Buying another Fairmont, what to look for?

[Ghiagirl]

G'day all!! Going to check out a couple of Fairmonts (another one) tomorrow, as a second car. Just after some advice as to what I can check for myself, mechanically, etc, to make sure it's a good buy and not going to cause me grief after purchasing.

And yes the first thing I always check is for smoke from the exhaust to make sure the engine's not shot.

Any advice would be appreciated
Cheers

[Whoosha]

Call me, I m home in the arvo,can give you a second opinion if ya like, and I have more stickers :

[IH8HSV]

Amount of kilometers and a service book is the best way to buy a car.

Some of the things I check for are things that cost the most to replace:

Tyres: Tyres are expensive so obviously you want good ones. Check the spare. Also check the tyres for any wear. Uneven wear indicates suspension trouble and/or a wheel alignment.

Suspension: Push down on all four corners of the vehicle. Car should only bounce once to indicate good shockies. Pull hard on top of each wheel to feel for any movement or knocks & rattles.

Being a fairmont, check all electric windows, central locking ( that all doors lock and unlock ), air conditioning and power steering. Check the look of the battery too - these are around $130 to replace now.

Unless you are going to get a compression check done on the motor its always hard to check. Oil leaks are always washed down too.

So, if possible try and look at the car at a time where the car is cold and has been sitting over night. This will be the time most where you will here knocks and noisy components.

Make sure the gear box shifts smoothly and there is no whining from the diff. Always good to coast in neutral for a few second to here these types of noises.

The best tip when buying a car privately is to suss out the seller. Would you buy a super charged V8 off a 17 year old???

This is just a quick run down, which I can only think of for now.

Oh yeah. Check how much rego is left. If rego is due it doesnt hurt to knock a bit off the price as to cover it. Its a buyers market at the moment!!!

[Ghiagirl]

Originally Posted by Whoosha

Call me, I m home in the arvo,can give you a second opinion if ya like, and I have more stickers :

Cheers Whoosh, appreciate it. And yeah this car's for hubby so reckon the hot pink stickers are in order for him yeah! (if he reads this I'm in trouble lol!!)
:

[Mr Hardware]

make sure the aircon works