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What are the major red flags when looking at used cars that make you walk/run away?

6K views 71 replies 38 participants last post by  CadillacLuke24 
#1 ·
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.
 
#24 ·
"Mechanic's Special"
^I actually look for that! everything is negotiable as long as the price is.

I try to stay away from "main body damage"AKA roof,quarter panel..stuff like that,that requires welding or body filler. a bent up door,or fender is fine.even a bent frame as long as it unbolts.I stay away from "repainted" vehicles too. I'll buy a wreck long before I buy a rebuilt wreck.


..and when a mechanic decides it's time to just get rid of the car, you probably don't want it.
^This,lol. I'm a mechanic,when I sell a vehicle it was either put together cheap as possible intended for resale,it's at the point the value is less then the repairs,or I pieced it together from scraps parts or seconds that came from another vehicle I'm keeping,haha.

True story:D
 
#7 ·
Re: What Are The Major Red Flags When Looking At Used Cars That Make You Walk/Run Awa

Aftermarket wheels. Excessive window tint. Evidence of tinkering with the air intake system. K&N anything. Evidence of tinkering with the OEM suspension. Aftermarket sound system. Hack jobs for muffler "upgrades". Oddball alarm and remote start systems, especially along with amateur install work. Rust in the lower fender and door seams. Over 100K miles. For a Northstar engine, earlier than year model 2000. An uncomfortable feeling that a transmission or clutch is not just right. Filthy oil on the engine dipstick. Overfilled transmission. ANY evidence of oil, gas or coolant snake oil use.
 
#22 ·
Re: What Are The Major Red Flags When Looking At Used Cars That Make You Walk/Run Awa

Aftermarket wheels. Excessive window tint. Evidence of tinkering with the air intake system. K&N anything. Evidence of tinkering with the OEM suspension. Aftermarket sound system. Hack jobs for muffler "upgrades". Oddball alarm and remote start systems, especially along with amateur install work. Rust in the lower fender and door seams. Over 100K miles. For a Northstar engine, earlier than year model 2000. An uncomfortable feeling that a transmission or clutch is not just right. Filthy oil on the engine dipstick. Overfilled transmission. ANY evidence of oil, gas or coolant snake oil use.
Oh boy, this is just about every used car in Montreal!
 
#8 ·
Anything but a relative low mileage 100% original car, preferably one or maybe two adult owner car, paper work to support the car was serviced according to manufacturers recommendation and by an authorized dealer. I have had good luck with all three of the Sevilles I have owned!
 
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#11 ·
Red Flag? If it was ever owned by one guy that worked for me.

Great human being but didn't care a thing about cars.

He NEVER washed his car. He still had the window sticker glue rectangle on the car 4 years after purchase. The car looked so bad that the dealer took their logo and license frame off the car when he had it in for service.

But he made the best trade-in deal I ever saw. I went with him to pick up his new car. I am not making this up, the back seat of his old car was filled with fast food bags and wrappers. I mean filled, like to the bottom of the windows. The dash, console and even headliner were covered with dried sticky brown liquid, apparently from an emergency stop while holding a Big Gulp. In the passenger seat footwell he had a can of oil, a half empty bottle of antifreeze and some jumper cables. He told me he hoped we didn't need to stop many times because the clutch was going out. And it was. The last few miles it was slipping even in low gears at low RPMs. Now he had never talked trade but told them he wanted to trade his old car in and wanted $6,000. High private sale blue book was probably around $4k. But it was the worst shape car I had ever seen. You would have to pay me $1,000 to take it. The salesman had seen the car and decided he could just kill the trade in by low balling. So he offered him $1000, positive the buyer who wanted $6k would reject the offer. His mouth wasn't even closed before my friend said: "deal".
 
#14 ·
Well from the years i'v watched my family buy cars and since i'v only really bought two cars in my life. One time back when my father bought a 98 Deville nice car but he was looking for a 00-01 Eldo in white well we went to our local dealer Gold Coast. And they had one Eldo that was a 2000 in white ETC if i recall and there was a huge dent in the bumper well at that time back then the car was still going for a ton! So my father asked the salesmen if they would fix that dent if he bought it. The salesmen said no because you were buying a used car that has 28K miles so my father walked away from that car and found the 98 that was perfect. There's been countless times where we have walked away from a car even new because of little things. Like the one me and my father went to look at the speedo was stuck at 40mph and a plastic piece off of the turn signal. The dealer said they would fix only the Speedo since that was a safety hazzard. That's all long post from me!
 
