I posted this a while back for people buying a FGF for the first time that wanted a list of questions to ask. Well, since it got killed,,, here you go again. ENGINE/RELATED COMPONENTS What size engine is in the car: What are the casting numbers on the block: Where did the engine come from: How many miles on the engine since its last complete re-build: Any performance/non-stock parts or modifications to the engine: What heads are on the engine: What are the casting numbers from the heads: What type of ignition does the car have: What type of carburetor is on the engine and its size: How old is the carburetor: What type of belt system does the car have, standard or serpentine: How many cores does the radiator have: How old is the radiator: Does the radiator have a mechanical or electric fan: What type of water pump does the car have: What temperature does the car operate at: What oil pressure does the car idle at: What is the oil pressure at 3000 RPM: Does the engine/system leak any fluids at all: If yes, which ones and estimate drops per hour: Does the engine burn any oil: How many miles since the last oil change: What type and weight oil do you run in the engine: How does the engine run (rank from 1 to 10):
TRANSMISSION/RELATED COMPONENTS What type of transmission is in the car: What are the numbers of the transmission: Where did the transmission come from: How many miles on the transmission since its last complete rebuild: Does the transmission have the proper connections to the radiator, radiator cooler etc…: Does the transmission leak any fluid: If yes, estimate drops per hour: If an automatic, does the transmission up shift and down shift smoothly: If an automatic, what type of torque converter is on the transmission: If an automatic, how old is the torque converter: If a manual transmission, how stiff is the clutch: If a manual transmission, how low or high is the clutch pedals engaging point: If a manual transmission, how old is the clutch: How many miles since the fluid was changed: What kind of shifter is in the car:
REAR END Is the axel stock: If no, what kind of axel is it: What type of rear differential does the car have, posi, open, etc…: What is the rear differentials gear ratio: Is this considered a 10 or 12 bolt rear differential: What are the casting numbers from the rear differential: Is the rear differential the original: If no, where did it come from: How many miles on the rear end since its last complete re-build: How many miles since the rear differential oil was changed: Does the rear differential leak any fluid: If yes, estimate how many drips per hour:
SUSPENSION/COMPONENTS Has the front end of the car been rebuilt: If yes, how many miles since its rebuild: What components were replaced during rebuild: If no, what components are new in the front end: What kind of bushings does the front end have: How many miles are on the front springs: Has the rear end of the car been rebuilt: If yes, how many miles since its rebuild: What components were replaced during rebuild: If no, what components are new in the rear end: What kind of bushings does the rear end have: What leaf system does the rear end have: How many miles are on the leaf springs: What kind of gas shocks does the car have: How many miles are on the gas shocks:
STEERING/HANDLING/BRAKING Does the car have drum or disc brakes: Are they power assisted: Are they the original brake system: Does the brake system leak: If yes, where and estimate how many drips per hour: Does this leak affect the braking distance of the car: What is the braking distance of the car: What is the tire size: How many miles on the tires: What is the condition of the tires front/back (1 to 10): What is the rim size and back spacing: What is the condition of the rim (1 to 10): Do any tires rub: Does the car have power steering: Is there any play or binding in the steering: Does the power steering system leak at all: If yes, estimate drips per hour: Does the power steering system groan or make any noises: How does the car handle in turns (rank 1 to 10): Does the car accelerate in a straight line: Does the car brake in a straight line: Does the car dog track: Does the car bottom out on bumps: Does the car pull to the left or right: Is the caster and camber of the car ok: When was the car aligned last: Is the ride stiff or soft: Does car rattle/creek when driven:
INTERIOR/ELECTRICAL/GAUGE PACKAGE Are there any missing components in the interior: If yes, list them: Are there any rips, wear marks, burns, etc… to the interior upholstery: If yes, what and where: What is the overall condition of the interior (rank 1 to 10): What gauges does the car have: Are they operational: Do all the interior, exterior, turning signals, hazards, warning lights, etc… work on the car: If no, what is inoperable:
RUST/BODY Is there any rust on the car at all: If yes list where and the severity of the rust (rank 1 to 10): Is there any body filler on the car at all: If yes, state where and how much: What metal is new on the car and what is original: Do you have pictures of the body striped down without paint: Do you have pictures of the undercarriage without undercoating: Do you have pictures of the inside floor pan without rust-proofing/sealer: Is there any rust in the trunk: What is the condition of the sub-frame: Is the sub-frame/rear frame rails straight: What is the condition of the body bushings: How long since the body bushings replacement: What condition is the weather stripping: Does the car leak: Do all windows roll up/down without assistance: If no, which ones and describe severity: Do doors close easily: Do doors rattle when closed, when pulled does it move: How are the gaps on the car (rank 1 to 10): Do all panels align properly, are they flush: If no please explain: Are there any stress cracks anywhere: If yes please describe:
PAINT How old is the paint: What is the paint color(s): Proved paint supplier and name/codes Is this a single stage paint or clear coat: Are there other layers of paint under this one: If so, how many: Do you have pictures of the painting process, before, during, after: Are there any chips, cracks, blemishes, etc…: If yes, please describe:
OTHER GENERAL INFORMATION What is the VIN#: What is the body tag information: How long have you had the car: How did you come to own the car: How many owners does this car have: Do you know their contact information: Why are you selling the car: What is original about the car: Do you have receipts: Do you have any factory documentation: Has the car ever been in an accident: Do you have a clear title in your name:
Believe me, this list was developed after my car was bought and only because of the great people here, was I able to gain enough knowledge to complete it. HMMMMM, guess this place is good after all
That's a very extensive and well thought-out list. I think I asked maybe a half dozen of those questions, and then said "I'll give you your price if you trailer it the three hours to my house". Sold!
