Things to look for when buying used

[SLEEPR]

Hello all!I am test driving a 2005 Vibe with the wife today. It is a FWD auto with 111,000km on it. I was wondering if you could mention a few things I need to keep my eyes open for when looking over the ride and during the test drive. Thanks!

[joatmon]

This has been asked a few times before, and I was going to tell you to search, but then I found out that the search doesn't seem to index the word "used" so you're off the hook, you did search and couldn't get any results One thread I did find was http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=32906Some good advice in there.Things I would offer that might also be mentioend in that other thread are:Pull the tranny dipstick, see how discolored it is. New fluid is vibrant red, gets browinsh fairly early, starts to smell bad later. at 110K km it is probably due (or overdue) for a fluid change. If it looks nice and red, then that might be a hint the previous owner kept up on the maintenance.Check the cabin air filter. A lot of owners don't know about the thing, and if so, it is likely really nasty looking. If it is nasty, it's not a big deal, but you can show it to the seller and get a dissatisfied look on your face. I alsways like to find something wrong in a used car to be unhappy about, for when the sale gets into the haggling stage. Look around the rear hatch, under the weathstripping for the hatch glass. Some people have had rust there.Open up the rear deck, make sure the spare is there and ok, the jack and tire iron are there. look for randome things all the way at the bottom. Also, fold the rear seat backs halfway and stick your hand in there, see what might be under the rar seat. My car has a way of eating things there, Last time i checked there in my car there was a lot of stuff there. Will give you an idea of how the car may have been used. If it's like my car, you could tell it was used for all kinds of things, if it's really clean there, then that's a good sign.Look at the hood for paint chips, these cas are prone to them.Some other model independent things, look for evidence of an oil leak, especially on the back side of the engine. Look for uneven tire weear that might be a sign of an alignment problem.Pull up the carpet on the floor, especially the front passenger foot well and make sure it's dry under there.In the test drive, pay attention to rattles, any whistling wind noise. There will be some road noise that is typical, hard to explain the sounds that are atypical.Look at the edges of any of the body parts that bolt on to see if any have evidence of being repainted.Sight down the side of the body to look for any waves or disturbances in what should be smooth surfaces.Make sure everything works. Once I was looking at a used Vibe, beautiful car, seller handed me a carfax report showing no issues, but the rear hatch wouldn't open. Apparently the car had been rear ended, the bodywork was well done, but they screwed up on the hatch handle. Seller wouldn't have mentioned the accident, in fact went out of his way to hide it from me. Kinda stupid actually. I didn't buy it.Make sure the parking brake works.Make sure all the lexterior lights work.Make sure the interior lights work, especially the backlights for the climate controls, because those are pain to replace.Check the oil, should look clean. It might not, but you kinda expect the seller to change the oil just before selling it. I would. If it looks clean it doesn't mean much. If it's not clean, it's hard to say what that indicates. But I always feel compelled to look at it. It's ok to be dark, but it should be clear. If there is any milky gunk on the dipstick indicating water (or coolant) contamination, say no thanks and run away. Look for milky gunk under the oil filler cap also.During the test drive, give it a good test. Don't just drive it aroudn the block. Punch it, make sure it responds and doesn't knock. Get the engine up to normmal operating temperature. At highway speed, notice if there is any vibration, perhaps from a tire balance, or any excessive pull to the side indicating an alignment problem. Make sure when you step on the brakes it doesn't pull to one side. Or squeal.If you have never driven a Vibe before, then it is hard to know what things are normal for a Vibe that might be different from what you expect out of a car. If you're used to driving a corvette, the car will seem weak. If you're used to driving a boat of a car, it will seem zippy. For any Vibe, or any other car for that matter, be realistic about what you expect out of a car, what you are willing to put up with, and evaluate how well the car meets your needs and desires. Don't buy are car you know ahead of time is not what you need or will put up with.And buy the one with the options you want, don't expect to add them later. Power windows and locks in particular, if you'll want them, buy a car that already has them. Too much trouble to add.Welcome to genvibe, good luck with the search. I think Vibes are great cars, hope you find a good one, and if you do, be sure to share some pics with us of what you get. And the folks here will help with any troubles you may run into, this place is a free and valuable fringe benefit to buying a Vibe.

[Neouka]

check the A/C drain hose in the passenger footwell! If someone didn't know about it, it could have been disconnected for a long time... and that results in a lot of water on the passenger floor.Also, I found a set of keys, a baby's ontario health card, and a few McDonald's french fries underneath my rear seat. The fries looked edible <3

[SLEEPR]

Awesome post, thanks a bunch! Yeah, I did search using a few different terms, checked all the stickies in the various forums, but couldn't really get a feel for repetitive issues that the Vibes might be subject to, and thus I need to look for. I know I am new and such, but have been a member of a lot of other car forums; I recommend a newbie link that has this kind of info. Test drive is in a few hours, I'll let you know how it goes!

[asburydan]

This is really small, but you might want to locate button on dash that opens window on rear hatch door and make sure it works. Not a big deal, but it might be a good idea to make sure all such buttons like the one on the driver's door that releases the gas cap lid really work. Check the rubber around the window glass on the front windows. That has been mentioned as a problem here and after some haggling, I got the rubber around the windows replaced at the dealer as warranty item (under 36K) when I bought my '05.

