For me, it is ostentatious, oversized rims and "little old lady" stories. I also get a kick out of "the car doesn't currently run - it just needs a $10 part from the salvage yard" line.
Just saying, my 87 silverado had like half of those things wrong with it....heavily worn steering, broken column, cheap tires,chrome valve covers (which I HATE and will be replacing with stock ones), duralast battery (of course it was dead), in a used tire shop lot in a hillbilly town ("cheapie's used tires"). Trans was toast too. It did have newer (but not that new) spark plugs and good oil though. It was a shitty truck, but had a nice engine in it.lacville78 said:I am a bit late to the party, but here are my red flags.
Aftermarket steering wheels, Thick engine oil, Duralast parts, High engine idle and Poorly routed aftermarket spark plug wires (usually go hand in hand), fram oil filter, discolored transmission fluid, Giant red wire going from the battery from a former boom box install, Discolored coolant, Non functional Airconditioning, Cheap Tires, Squeaky Ball joints (Chrysler, and Ford), Ticks, Taps, Knocks from the engine and blow by coming from the oil fill cap, Transmission slippage or torque converter shudder, I would say engine mods or anything like that, but I don't usually buy the type of cars that people tune on.
I also turn the key on, and look for functioning idiot lights, then start and look for them.
Pictures of the car taken while the car is still wet from hosing it off!
Then I look at the seller, I avoid Youngsters, and people from the economic lower class. (Takes one to know one )
Now of course, these are general rules, I've bought many beater cars for the right price with a red flag or two.
Also Cars parked in Gas Station Parking lots with for sale signs.
And the obligatory:
Fords, Dodges (Other than slant six), Chevrolet 3100 and that goofy Vega engine, and Cadillac Diesel and Cadillac 4.x engines (Don't wanna ruffle any feathers, but my money, my choice)
Also any kind of missing parts, Once I was looking at getting a Monte Carlo with T-Tops, but one was missing, The Owner told me it fell into the Gulf of Mexico while he was fishing, BUT ITS COOL because he can tell me exactly where it was at, Uhhhh yaa, I'm not scuba diving! I passed.
Just my view on it.2manyhotrods said:Red flag to me as an automobile dealer. 3 BIG issues seen on Carfax occasionally.
1. Accident, towed from the scene.
2. Accident, Air bag deployed.
3. Accident, structural damage.
I completely loose interest when I read those statements. Cuts the value in half!
As a seller can you explain to a buyer around that?
Prior reconstructed-salvage is another toughie but a very cheap price can overcome that one. The word PRIOR is important, it means it was repaired, inspected and made road. worthy again.
If the word PRIOR is missing........you got lot of work ahead of you.
You should see it when my wife borrows my sons car for a few days...all kinds of crap in it...and when she has a planned meeting or something, the yard becomes the trash can...pisses me off to open the front door on the way to work and see a plastic cup, soda bottle, or some other container of food or beverage in the grass where the car once sat...Yup. for better or worse, my mother is generally my gauge for the general female population, along with my sisters, and going off that, cars are giant purses with wheels. Nothing more, and often a LOT less.