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> So are you guys saying its a bit much? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No Joe, not at all. You can't ask tooooo many questions when looking to buy any old car, very nice list.....even though I fell asleep half way through it, but finished it when I woke up
I thought it was a great list - but I gotta say - if I were selling a car, and the guy buying it asked that many questions, I'd just stop answering them about halfway through thinking this sale isn't worth the hassle! Wait for someone else to come by and just ask "how much yuh want?".
But actually - half of those questions can be answered just by seeing the car in person, and taking it for a spin.
'68 Firebird, 350-4, 2 spd auto, triple black, Dlx Interior
I have to agree with Ash on this one. You can ask too many questions. It's okay for the used car lot, but not with buying special interst cars.
If I had a buyer ask such questions while standing ther looking at the car, it would be a signal that the buyer doesn't have even a baseline working knowledge base on the basic operation of a car, possibly only able to check the oil.
Such a buyer isn't suited for buying special interest cars. Also, a list of questions isn't much help because lots of the answers would be "I don't know."
The best way to buy is to have the knowledge base of knowing what to look for.
If I may make a suggestion, maybe we ought to start a thread of what things to look for, and everyone can add comments about what red flags to look for. It would be a lot more productive than whining.
Joe - I think your list is great - I even forwarded to a friend a few months ago and he used it to help buy a car. Anyway, an exhaustive list can be trimmed on the fly.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I have a question: How cool is this board? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Like ICE!
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">the oil goes in the engine, right? or should I save the car some trouble and just pour it directly onto the garage floor?) </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If it was a Fiat you could save yourself the trouble.... no need for oil change , just fill from top....LOL
The way I see it is like this, I dont want to buy a car from someone that cant answer at least 2/3rds of these questions. Especially since its a special interest vehicle. The guy I bought my car from knew squat about it (owned it for 8+ years and put a lot of work into it too) and neither did I at the time. I wish I would have been on this board before I bought it instead of after and I could have knocked him down even lower than I did. I got a great deal on my car and in my opinion it is a really good car (metal, mechanical, etc...). When I bought the car I couldnt ID a 326 or a 400, I got lucky that he was honest. However, he did tell me it was a TH400 but I later (via this board) found out it was a TH350. My examples could go on further but I dont want to put Kel asleep again This list is intended to be a checklist for the prospective buyer to use when looking at a car. Some of the stuff can just be observed and wrote down but other stuff is just good to ask to gauge the owners knowledge of the vehicle. The more he knows, the better I feel. A guy that cant answer these questions or gets upset about it, to me isnt worth giving my money to. I understand where your coming from Merv, a lot of these questions are silly, but its intended to simply cover everything. I filled out all this information on my car and it was a great learning experience for me. Made me and my baby that much closer. If anyone uses it you can omit what you dont want or add whats missing, but IMHO its a great list and I made it for those that were like me when I was buying my car. It was hard to get past the excitement of buying the car and to focus on the car itself. God forbid, if I am ever selling my car and someone calls about it, all I have to do is forward them this document and it should answer all their questions. Now if they have more after this, then Im gonna smack them
I was just thinking about one of the points you brought up Joe... It is also very helpful to any one selling a car (I just sold two in the last few months) and many "buyers" don't know what to ask, so I end up running down a list of things I've done or had done to the car...
