When you enter a dealership to view pre-owned inventory you will be told by salesperson in one form or another that all their inventory was driven by a little old lady and sprinkled with baby powder every day

 

100 years ago, 1909 to be exact, the first assembly line making a car was Ford, here is a clip from that assembly line I found very interesting    watch

What to look for during a test drive

From personal experience, approximately 80% of people don't have a clue how to test drive a car. Do You?

When you start a test drive, drive the car slowly. Feel and count the shift changes. Is there any slipping? Any hesitation? Any vibrations?

Drive long enough to get the engine warm. Most indicator lights (indicating engine trouble) won't glow until the engine is thoroughly warmed up.

Look in your rear view mirror for smoke when you accelerate.

One of the most, if not THE most, important steps in the whole process of buying a used vehicle is taking it on the highway for a test drive. You absolutely must! If you don't, here are some things you could experience that you would not have noticed just driving the car around the local area.

- Does it handle well on the on-ramp?
- Does it merge well into traffic?
- How is your shoulder check vision when merging and changing lanes?
- Is there excessive wind noise from the windows?
- Is there a whirring sound from the tires?
- Did you test the cruise control?
- Is there a lag between stepping on the gas and accelerating?

- At 60kmh/100kmh an hour hit the brake. Does it pulsate? Does it pull left or right? Does the body of the car swerve?
- Does the engine strain at high speeds?
- Is the acceleration satisfactory when passing?

You may have heard the expression "a car feels tight". If you test drove the car and feel the car passed every test then the vehicle is tight. Remember, the dealer can't tell you that a car handles the way you like---you have to find that out on your own!

Most consumers buy a used car without testing the vehicle on the highway, and a large percentage of these buyers return to the dealership within 24 hrs with some problems related to the questions above.

When I suggested to drive long enough to potentially trigger an engine warning indicator light, keep in mind that a check engine light can easily be cleared by the seller.

When you turn the key, but before you start the engine, the instrument panel will light up and you should see all available indicators. One of them should be "Check Engine", "Service Engine Soon", a picture of an engine, or some equivalent. If you see other indicators but not this one, then it either does not exist (unlikely in any car made in the last 10-15 years), or it has been disconnected.

For more details on how to safeguard against this, navigate to   MECHANIC