Whether it’s a new-to-you daily driver or the Euro classic you’ve always dreamed of, surfing the second-hand market is the only way to find what you’re after. That’s a good thing in many ways; you won’t be hit as hard with depreciation, major repairs may have already been taken care of, and the model might already be scratched to where you don’t have to worry about it. However, if you aren’t careful, buying used can be just as expensive and frustrating as buying new. Sellers aren’t always transparent, and that good deal you just picked up might be a disaster waiting to happen. Instead of relying on the seller, check out this handy guide and bring some tricks to your next purchase to ensure you see all the red flags.
Mismatched/Poor Condition Tires
General maintenance on a vehicle is the ultimate sign of responsible ownership. Although a lapse in maintenance may not always be the worst, the quality of the parts also strongly indicates how well it was treated. The tires are the easiest of the regular maintenance items to monitor. Big and directly on the outside of the vehicle, there are a couple of ways to check them out and ensure they’re up to spec and meet your needs.
Firstly, examine the brand of the tire. There are many quality manufacturers offering products at reasonable prices, and even lower-end brands like BF Goodrich and Cooper produce respectable products. What you don’t want to see are the companies like Tiger Paw, Goodride, Westlake, and Linglong. Chinese tire companies don’t have the best reputation, and it’s for good reason. Tires are directly responsible for how your car brakes, rides, and handles, and that’s all down to the rubber’s chemical makeup. Tests have shown that Chinese brands all perform significantly worse than comparable American, European, and Japanese brands in terms of stopping and handling. That means a greater chance of risk under all driving situations because the previous owner was trying to save a couple of bucks.
You’ll also want to ensure that each tire is of the same brand and type. While a mismatch isn’t the end of the world, it does show a lack of care when it comes to replacements. The type of tire, whether brand-specific or not, will also affect how the vehicle drives. Mismatched treadwear patterns and compounds can cause the steering to feel nervous or numb as they give differing characteristics to each wheel. It can also screw up traction control and speedometer readings, as the tires may be different sizes, causing the wheels to rotate at different speeds while driving straight.
Beyond that, there are still several things to look for regarding the tires, but none that could be a concerning red flag about the car's overall condition. Many folks need to realize that tires also have a lifespan determined by age, so many are left on for too long. While more of a general maintenance concern, you can read all about the signs of tires needing replacement on our DIY Blog!
General Cleanliness
A lack of care won’t just be evident in the parts installed, but also in the overall condition of the vehicle. Paint gets dirty easily, especially when the pollen count is high, so for vehicles that are always outside, that can be forgiven. However, the interior is where you get a better sense of the owner. If they’re willing to drive around in a sticky and smelly mess that resembles Oscar the Grouch’s place of residence, then raise questions about maintenance and service. It also won’t give you a chance to accurately inspect the interior, which can be used to drive the price down during negotiation.
Moving back to the exterior, excessive dust and dirt can conceal imperfections in the paint. Worn clear coat, scuffs, and scratches can all look less severe when covered slightly. Once you’ve looked over the paint, examine each wheel. Brake dust is corrosive to wheel paint and will embed into it if left for extended periods. That won’t come out with a simple wash and will likely require a complete repaint.
The bottom line is that there’s a greater chance that the maintenance will be taken care of on time with the right parts when the car is kept in good condition. Poor vehicular hygiene isn’t a deal breaker, but it should raise a flag on the mechanical condition.
Mismatched Paint
Just because a car appears to be straight doesn’t mean it is. A clean title is a great way of ensuring the vehicle hasn’t had major damage, but minor damage is fair game. Bumper, hood, and door replacements are all possible, especially on older vehicles or those with high mileage. Look for differences in paint quality, such as orange peeling and fish-eyes, and for blend lines or other slight changes in color. On surface changes, such as steel panels being replaced with plastic bumpers, paint won’t always look the same or age the same way.
That should only be a red flag if the seller didn’t disclose any previous damage history or paintwork. Changes in texture, color, and finish can all indicate non-original paintwork. For something becoming a race car, that’s not an enormous deal, but the mismatched paintwork could be hiding some nasty repairs for something that may be resold.
Rippled Fenders
Today’s car culture has many niches, but the “stance” crowd is growing in popularity. Wide wheels, minimal ground clearance, and as much negative camber as physically possible on any car you could imagine are becoming a regular occurrence. Regardless of your opinion on the looks, what that treatment does to nearly every example is force some modification. Professionally installed fender flares shouldn’t scare you, but rippled fenders and quarter panels certainly should.
Rolling fender lips and stretching quarter panels are a cost-effective way to fit wider wheels, but they can also be a quick and easy way to damage the sheet metal above the wheels if done poorly or cheaply. The damage—which must be repaired professionally—is characterized by rippling that may or may not emulate bacon. Repairing the fenders and quarters is one thing, but the lack of ground clearance means the car is likely to have damaged several components underneath. Extra damage to cross members, oil pans, differentials, and control arms is easy to hide, as few people ever look under the car during any viewing. Therefore, be sure to inspect the underside if repairing damaged fenders isn’t an issue for you.
Modifications
Respect all builds? Not when it’s time to buy. Installing mods is somewhat of a rite of passage for enthusiasts, but personal choices often run counter to what we believe makes sense. We all know those “performance” aftermarket companies with poor reputations and parts that don’t really fit or work, but price tags that get enthusiasts to bite anyway. They are often poorly engineered or copied from someone else, so they do more harm than good.
An example of this is arguably most common with “coilover” suspension. Stance has become wildly popular, and nearly every other owner seems to be looking to eliminate as much suspension travel as possible. Airbag strut conversions and custom coilovers can be very expensive, but the $250 Maxpeedingrods are affordable enough for just about any enthusiast with a few bucks to spare. However, the lack of a scientific basis behind the product means the ride will be unpleasant, putting extra strain on components such as suspension bushings and tires. eBay turbochargers and cold air intakes can cause similar issues. Filter elements can clog quickly or coat intake components in oils, while turbochargers can send oil and metallic debris into the engine once their suspect seals and bearings wear down.
But it’s not just the actual parts that can be a red flag, but what they represent. A commitment to modification at the expense of the vehicle doesn’t present a great picture of the owner. Choosing not to care about long-term modification effects would and should prompt any prospective buyer to question whether the car was actually properly maintained.
