Things To Check(Look Into) When Buying A 10-15 Old Car

[ravindasenarath]

Hi friends,

When you are buying a bit old car ( 10 - 15 years ), when you went to check the vehicle what are the specific things to check. I'm going to to buy a car around 1.5M. So my choices are Nissan fb 14, Nissan AD ~1999, Nissan wingroad ~1999 etc. Following are the things that I usually check.

• Body(specially edges for rust)
• Spaces between doors, bonnet buffer fittings etc
• Whether all doors close and open gently
• I push the car down in four corners and check the bounce. As per my knowledge if it bounce passing it's original height from floor suspension is bad.
• Radiator over flow for color, rust
• Checking for rust under the radiator cap
• Engine oil level and oil colour
• Any oil marks/leeks in engine
• Try to rotate radiator fans by finger ( to check whether they turn gently)
• Break fluid colour, thickness
• Transmission oil level ( Usually I couldn't find the dipstick for this)
• Power steering oil level ( Where is it ? )
• Start the engine and listen to the sound (whether it run smoothly)
• Put hand to the tail pipe and smell for petrol
• Check inside of tail pipe for oily black stuff
• Interior stuff ( check whether all works )
• Check whether wheels wobble

I learn these by watching youtube videos . So is there anything I'm doing wrong or any other things that I can check. Perhaps Sri Lanka specific things to check or things specific to car modes that I mention.

[GayanR]

So my choices are Nissan fb 14

[Jor-el]

If I had 1.5M to spare for a car my choice would be Mitsubishi Galant...yum! Can easily find an unmolested 2002+ car.

But then again I'm biased towards mitsus.

BTW a good list OP.

[Rumesh88]

A few additions...

Ask for current and past ECO certificates. See if the mileage is meddled with. Ensure readings passed with a margin.

Find the steering oil reservoir inside the engine bay on driver side and twist open the lid. The dip mark is attached to the lid.

Turn the steering all the way to either side in a drive test and see if you get front axle noise. Also check the axle boots for damage.

When checking the suspension the car would bounce once over the neutral position but should settle on downward return.

[Crosswind]

Hi friends,

When you are buying a bit old car ( 10 - 15 years ), when you went to check the vehicle what are the specific things to check. I'm going to to buy a car around 1.5M. So my choices are Nissan fb 14, Nissan AD ~1999, Nissan wingroad ~1999 etc. Following are the things that I usually check.

• Body(specially edges for rust)
• Spaces between doors, bonnet buffer fittings etc
• Whether all doors close and open gently
• I push the car down in four corners and check the bounce. As per my knowledge if it bounce passing it's original height from floor suspension is bad.
• Radiator over flow for color, rust
• Checking for rust under the radiator cap
• Engine oil level and oil colour
• Any oil marks/leeks in engine
• Try to rotate radiator fans by finger ( to check whether they turn gently)
• Break fluid colour, thickness
• Transmission oil level ( Usually I couldn't find the dipstick for this)
• Power steering oil level ( Where is it ? )
• Start the engine and listen to the sound (whether it run smoothly)
• Put hand to the tail pipe and smell for petrol
• Check inside of tail pipe for oily black stuff
• Interior stuff ( check whether all works )
• Check whether wheels wobble

I learn these by watching youtube videos . So is there anything I'm doing wrong or any other things that I can check. Perhaps Sri Lanka specific things to check or things specific to car modes that I mention.

We have a very comprehensive guide on Buying a used car in Sri Lanka. There's no need to repeat the same mantra again.

[ravindasenarath]

Is 15.75M a good price for a b14(He ask for 16 and reduce to 15.75). This one is very well maintained, full option, 1300 cc, 180,000km, first owner, original paint, new tyres, new battery. I feel like it is bit high. But vehicle is in such a good condition trying to bargain more may be I'll loose the vehicle.

Edited February 28, 2015 by ravindasenarath

[Crosswind]

Is 15.75M a good price for a b14(He ask for 16 and reduce to 15.75). This one is very well maintained, full option, 1300 cc, 180,000km, first owner, original paint, new tyres, new battery. I feel like it is bit high. But vehicle is in such a good condition trying to bargain more may be I'll loose the vehicle.

I want to get a deke deke polla and smash your head. Why on earth would someone want to spend 15.75 lakhs on a 21 year old car?

Just fyi, I bought a same age mazda with auto transmission, retractable power mirrors and power shutters and with a 1500cc engine recently for 825,000.

[Jor-el]

Sirawata oi! You should smash that seller's head too, seriously, asking 1.6 mil for such an old car?

OP, why don't you try Mazda or Mitsubishi?

[AbeysinghE]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="ravindasenarath" data-cid="273308" data-time="1425140103"><p>

Is 15.75M a good price for a b14(He ask for 16 and reduce to 15.75). This one is very well maintained, full option, 1300 cc, 180,000km, first owner, original paint, new tyres, new battery. I feel like it is bit high. But vehicle is in such a good condition trying to bargain more may be I'll loose the vehicle. </p></blockquote>

[AbeysinghE]

Seriously? It's not bit high it's too high.