[SLEEPR]

Well, the car looked pretty nice. Paint was in good condition, they kept up with rock chips by using touch up paint preventing rust. Seals around front and rear windows and hatch were in great condition. Drove well, tight steering. No horrible sounds when you gunned it. It didn't have ABS, so I am slightly concerned about that. I wanted the AWD as well, this one was FWD. Fluids all looked good. ATF was noticeably used, but not burnt or milky, I would change it asap if I bought it.Are there any major services around 110,000km (70,000mi) that i should know about?Trying to decide how much to offer. Asking is $9925CAN. KBB says $8500CAN for a "good" condition private party value.

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by SLEEPR »Are there any major services around 100,000km that i should know about? Timing belt, etc?You can download a copy of the owners manual from http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1010, it will have maintenance intervals in there. Could be due for a coolant flush, maybe new plugs (no plug wires on these), engine air filter, PCV valve. Not much actually. No chassis or suspension lube points. Vibes have timing chains, not timing belts, so it should be fine, no regularly scheduled maintenance on that.Owners manual will probably list a valve clearance check. Few people have done that, not sure how necessary it is, but that's about the deepest into the engine kind of maintenance in the schedule.No idea if that is a good price or not. Kinda depends on the local market, what similar ones are going for. The real question is if it is worth that much to you, and if it is, buy it and be happy. You will want to try to talk it down anyway, that's part of the game. Is it a dealer or private seller?

[SLEEPR]

Private seller. Thanks for the link! He had most of the little things already maintained, he took pretty good care of the car. I thought it took a few extra turn-overs to get started, might be an indicator of plugs ready for changing.

[L5K]

Could be plugs, could be battery.Either is easy to solve.

[jake75]

My response re what to look for was essentially don't overpay. I have no experiece with Canadian prices - new or used - but in the US I think used cars are generally overpricerd - especially at a dealer. Miles have to be worth at least 10-15 cents - that's 7,000-10,500 US$ in your case. Then there is the value of a new car warranty. Add to that any maintenance you will have to do in the next 3 years such as new tires, shocks, brakes etc.Last Jan. I had no trouble selling a 2003 Vibe 1.8L with AT and Power package for $9,500. Only 33,000 miles, and tires were replaced under warranty at 20,000 miles so they were very good. Similar Vibes on CarMax were priced at least $2,500 higher.

[L5K]

I bought my Vibe, and 03 GT about a month ago for 6,000 USD at a local small town dealer. It had 73,000 miles on it. It was about 1,000 to 1,500 lower than all the other Vibes around here, but it also has a small crack in the upper front bumper and the rear bumper cover is dinged up. Also, it needed brakes immediately. Everything else was really good though.

[star_deceiver]

Don't forget to crawl underneath and have a look around... rusted brake lines, cv boots, anything loose, exhaust system. Last time I checked, Calgary still used salt on the roads in winter, so poke around at any surface rust and see if anything is rusted through.

[SLEEPR]

I had a really good look underneath. It always scares sellers when I pull up, go to my trunk and start putting on corveralls and get a high powered flashlight! The frame was rust free. Boots and front end were all tight. In short, it is a pretty damn good looking car. I talked with the owner, he is having an inspection done at his cost to check overall health (fluids, belts, etc) then we are going to talk dollars.And then today I find an AWD 03 in the paper...

[star_deceiver]

Then I assume that you've seen this. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=38418

[SLEEPR]

Update:Bought the 2005 this weekend, then promptly drove it 400km to pick up our new puppy! I was impressed the car. I'm a big boy and I was comfy for the whole drive. I noticed some significant tire noise, and I need an alignment as the car pulls to the right. Other than that, great little car. I'll post some pics after a wash and wax this week.PS: Two questions. What is the little "outlet" located near the shifter for (round outlet, not the 110V). Also, below the AC and recirc buttons, there is a space for the third button. What is the third button? Anyone know if you can add ABS to these cars if they do not have it?

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by SLEEPR » Two questions. What is the little "outlet" located near the shifter for (round outlet, not the 110V). Also, below the AC and recirc buttons, there is a space for the third button. What is the third button? Anyone know if you can add ABS to these cars if they do not have it?Sounds like you are referring to the shiftlock cover, which might be missing http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=369 (wow, thread 369. That's an old one ) In that thread Zuben posted a pic, is this what you are asking about?The third button is a dummy button, does nothing, and not easy to modify to have it do something. In the switch module behind it, those three buttons are all one assembly, the mechanism behind the dummy button is the part that mechanically turns off recirc when the air direction selector switch is set to defrost, or defrost and floor.The third of your "two" questions is about adding ABS. With enough time and money anything can be added, but it wouldn't be either quick or inexpensive. I think you might be better off giving up on that one. Spend the money on a good set of snow tires and you'll be better off anyway

[SLEEPR]

Sorry for the delay in replying! I bought a Hilux Surf for myself, so I have been ignoring the wife's car in favor of mine!Yes, I guess that was three questions, not two LOL.Thanks for identifying the shiftlock. That is what I was referring to. I believe I am missing the cover lol. Just ordered it from Toyota for $5.Thanks for all the help folks. Pics to come, I swear! Just have to wash and wax!

[Harsh]

Good luck on your quest for a vibe.