But with a list like you have given us, I could make a form with more info about the car they could hope to have!
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> so I end up running down a list of things I've done or had done to the car... </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">once ,selling my ex`s Toyota , I did that , I went thru all of what I had done............... the guy says "so whats REALLY wrong with the car"? he thought I was using all that to 'hide' something else!
but its a good idea Brett! maybe not pushing it too hard in a sale , more for 'back up'...
Joe - I personally think it is a great check list for the buyer to use when the buyer inspects the car. But with no disrespect intended, if I were a seller, and received such a list; I would write back thanking the prospective buyer for his interest; and suggest the prospective buyer either come look at the car, or send an agent.
Jon.
Good carburetion is fuelish hot air Owner, The Carburetor Shop LLC
I'm just pointing out that buying cars can be more complicated than the list of questions. Because eveyone has his or her own personality, you have to "feel" the seller out.
As a grease monkey by trade, I have considerable experaince with grease monkeys and motorheads. Whether or not we like sterotypes, this group can be sterotyped. If you start banging out a bezillion questions, it might rub them the wrong way. You won't have to worry about walking away from the car becuse they'll decide not to sell it to you. (If the person is offering the car for a fair price, they can afford to be selective to whom they sell. If they are raping you, it's a different story, and they'll play puppet.)
I probally wouldn't sell my car; instead, I would part it if I were to get rid of it. Let's say that I was going to sell it for a fair price. If someone bombarded me with such a list of questions, I'd say "I'v changed my mind! The car isn't for sale!" Some questions, yes, no problem. But it would rub me the wrong way if someone brought along this shopping list of questions. If I chose to entertain some of the questions, I would suggest that the person take a look.
Of course it's a good list of legitimate questions. The important point is that you need to feel out the seller because some sellers will become turned off if you do such an extensive grilling. The reslut could be loosing the connection on a quality car for the money.
Of course I would ask as many questions as I could without irritating the owner enough so that s/he would back out on the deal. But I can also anaylize the car and its merit without asking the owner one single question about the car. The best approach is to keep in mind that everyting is ten times worse than it appears. That way, any less is a bonus.
When wheeling and dealing, often, the less said the better, the reason I weaseled the price from $400 to $150 for my car. Actually, I didn't weasel the guy down. He dropped the price. If I had questioned the guy about the car, he would probally become irritated and said no sale because he really wasn't trying to sell it. But rather than asking questions about the car, I pointed out the level of work and the money spent to get the car so that it would be in running condition, so he dropped the asking price down to $150. I used a ten time worse outlook and went from buying a parts car to making my origional car the parts car and the purchased car the buliding bone.
I only wanted to point out that the list of questions may not be the best approach when buying the car. You can get away with it on a car lot because the only goal of the seller is to get rid of the car. When you're dealing with a private owner and his/her special interst car, you have no clue as to the true nature of the reason for sale. Yes, if there is someting wrong with it, and they want to get out of it, they'll answer whatever questions you have. The answers may not be correct, but you'll hear what the seller thinks you want to hear.
But what if they are not overly excited with selling the car? The guy selling mine wasn't real excited at selling, but the timing was perfect. If they aren't anxious to sell, a long list of questions would be a good reason to justify not selling the car.
Once you're in the ring with the owner, it will unfold as to how many questions you can ask. If the owner is receptive to such a list, fire away, but feel the situation out so that you don't blow the chance at geting a fair car for a fair price.
Funny, I did the same but again, I was 16 with money in my pocket burning a hole.
The guy ended up taking my deposit while I went home to get the rest. He called later then asking for more money as another person offered more money after I left. Already drooling over it, I paid and never regretted it since.
I saw a 69 ram air bird on eBay a while back that I was really interested in. The car was about 300 miles away. I asked his price and he said $8000. By the time I got the PHS the price was $18000. By the time I got my truck and trailer ready the price was $28000. I was just heading out the door and my phone rang. The seller said someone had just deposited $30000 in his account and don't waste your time coming. I was slightly bummed.
I think its a great list. These aren't all things to necessarily ask the seller. These are some guildlines to follow and ask yourself as you check out the car. It will not necessarily say whether or not you buy, but will help with price negotiations and/or how much it will take to get the car where you want to be condition-wise. I agree if a buyer came to me askin' 72 questions and drilling me on everything about a car I'd get a little annoyed. But can I expect to get full value for something I can't answer most of these questions?