[Kavvz]

Hi friends,

When you are buying a bit old car ( 10 - 15 years ), when you went to check the vehicle what are the specific things to check. I'm going to to buy a car around 1.5M. So my choices are Nissan fb 14, Nissan AD ~1999, Nissan wingroad ~1999 etc. Following are the things that I usually check.

• Body(specially edges for rust)
• Spaces between doors, bonnet buffer fittings etc
• Whether all doors close and open gently
• I push the car down in four corners and check the bounce. As per my knowledge if it bounce passing it's original height from floor suspension is bad.
• Radiator over flow for color, rust
• Checking for rust under the radiator cap
• Engine oil level and oil colour
• Any oil marks/leeks in engine
• Try to rotate radiator fans by finger ( to check whether they turn gently)
• Break fluid colour, thickness
• Transmission oil level ( Usually I couldn't find the dipstick for this)
• Power steering oil level ( Where is it ? )
• Start the engine and listen to the sound (whether it run smoothly)
• Put hand to the tail pipe and smell for petrol
• Check inside of tail pipe for oily black stuff
• Interior stuff ( check whether all works )
• Check whether wheels wobble

I learn these by watching youtube videos . So is there anything I'm doing wrong or any other things that I can check. Perhaps Sri Lanka specific things to check or things specific to car modes that I mention.

Hey welcome to AL. (What's with all the new members and the headshot / portrait pictures though? Are you guys signing up off facebook or something?)

I've been abusing driving some version or the other of an entry level Nissan for years now, and the one thing I've learnt to check when buying them is the front suspension and steering components ( inner and outer tire rods, lower control arms etc.) Take the potential car you're going to purchase to a decent mechanic (take it to a reputable place with a lift, preferably the dealership) and request that they check out the front suspension for you.

If you find any issues, don't worry about it (these components are pretty straight forward to fix); simply ask them to give you a written quotation for the repair and use that as a bargaining tool for an upfront discount off the purchase price.

All the best on your purchase.

[ravindasenarath]

With all the respect guys, after reading your comments I turn ###### and autolanka upside down trying to find a car with YOM after 2002 at least. But I couldn't. Price tag is closer to 20 for cars after 2002. Honda City 2001 is price around 16M. I have been searching for a car for couple of months. Nissan FB 14 98 cars are always priced around 15M. They are selling them for that price very quickly too.

I'm going to do a test drive and look for something before seal the deal. On the first inspection what I notice is this guys has done all services repairs on time. I bounce the car and suspension responded well. He has maintenance records available. He looks like a guys who use the vehicle very carefully. I have inspect around 10 - 15 vehicles in last couple of months. Compared them all those what I recon is this car is in really good shape.

[Jor-el]

With all the respect guys, after reading your comments I turn ik#an and autolanka upside down trying to find a car with YOM after 2002 at least. But I couldn't.

Did you try mazda familia, Lancer CK1, CS1 or Galant? There are many ads below 1.5mil mark.

anyways it's your money, why should we care :3

[ravindasenarath]

anyways it's your money, why should we care :3

I did't mean to be harsh or anything. I really appreciate you guys feedback. Of course I need to make best our of my money(My mother's and farther's actually. Buying it for family not for my self)

CK1 97-99 is around 15M

CS1 is around 18-20M which is totally out of my budget. I really like this car by the way.

I was one CK1 2000 for 14.5M may be registered in 2000

There are Nisan AD/Wingroad Y11 for around 13-14M

[Davy]

I did't mean to be harsh or anything. I really appreciate you guys feedback. Of course I need to make best our of my money(My mother's and farther's actually. Buying it for family not for my self)

CK1 97-99 is around 15M

CS1 is around 18-20M which is totally out of my budget. I really like this car by the way.

I was one CK1 2000 for 14.5M may be registered in 2000

There are Nisan AD/Wingroad Y11 for around 13-14M

This is totally wrong. You can buy a decent pre-facelift (say 2001/2002) CS1 for around 1.6M. It is the CS3 that could go up to about 1.8M max.

Examples (CS1):

http://autolanka.com/ad.asp?ID=175393

Examples (CS3):

http://autolanka.com/ad.asp?ID=174150

http://autolanka.com/ad.asp?ID=174068

I don't know where you have been looking, but you've been looking at the wrong cars.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Davy

[ravindasenarath]

Appreciate your reply @Davy

I have one requirement that is I need Automatic transmission. I'm expecting my farther to drive it. By the age he is reluctant to drive the manual AD Wagon(VB11) we currently have.

There is this branding market price clearly. 1996 Toyota is marketed higher than 1998 Nissan, Mitshubishi and Mazda is always marketed below Nissan and Toyota. Is that just the brand or does Toyota really better than others?

BTW what will you guys offer for this car? What bargaining point I have to ask him reduce the price.

Edited March 1, 2015 by ravindasenarath

[Crosswind]

1.3 mill maximum.