#17 ·
Wheels larger than 18" on cars, car probably still wreaks of weed on the inside, judging by who drives cars with ridiculous wheels. Speaking of that, anybody who smokes in their car, if it smells like a bowling alley, forgitaboutittt.

Newer cars with trashed/nasty interiors. If you can't even keep the inside halfway clean, I know you never bothered with oil changes or other such "trivial" things.
 
#18 · (Edited)
This is a very good question!

There are two types of red flags that make me walk/run away; red flags related to the dealer, red flags about the car itself.

Red flags related to the dealer:
1- The sales guy complements me, my car, or the car that I am looking at too much and/or in a creepy way!
Example 1: Sales guy: "I wish i looked like you because I would be able to pick up girls on a daily basis"! WTF!? Seriously?
Example 2: I parked in front of the office and walked into the office. The sales manager knows me and knows that how much I love my Cadillac. Sales manager: "We all were looking at your Cadillac saying that what a clean car you have", and I was in an Audi dealership!
Example 3: Sales guy who is trying to convince me to buy a Camaro: "test drive this car around and you will see how many girls will check you and you car out!

2- When I See a dirty, damaged car with problems sitting on the lot and the sales guy tries to convince me that they will fix all of the problems if I buy the car!

3- When the dealer tries to hide or underrate the problems!

4- When I mention the problems of the car and the guy stares at me and says that the car is used and it is normal, while my 14 year old Cadillac with 146k miles on it is cleaner and in better shape than their 5 year old car with just 50k!

5- When the seller says that the price is firm and asks me do I negotiate when I go to buy grocery.

====
Red flags related to the car:
1- Any form of "upgrade", modification, or aftermarket thing on the car is a red flag for me.
2- Dirty, trashed interior.
3- If the engine or transmission is replaced a few months ago! It begs the question if the owner has spent so much money to replace engine or transmission, why he is selling the car now?
4- Any funny or strange noise, smell, or vibration.
 
#21 ·
bigm57ict said:
..and when a mechanic decides it's time to just get rid of the car, you probably don't want it.

:histeric:

----------

Amen! I've always wondered about this when i see an ad that says "less than 5000 miles on rebuilt/new engine".
A friend of mine bought a 190k suburban for 1800 with a trans with 3 months on it.....I wouldn't say the truck is a money pit (needed tires, brakes, and the rear end rebuilt), but it sure isn't in the best of shape (then again, against my advise, he bought it at night)....he woke up in the morning to find (surprise!) that he bought a rustbucket truck with a rotted out cargo doors sill, rusty fenders, quarters, and rockers
 
#25 ·
BlazerZR5 said:
^I actually look for that! everything is negotiable as long as the price is.

I try to stay away from "main body damage"AKA roof,quarter panel..stuff like that,that requires welding or body filler. a bent up door,or fender is fine.even a bent frame as long as it unbolts.I stay away from "repainted" vehicles too. I'll buy a wreck long before I buy a rebuilt wreck.
This. I bought my 00 safari with a bad motor BECAUSE it had a bad motor (cheap, and because I had a motor in a totaled van, even with labor, purchase price+ engine swap came in at about 1/3 book of the 00)
I also bought my cadillac knowing it had some rust (on the door bottoms) and piddly body damage. I can fix that (or unbolt and swap parts)

The main points I look for are- not overly trashed interior, good mechanical condition, no frame damage or frame rot/ underbody rot, no major rust on welded on body panels, no aftermarket rims/ jacked up suspension mods, no ghetto stereo installation
 
#28 ·
#3. The seller is an independent used car lot and the top of the salesman's shirt is open and he has one or more prominent gold chains around his neck . . . . .

(sorry Tony!) :D
 
#30 ·
^ well, that was definitely a typo! :thepan:

:D
 
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