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Used car checklist

Tick each check as you go, and tap the flag on anything that looks wrong. Every check names the bad sign to watch for.

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Before you go

A phone call can save you the trip.

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Ask why they are selling, and how long they have owned it.
Bad sign: Vague answers, or they bought it only weeks ago and are already selling.
Ask if it has been in a crash or a flood, or had big repairs.
Bad sign: A story that changes, or a no that a history report later turns into a yes.
Ask whose name is on the title, and if there is still a loan on the car.
Bad sign: The title is not in the seller's name, or there is a loan with no clear plan to pay it off.
Get the VIN. Run a history report and a recall check before you drive out.
Bad sign: They will not share the VIN, or the report shows salvage, flood, or miles that go down over time.
Check recalls at NHTSA (opens in a new tab)
Ask them not to start or drive the car before you arrive.
Bad sign: The engine is already warm when you get there. A warm engine can hide hard starts and noises.
Ask them to bring the title, the service records and every key.
Bad sign: No title on hand, or no records at all for a car with high miles.
Plan to see it in daylight and dry weather, somewhere public and safe.
Bad sign: They only want to meet at night or in the rain. Both hide dents, paint work and leaks.

Walk around

Slowly, all the way round, then crouch down.

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Look down each side from a corner, and check the gaps between panels are even.
Bad sign: Wavy reflections, or a gap wide on one side and tight on the other. Both point to crash repair.
Compare the paint color and shine from panel to panel.
Bad sign: One panel a slightly different shade, paint on rubber trim, or paint on the bolt heads.
Check the wheel arches, door bottoms, the sills under the doors, and under the trunk mat for rust.
Bad sign: Bubbling paint, holes or flaking metal. Light surface rust underneath is common. Rot through the body is not.
Look underneath with a flashlight at the frame and the exhaust.
Bad sign: Bent, kinked or welded frame rails, heavy rot, or fresh undercoating sprayed over everything.
Do the penny test on each tire: a penny upside down in a groove, Lincoln's head toward you.
Bad sign: You can see the top of Lincoln's head. That is 2/32 of an inch of tread or less, and the tire is worn out.
Check each tire wears evenly across its width, and the four match.
Bad sign: One edge worn more than the other, or patchy, scalloped wear. That points to alignment or suspension trouble.
Read the four digit date on each tire's sidewall: the week, then the year it was made.
Bad sign: Tires more than about six years old, or cracks in the sidewall, even with tread left.
Check the windshield and every window for chips and cracks.
Bad sign: A crack in the driver's view, or a chip big enough to spread.
With a helper, try every light: headlights high and low, brake lights, turn signals and reverse.
Bad sign: A light out, or fog and water inside a lens.

Under the hood

With the engine off and cool.

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Pull the dipstick and check the oil level and color. Look under the oil filler cap too.
Bad sign: Very low oil, or a milky, frothy look. Milky oil can mean coolant is getting in.
Check the coolant level in the overflow tank. Never open the cap on a hot engine.
Bad sign: Low coolant, a rusty or oily look, or a sweet smell around the engine.
If there is a transmission dipstick, check the fluid color and smell. Many cars have none.
Bad sign: Dark brown or black fluid that smells burnt.
Check the brake fluid sits between the marks on its reservoir.
Bad sign: Fluid below the low mark, or very dark fluid.
Look for wet spots on the engine, and on the ground where the car was parked.
Bad sign: Fresh drips of oil, coolant or other fluid. A spotless engine on an older car can be hiding them.
Look at the belts and squeeze the hoses.
Bad sign: Belts that are cracked, frayed or shiny. Hoses that are soft, swollen or brittle.
Check the battery terminals and the date on the battery's label.
Bad sign: Heavy white or green crust on the terminals, or a battery about five years old or more.

Inside

Sit in every seat and touch every button.

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Turn the key to on before you start it. The dash lights should all come on, then go out once it runs.
Bad sign: A warning light that stays on, or one that never lights at all, such as check engine or air bag. A dead bulb can hide a fault.
Smell the cabin, and lift the floor mats.
Bad sign: A musty smell or damp carpet means a leak or a flood. Strong air freshener can be covering something up.
Look for silt, a water line or rust under the seats, on the seat rails, and in the spare tire well.
Bad sign: Mud or rust where a dry car is clean. Flooded cars are often cleaned up and sold far from where they flooded.
Compare the wear on the seat, wheel and pedals with the miles shown.
Bad sign: A worn through seat or pedals rubbed smooth on a car showing low miles.
Try every window, lock, mirror, seat control, the screen, the speakers and the charging ports.
Bad sign: Anything that works only some of the time. Electrical faults can be slow and costly to track down.
Run the air on max cold and the heat on max hot, on every fan speed and vent.
Bad sign: Air that is not cold within a couple of minutes, a fan that skips speeds, or a sweet smell or foggy windshield from the vents.
Count the keys, and try each remote.
Bad sign: Only one key. A new smart key can cost a few hundred dollars.