It's 1300 cc auto transmission car. Not easy to sell. If its a 1500 cc, then 1.4 mill is reasonable. 1.575 is reasonable for a B15. NOT B14.

[iRage]

There is this branding market price clearly. 1996 Toyota is marketed higher than 1998 Nissan, Mitshubishi and Mazda is always marketed below Nissan and Toyota. Is that just the brand or does Toyota really better than others?

Well there is a simple answer and a complicated answer to that question.

Simple answer : NO

Complicated answer : NO

It is just a load of BS that our people have gotten in to their heads and tied in even deeper by questionable car salesmen and auto "experts". Every manufacturer has hits and misses where some models are better than the competition and some are not. Any reason why you are so adamant about sticking with Nissan ? I believe for that particular era the Corolla was a lot more durable than the Sunny (I am told the Lancer is also good but I have no first hand experience with it. Also finding a Corolla of that age in decent shape is easier said than done). Had a family/company FB14 and that thing,no matter how much TLC was given, just fell apart.Granted the engine kept going on and on but every other thing just simply stopped working.

[ravindasenarath]

Gave up the idea on this fb14.Thanks for every one to helping me understand(Even using "Deke Deke polla" )

Trying to go for a fb 15 may be. May be a Mitshubishi CS 1.

There are couple of Honday City vehicles . Can anyone give a comment on this please.

Edited March 1, 2015 by ravindasenarath

[Kavvz]

Gave up the idea on this fb14.Thanks for every one to helping me understand(Even using "Deke Deke polla" )

Trying to go for a fb 15 may be. May be a Mitshubishi CS 1.

There are couple of Honday City vehicles . Can anyone give a comment on this please.

Sorry it didn't work out. But really its better walking away to look for a better car / better deal than buying a car only to realize that you got ripped off, so really all the posters here including Crosswind and his 2x4 helped out.

Also just want to point out something: Bouncing the suspension only gives you a clue about the condition of the shock absorber / damper. There's a lot of other components that get messed up due to our poor road conditions and these can't be checked by just bouncing the corners of the car.

[Crosswind]

Honda EK3 is a good option for that price. Its leaps and bounds ahead of FB14. Fuel economy would be same or better with EK3. Just make sure the gearbox is ok. You can get it checked with the agent.

Other good options are:

Mazda familia BJ5P

Honda City (you need to find a car which is taken care of properly)

Lancer CS1 (auto CS1 might not be as good on fuel)

& dont forget... if you look hard, you can find an FB15 too...

[Clark's son]

Gave up the idea on this fb14.Thanks for every one to helping me understand(Even using "Deke Deke polla" )

Trying to go for a fb 15 may be. May be a Mitshubishi CS 1.

There are couple of Honday City vehicles . Can anyone give a comment on this please.

As you can buy a civic for that money it would be me who would bring another deke deke polla if you buy a city for civic money.

The city is the cheapo alternative to the civic, like the soluna for the corolla.

The CS1 will be the best for that budget, then comes the FB15, and if not you could find those a soluna for lot less and spend the rest on beer

Edited March 1, 2015 by Clark's son

[Jor-el]

Poor bugger is going to get beaten to death! Madai car-ekak gaththa!

Anyways If I were you I'd go for a CS1 or a Galant. There are brand new galants that brought down to SL via permit scheme and first owner, very close to your budget. CS1 too is a great choice...

[matroska]

Appreciate your reply @Davy

I have one requirement that is I need Automatic transmission. I'm expecting my farther to drive it. By the age he is reluctant to drive the manual AD Wagon(VB11) we currently have.

There is this branding market price clearly. 1996 Toyota is marketed higher than 1998 Nissan, Mitshubishi and Mazda is always marketed below Nissan and Toyota. Is that just the brand or does Toyota really better than others?

BTW what will you guys offer for this car? What bargaining point I have to ask him reduce the price.

Gave up the idea on this fb14.Thanks for every one to helping me understand(Even using "Deke Deke polla" )

Trying to go for a fb 15 may be. May be a Mitshubishi CS 1.

There are couple of Honday City vehicles . Can anyone give a comment on this please.

Just consider that the CS1 with a 1.3 Liter engine and Automatic transmission is not the best combo. But considering you were earlier going for a 1.3 L Auto B14 at an exhorbirant price then it's not a bad option either.

Edited March 2, 2015 by matroska

[Sierra Charlie]

Poor bugger is going to get beaten to death! Madai car-ekak gaththa!

Anyways If I were you I'd go for a CS1 or a Galant. There are brand new galants that brought down to SL via permit scheme and first owner, very close to your budget. CS1 too is a great choice...

I concur. Most of the Galants are well kept. Especially the Petrol variants. The owners seem to love them to bits.

[ravindasenarath]

So these cars like fb14 fb15 does they less values when the engine is 1300 cc? I saw a fb 15 1300 cc for 15M. Does this mean that it is not good in performance with 1.3 engine?

BTW I'm staring to like the Mazda BJ5P 2000/2001

Edited March 2, 2015 by ravindasenarath