By 
Having been married to a car dealer for many years and also having worked extensively in the auto industry, I can offer you some advice that you will find very useful if you are looking to buy a cheap used car that should give you decent performance. value for money from her.
Do not go for a flashy model
Flashy cars that have a cool image are likely to have been trashed by kid racers and other pond life. Choose a make and model that may be unattractive and boring, but have probably been well handled and properly cared for..
How many miles? Think of a number and triple it
Frankly, looking at the number of miles on the clock is a complete waste of time. As much as it’s illegal and all, there can’t be a used car dealer in the world that hasn’t given the cars a “haircut” – business jargon means the mileage reading has been rolled up upside down. You are more likely to estimate the age of a car by evaluating a combination of factors. (See below)
Mileage: a high one is not necessarily the end of the world
If the car you’re looking for was a company car and was driven by members of the sales force, for example, it’s very likely that most of its miles were accrued on expressways (high-speed highways) and it was serviced. regularly. Within reason, such a car may be a better bet than a very low mileage car that has been driven to the mall and back once a week at high revs in low gear and only serviced when the engine it was burning blue smoke.
state of the interior
Although the interior might have been “dusted” ie British slang means cleaned up well, you will still be able to see signs of wear and tear on the dash, center console, steering wheel and also if the seats feel and look like pancakes. soaked. That will give you more information about the car’s age than the exterior which might have been repainted (see below).
Interior condition – pedals
Considering the general appearance of the interior, check the pedals. If they’re as worn as the interior, that’s fine, but if they look very new, that means they’ve been replaced. The pedals, the condition of the interior and the mileage must agree with each other; if not, be careful.
Bodywork – full surface paint job
Let yourself be guided by common sense. Too shiny and new looking, chances are it’s been resprayed, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it’s been done correctly. Open the doors and see if the color is the same on the ends of the panel, and check the inside of the hood (hood) for any discrepancies. You can also see evidence when you look inside the engine compartment.
Body – paint job here or there
Especially if the car is red or a metallic colour, it is usually very easy to see if a part of the bodywork (for example a fender) has been repainted, suggesting that some damage caused by an accident has been repaired, because the colors almost never match exactly. The odd panel that is slightly different shouldn’t be a concern because if it has been hit, a panel suggests a minor collision. However, there is more than one panel, and you should think twice: the trunk (trunk)/hatch and both rear quarters suggest a strong rear impact, and the hood (hood) plus both front quarters, front panel, etc. suggest a front-ender. See engine (motor), below. Another reason to partially respray is that the panel(s) in question was badly rusted; avoid it. The rust comes back quickly.
Bodywork – padding
If the paint job appears to be suffering from mild cellulite, the damage and/or rust may have been “removed” (slapped with things that look a bit like the products you use before painting the walls) and repainted. This means that because the metal underneath is damaged, moisture can get into the cracks and rot the panel under the filler. There are two ways to check for padding: 1) Tap around the panel with your knuckles or a blunt jewel. The sound will be different in the filled areas. 2) Carry a small magnet to see the car. It will adhere to the metal but not to the filler.
Body: gaps, creases and wobbly parts
This is where you can really scare the seller off because unless you have a fairly deep understanding of post-accident damage repair, you won’t know what the heck you’re doing. Then SMILE. Walk slowly around the car. Stand at one end and look across the ceiling to the front. Can you see any teeth or slight creases? If it can, it may mean that the car was in a serious collision and the structural integrity could have been compromised. Check the sides of the car for wavy or wobbly sections that may have been caused by the same. Then look at the gaps between the panels, for example on both sides of the hood. Are they the same in width? If not, it suggests that the hood (hood) has been removed. Why? By painting, or by an accident? Similarly, check the gaps on both sides of the boot (trunk) or tailgate. If they are uneven, that suggests a not-so-good repair. Watch out for driver and front passenger doors that look loose on their hinges, especially on a 2- or 3-door car. They will eventually fall off and can be quite expensive to fix.
Drive behind him if you can
This sounds silly, but if you can convince the seller to drive it down the road with you following in your own car. Make sure you or your passenger have a square view of the used car. If it looks crooked or crab-like, don’t touch it, its chassis can twist after a hard collision which can even be dangerous, no matter how light-speed tire wear. Also, while driving behind the car, you’ll see if it’s burning oil (blue smoke, suggesting a worn engine) or overheating (white vapor), suggesting more mechanical problems.
engine bay (engine)
Common sense is key here and you don’t have to be a trained technician to figure out that an engine bay (compartment) that’s covered in dirty oil and grime has probably been around the block a few times. Take a piece of soft paper, take out the dipstick and take a look at the oil level. If it is very low and/or dirty, it suggests abandonment. Engines running on low and/or dirty oil do not last long. While under the hood (hood), check the sides and rear of the area for evidence of buckling or recent welding; basically, if one part looks different than the rest, be careful.
Have a “mechanic” look at it, is it worth it?
it depends. If you’re only paying a relatively small amount for a used car, one of these singing and dancing checks from the auto association this or that is going to cost you a lot of money and really just point out all the little inconveniences you’d expect from a car of that age. in any case. If you want to buy the car and you’re in the UK, it’s worth saying you’ll have it conditional on it passing the UK MoT test, even if you still have time to run the old one. That will catch any bugs in your emissions that could be expensive to fix and check for brakes and other safety issues.
Check that you are not in financing or leasing
If the car appears to have only one set of keys and (in the UK) the logbook/V5 and other documentation has been ‘lost’, this could be due to financing or an unfinished lease. If you buy a car under these circumstances, you could find yourself without the car and no response at the dealership. Although it may not be worth spending money to have the car mechanically checked, if you have any qualifications about the keys and paperwork, don’t touch it without first checking with a company like HPI in the UK, which charges around £20 ( USD around $32.00), and there are even free services available. Find the best one for you by googling “how to check if a car is in financing”.
Good luck and happy driving!