Lucas_Dad

As I'm applying for more jobs now, I'm finding myself in that damn cycle - can't get a job without a car, can't get a car without a job... so I'm looking at some el-cheapo bangers just to get me through the next few months until I get a job and can get some money together. I'm happy enough push-biking around at the moment, but this smoke is horrible and I don't want to ride in a suit!

I've been offered a 2013 Chery M1X for $1,500 from a local used car dealer. Cosmetically it is fine, and there's room for my two monkeys in the back. Small economical, engine, cheap to insure. Lots of boxes ticked. I'm not expecting a Rolls Royce here, I know this Chery is a super-budget brand that ain't gonna be great ... but I also want to avoid if at all possible getting an el-cheapo that immediately turns into an el-expensiveo due to things I might have easily spotted if I were a mechanic.

Slightly longer term I've got my eye on an $8,000 Skoda Octavia Diesel, but while I'm on Newstart no finance company is going to touch me.

Be it the Chery, the Skoda, or any other, what advice can you give me as to simple/obvious things I should look for when I'm checking out a car?

Cheers

BadgeIsBack

whats the ks? Actually, most cars can be driven into ground for 1500 know what I mean? Ignition and electrical stops the car starting. Worst case a starter motor failing.or cold weather taking out battery.

there are obvious checks for head gasket problems you can do that check for oil in water, mayo in oil filler cap.

blue smoke indicates piston wear. But this is all for higher mileage cars. A head gasket repair is not the agony the punters will have you know : back in the day,many cars got a new one in their lifespan and other repairs for transmissions etc are more costly. Does car change up and down clunk free? Does manual gear shift ok..stiffness could be slave cylinder.

look at suspension and braking. Nice smooth steering, no wandering on breaking. Pads, tyres are the things that will cost money in immediate short term. Noises and clunks from front indicate cv joints and a screech wheel bearings. Any exhaust noise or resonance might indicate a problem there. The worn exhaust I had on an old Saab saved me spending money on a cool sports exhaust (joke).

does engine run hot above normal? Esp in traffic. this is a possible killer if cooling system or water pump on way out. Might be an easy thermostat fix. Google what is normal. Some cars will run at a quite specific temp with the needle in a position 'like near the 8'.
Look for large oil or coolant leaks. A coolant leak wont kill your car if you get to side of road in time. A big oil leak could. Small oil leaks are not an issue as valve covers seals do wear and small leaks look worse than they are. Main seal leaks no big deal if you are running car into ground. Water pumps and starter motors can be exy. Carry a liter of oil and check dipstick to see if car uses oil.

Worth noting many issues or niggles won't kill a car so 1500 might be a no brainer if its to get to a job. Look at immediate history and is dealer hiding something. He may well be wanting to get rid of a car that is not popular with many drivers. Again, whats the ks? If low, many issues may not surface yet or not whilst you have the car. As this is Chinese? 'Typical' issues will surface sooner. Many electrical gremlins we see on new cars might prevent engine from starting eg cam sensor or stop the indicators working which is a major nuisance.

Lucas_Dad

That's a great checklist, thanks

The Chery in question has 134,000km. The Skoda has 200,000km, but is a diesel, so do I understand correctly that this is fine for a diesel?

Amazulu

High mileage diesels are okay if they've been maintained well. I personalty wouldn't spend $8k on a 200 000km Skoda

Charismatic

Like what the clever people said above:

1. Buy an OBD2 reader, modern cars use sensors to self-check faults. Bluetooth to your phone and will give you any fault codes. Also bring a flash-light so you can see around the engine.

2. Research the car make/model for common issues so you know exactly what to check when you got to see it.

3. As mentioned you want to cold-start the car (so sitting not running for 3+ hours before you get there) and if there is any blue/grey or black smoke walk away (on a cold morning you may get a little white steam initially, that’s OK as long as it doesn’t persist for more than a couple of mins.) Blue/Grey is oil, black/sooty is fuel/injectors and persistent steam when car is warm is water/head gasket.

4. As soon as the car has started, and while still cold (important!), pull off the radiator cap and look for bubbles surfacing for a few seconds. Shouldn’t be any. Put the cap back on. If there are bubbled it’s likely the head gasket. Walk away.

5. Take off oil cap while engine is running and just place it on the open hole. It shouldn’t dance around (blow-by.)

6. Check the lights, indicators, horn, wind screen wipers, radio, air con, all work.

7. Pull away from the spot where the car has been parked for the last few hours. Stop and check for any fluids that have leaked while it’s been sitting. You shouldn’t see any.

8. Go for a drive, check the car feels smooth under acceleration through all gears and when braking, take it to an empty carpark and try the car at full steering lock both sides. You should here not hear clicking sounds at full turn while moving.

9. When driven check the oil and transmission dipstick, it should be filled up to the correct mark and black or golden (for oil) or red/light brown typically for transmission fluid.

10. Check around/under engine for any oil using that flashlight, if you can see anything that looks wet it’s likely losing oil.



If your going to keep the car for a while I’d consider a reasonable make/model. You can pick up an old XV10 or 20 Camry or Corolla from a similar era for very little money and it could last you for many years if you make an effort to look after it. I love a good banger.

Lucas_Dad

Thanks for the advice y'all.

I've ruled out the old banger Chery. The air con doesn't work. I can buy it as is for $1500, but the tyres will need replacing soon too. I've seen a Fiesta that is about 10yo but only 130,000-odd miles for $2,000, but again the air con needs attention. The same place that has the Fiesta also has a cheap car rental arm too. I hadn't considered that as an option. I could buy a $1,500 car that'll basically be thrown away in a few months, or hire a car for $120/week with no concerns or hassles over maintenance, etc. then when I'm in work, buy myself something half decent.

Why avoid that Skoda? Because it is a Skoda, because it has 200,000km, or the combination? I thought diesels were happy with high mileage. I also thought Skoda had got their act together in the last 10 years and were more reputable. I am happy to be corrected and educated! This is the car in question (am I allowed to post links?) I'm not rushing out to buy anything right now, but if such a car is to be avoided, then I'm all ears

https://www.countrycars.com.au/borde...amp;location=A

Cheers

Charismatic

Depends on prior use, highway miles cause a fraction of wear as city driving and depends heavily on maintenance. As for VAG (Volkswagen Audi Group) cars they are middle of the road, more reliable than most European or American cars but tend to be pricey on parts.