Test drive

Radio off, at town and highway speeds.

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Start it from cold and listen for the first minute. Look at the exhaust.
Bad sign: A hard start, a knock or rattle, or blue or thick white smoke that keeps coming. A little thin vapor on a cold day is normal.
Watch the temperature gauge and the idle as it warms up.
Bad sign: The temperature climbing past the middle, or an idle that shakes, surges or stalls.
On a clear, safe road, brake firmly from about 30 mph.
Bad sign: Pulling to one side, grinding or squealing, a pulsing pedal, or a pedal that feels soft or sinks.
On a straight, flat road, relax your grip for a moment. Then turn full left and right in a parking lot.
Bad sign: It drifts or pulls, the wheel sits crooked going straight, or it clunks or whines as you turn.
Feel every shift, speeding up gently and then firmly. Try reverse.
Bad sign: Revs that rise while the car does not speed up, harsh or late shifts, a delay into drive or reverse, or a shudder at low speed.
Drive over bumps and rough road and listen.
Bad sign: Clunks over bumps, squeaks and rattles, or a hum that rises with speed, often a wheel bearing.
Get it up to highway speed for a few minutes if you can.
Bad sign: Shaking in the wheel or seat, the car wandering in its lane, or noise that keeps growing.
Back where you started, leave it running and look underneath and under the hood again.
Bad sign: New drips, smoke, a burning smell, or a hot engine with the cooling fan never coming on.

Paperwork

The car is only as good as its title.

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Check the name on the title matches the seller's photo ID.
Bad sign: A different name. It can mean someone flipping cars without a dealer license, or a car that is not theirs to sell.
Read the title for words such as salvage, rebuilt, flood or lemon.
Bad sign: Any of them, if you were not told. Branded titles are harder to insure, finance and sell on.
Look for a lender, or lienholder, on the title.
Bad sign: A lender is listed and there is no lien release. The loan has to be paid off before the car can be yours.
Match the VIN on the dashboard (seen through the windshield), on the driver's door jamb sticker and on the title.
Bad sign: Any character that differs, or a VIN plate that is scratched, loose or covered.
Read the service records for regular oil changes and big jobs done on time.
Bad sign: Long gaps in time or miles, or no records at all on a car with high miles.
Compare the odometer with the miles on old records, inspections and the history report.
Bad sign: Miles that go down over time, or a reading lower than an older record.
Check the VIN at NHTSA for open safety recalls.
Bad sign: A recall that was never fixed. The repair is usually free at a dealer for the brand, but ask them to confirm first.
Check recalls at NHTSA (opens in a new tab)

Before you pay

The last checks are the ones that save the most.

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Have an independent mechanic you choose do a pre purchase inspection, with the car on a lift.
Bad sign: The seller will not allow it, or insists on their own shop. A good car can stand an inspection.
Ask the mechanic to scan for trouble codes, and to check whether codes were recently cleared.
Bad sign: Codes cleared just before the sale. That can hide a check engine light for a while.
Get the out the door price in writing: the price, tax, title and registration, and every dealer fee.
Bad sign: Fees that show up only at signing, or add ons you did not ask for.
If you are borrowing, get a preapproval from your bank or credit union first, and compare it with the dealer's offer.
Bad sign: Talk only about the monthly payment, or a rate higher than the one you were approved for.
X ray a dealer offer
At a dealer, read the Buyers Guide on the window. Read every page before you sign.
Bad sign: Sold as is when you were told it had a warranty, or blank spaces left in the contract.
Pay in a way that leaves a record, such as a cashier's check, and get a signed bill of sale and the signed title.
Bad sign: Pressure to pay cash on the spot, by wire or gift card, or before the title is in your hand.
If anything felt off, sleep on it. There is always another car.
Bad sign: A price that is only good today.

Red flags found

None yet. Tap the flag beside any check that looks wrong and it lands here, ready to show your mechanic.

Check a car X ray a dealer offer

General tips that fit most cars, not a full inspection. Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.

Used car checklist

Before you go

Walk around

Under the hood

Inside

Test drive

Paperwork

Before you pay

Red flags found

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