, I paid $100 for a used car inspection from a dealership that sold the brand of car I was buying. They missed that the spare tire–which was stored underneath the car–had a gaping hole in it. It's not something that would have occurred to me to look at, but I always do it now. And after watching yours and Chris's videos on this subject, I will never again pay someone to do what I can do myself. From what I remember, when I asked, they said they only checked things like lights, windows, and only did a gross inspection on the engine. They did, however, catch that the car needed new tires, and the dealership that sold me the car replaced them for free. Saved me more than the $100 inspection! It was worth it in the end, but the biggest lesson that came from it was to educate myself.

    Eric, thanks so much for putting this content out there!

  16. how do i avoid being scammed with band aid products when buying a used car like- "stop leak" "disabling the check engine light" "transmission help shit lube"…. these products don't show up on inspction & they all mask a deeper problem..

  17. For those of you in the comments it is almost never idea to buy a used luxury car especially if it's German or a sports car. If your buying a used car go for a well reviewed sedan or a reliable pickup.

  20. Hi everyone I have a question for all here , I have a Golf 3 and I have a problem with the wheel, when I want to park the car somewhere it causes problems because it is hard to change the orientation of the car because the wheel is hard to rotate and make a terrible noise under the hood , I checked the hidro-oil it was OK , I checked some belts because I thought they were plucked but they were OK . I don't know where this problem comes from I heard the noise where it comes at the engine but there everything seems OK I think ….

  22. i looked at this 2010 corolla with 100k miles and it seemed ok at first but i saw the oil change sticker said last change was 45k miles! the girl claimed she got a change since then but has no proof. the dip stick oil didnt look too good either…how can i know if it has really been that long since an oil change and if it was in fact that that long ago is the car even worth buying? thank u

  26. yeah carfax only keeps track of what was reported, we bought a 2007 Acura TSX once, clean carfax, complete service history, only 70,000mi, then we get it home, start to look it over, the passenger side taillight doesn't fit right, then we open up the trunk, the seams don't match, there was overspray in the back wheel well, luckily the dealership agreed to take it back, but never trust JUST carfax, always have a good look over the car yourself.

  27. I feel like I should buy a blacklight, having read what the one guy said about getting a car with feces all over the interior. lol

  28. I would be very careful when buying a used car. I bought one trusting a mechanic that took a look and gave me the thumbs up ( I was out of town on business do I could. Oh not seethe car) so I bought it . I later found out the previous owner got sick in the car often and got feces all over the seats. I will never again thst Abby body. to look for me

  37. Eric the car guy I need your help my 09 Dodge Journey Rt is leaking water inside the vehicle whenever it rains and dodge is trying to say its not a recall or a factory defect please help me to put dodge on blast and help everyone that is having the same problem can you figure out why its leaking water and explain to dodge that it is their fault and they should stand by their product I have been watching your videos, since the beginning and I'm a big fan

  38. hi Eric, u helped me out before but not sure how to message u so I chose this video to comment on. I just bought a 82 Chrysler new Yorker, u know the big body stuff lol. having a issue that kinda makes me nervous. if I go anything above 40 mph the car begins to vibrate, not shake but vibrate like a massage chair but only while maintaining speed, however when I let off the gas and court the vibrations emediately stop. has me tires and balanced, tie rod I'm sure needs replaced to, hoping it's not a trans issue or Axel. maybe it needs new Axel oil? car only has 72,000 original miles so it seem to be a fairly sound vehicle, please tell me what u think it could be. thank you

  39. Finally, after 10 months of watching you, Eric, you sold me on my skills. You're very, very smart and extremely inventive. It was time to subscribe. Thanks from Puyallup, Washington.

  40. Hey Eric. Dont know if it was mentioned earlier not however when checking the doors. I would recommend grabbing the door from the top corner and lift up and down. To indicate if the hinges are good or worn and need replacing. Most generally its only the drivers door.Also if the hinges are worn it may make the seam of the body panels not match up. Not trolling you, sure you know just missed it. Love the vids !

  41. this is some really good advice, wish i had known it before i bought my first vehicle. the tires on my first car had abnormal wear on them (rounded on the outside) and it turns out that the springs were completely worn, they actually had rubber spacers placed in there to keep it from sagging. so not only did i need new tires, i needed 4 new struts, which wasn't cheap at the stealership i went to ($1500). ever since then i've been doing all my own vehicle work and continually learning more tips and tricks

  43. Good informational video. Whenever I go to buy a car, I am usually critical of any body damages or serious paint scratches (specially paint missing from a scratch). some of the deal breakers for me on a car include weird engine noises, serious body damage, visible body rust, damage on seats like rips/cuts, really nasty garbage filled interior, windows having trouble going up/down and a few others. Most of these issues show me that they don't care much for the car or even bother with its up keep. I also check all the fluids and their respective leaks. If the transmission oil in a 150000+km car looks like black tar then that shows me they have been running the car into the ground.

    now records of service are nice to have if they have them but some people like me understand that you can easily do much of the basic work on your car yourself for a fraction of total cost. Basic work includes, change of most fluids like engine oil and transmission, brake pad, rotors, etc.

    Now problems I look out for to try and bring down cost is worn out wipers, scratches on the windshield(s) from vipers, chips on windshield, minor paint chips (I know a body guy who is great for small paint damages), small scratches on paint body, somewhat worn tires (only in summer), minor scratches on the interior, light garbage in cars (like gum stuck to carpet or really dirty carpet which will require serious cleaning), bad odors inside car, and many others.

    I try and knock down price by making a list of known issues and roughly how much a decent mechanic would charge to work on. Say a cabin filter costs $25 and $30 to change. I will ask to knock down roughly $55-60.

    The more the cost of a car the more critical I will be.

  44. One point I would like to add for structural and body issues; pop the hood and the trunk. All of the paint should be the base color of the car and a dull non clear coat finish. Also, the screws should be untouched and look like the have never been messed with since the car was made. Any clear coat painted panels inside of the trunk / hood may indicate body / structural work. As well as any screws that have been undone or you can visibly see they were taken off and then put back on; Scratches, nicks etc. would indicate structural or panel work post accident.

  45. That thing looks like all its good for is stripping the interior and making it a rally car. Do a little repairs like cleaning the fuck out of it, changing the tires, fixing up that rust on the body, upgrade the engine a bit, and get a rally suspension.

  47. that car is dirty as hell, if they took good care of it why is it like crap in the inside. Unless it was sitting for months with the windows opened, which i doubt it, it shouldn't be like a trash can inside haha

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