My scenario went: Me: "How much you want for it" Seller: "$5,500" Me: "I have $4,000" Seller: "ok"
This was the 1st and only one I looked at and really the only FGF I'd looked at closely in person.
If nothing else this post has presented a lot of different buying/selling ideals. I asked about a 100 questions, drove the car, kicked the tires about 10 times, drove 4 hours round trip, took another 2 or 3 hours checking out the car,,, then made an offer the next day and drove back 2 days later to pick it up. The way I see it, I am investing a large chunk of money on a used car,,, better make sure I know what I am getting into. Thats just me though, I am a bit more anal and picky than others. Why would anyone drive hours to see a car and not ask a million questions? Seems like your asking for trouble if you not thorough when buying a used car. Pontiac10th, no offense or anything, but maybe these people dont buy the car because the way you approach the sale? If I or anyone asks a lot of questions and you say that Im looking for a show car,,, well your gonna put me off and I most likely wont buy your car because of the impression you gave me by a comment like that. Its almost like your throwing out a disclaimer about the car and it also is a bit insulting. Of course the person looking at the car knows its a used car and not a show car. If I start asking a lot of questions and your not eager to answer them, then I think your hiding something. Especially if you tell me its a used car.
If nothing else you have covered every single question you could even think of asking! That's a great thing. Now if you remember half of it when you get excited when you start looking at the car...... On the way home, I'm always kicking myself because I forgot something. Take your digital camera and take a bunch of pics to help you decide. That is, if you haven't already bought it!
Great list - thanks for posting it. Being in the car business for many years, I know purchasing a car, any car, tends to be an emotional experience. All the good car salespeople know this. I recently purchased a new car and I wrote down on a piece of paper exactly what I was willing to do so I wouldn't forget in the "heat of the moment". I did not allow the dealer to wear me out. I left for a while, got some lunch and waited for them to call me back.
I ended up getting the car and financing for what I was willing to pay.
I have purchased several FGF's over the years and it tends to be more of an emotional experience for me. Having a written check list like this with me the next time I go look at another FGF will help me. I may not necessarily have to ask all the questions, but it will let the seller know I am serious about the purchase and I won't let anyone "pull the wool over my eyes".
My company has a Qualifying Questionaire we developed for our sales staff. We ask them to use this when calling on a prospect. It has 12 fairly detailed questions on it. We don't expect them to ask all 12 questions on the first visit, but to eventually get answers so they can determine whether this business is really a prospect or just a "suspect". Using your check list can do the same for many of us when we are going to look at another FGF. Thanks!
Ha Ha Yah, when you put old cars in the local paper you get the same people looking over and over. It gets old after they look at 5 different cars and just kick tires! It's like, "Hello again, maybe you will like this one." :rolleyes: I think it's cheap entertainment.
Maybe you should have them bring a bank statement before you talk to them or even better yet, come with a pre-approval from a bank I understand what your saying too. I am looking at it as if I were selling the car, which means not as a buisness. If it were my business, I would only spend my time with a guy/gal that is serious. I work for GE and thats what we do. We put out a lot of bids, but only focus on the ones that we really think were going to get.
Great list. I think you should ask as many questions as you like. It's your money. I'd rather ask questions now, than to have something come back later and bite me on the ***.
As a car dealer by trade that list sucks! as a buyer its great lots of good stuff on that list most of which can be answered by looking at the car and by driving the car. I have people buy cars both ways lots of questions and some buy before they even drive the car alwat=ys amazes me when that happens.
I think you need to look the car over quietly and carefully. Only ask what you can't tell by looking. This many questions will quickly become "the car not for sale".
Your first question needs to be about clear title. I don't see that on the list. There's no need to ride out to inpect it without an anwer to that.
I had one fellow selling a car advise cash and carry. I was to pay $17K cash and he hands me the keys. He wouldn't take a cashiers check, not even at his bank. I dropped my interest when we couldn't meet a happy ground. I found out later it was his wife's car, owned solely by his wife. NY was a "no-title" state he said, only a registration. He was selling it out from under her because garage space is premium in NY. I'm glad I didn't end up in that mess.
If I'd have gone by your complete list I'd have never bought my 67. No wonder all the strange looks & sh_ _y comments when I brought her home! She's come a long way & the looks & comments have changed.
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