One trick an old mechanic taught me: start the car and remove the cap where you pour the oil in. Then, put your hand over the opening. In a new car, you will feel no air puffing out. The worse the engine, you will feel light puffs of air in time with the combustion. A dying engine will actually have oil spitting out with the strong puffs of air. Hope this helps someone.

Moral of the story: Hoovie violated every one of the warnings.

Never buy a car with these issues: -It's an old Bentley -It was once "imported" to Russia -It's selling for a suspiciously low price

Don't tell a seller you have cash in your pocket. Scams posing as cars for sale to rob the shopper upon arrival

I also ask about titles first. "I don't have it..." Then you don't own the car.

My dad was a good old time mechanic. One tip he gave me for checking head gasket health, with a warm engine use the dipstick to put a drop of engine oil on the hot exhaust manifold. The oil should smoke, not boil. If it boils even a bit there’s water intrusion into the oil.

You need to look under the car and make sure the frame and under carriage isn't rusted away. Lots of gorgeous looking cars are absolutely totaled underneath.

Being upfront with the issues on a car pretty much made people wanna buy my car more lol. Honesty really pays off.

Mrs. Wizard should be infront of the camera more! Not many people are able to speak that freely on KZfaq. She's doing a good job

If i turned up at a Car for sale and it doesn't start i would simply walk away.

"I cant afford this anymore and I got something new"

Also important to mention when looking at the gauges, when you turn the ignition into accessory the dash tests itself, lighting up every single warning light. If one or more dont light up, probably someone disconnected them to hide a check engine light or god knows what else.

Dont play radio during test drive

Determining whether it has a clean title or not is the FIRST thing you do, not the last. Can save you from wasting a whole lot of time.

More Mrs. Wizard please! She's great on camera and obviously knows her stuff!

If everyone in the US was as honest and hardworking as these people, America would be great again!

Also, make sure the vehicle VIN matches the VIN on the title.

This dude knows cars! One of the best car channels on youtube! I use a program on my laptop kzfaq.info/get/bejne/abKFlNx5rZfdinU.html to manage the maintenance and keep a detailed vehicle maintenance log for all my vehicles. When I am buying a used car I love it if the owner can provide that type of information so that I know the vehicle was properly maintained. I also check the brake pedal. If the pedal shows little wear even if the vehicle has high mileage I know most of the miles are highway driving which is much easier on a vehcile.

“My mechanic said” guys are the worst. Or “ten minute fix” but they are “so busy” they can’t get to it. Then goes on to say how they can meet anytime. Last but not least is the old “check engine light is on needs an O2 sensor”.

The title stuff is so, so important. I'm astounded at the number of "no title" ads on Facebook marketplace.

You missed out some major things wizard. Panel gaps, mismatched paint, knocking on body parts to check for filler, checking if the window glass is matching and consistent, checking for overspray, opening the trunk and lifting the carpet... All these things can indicate if a car was in an accident and potentially structurally compromised

Never buy a car with these issues: It was Hoovies.

Don't forget to check to see if someone took the check engine light bulb out to hide problems. When you start the car, the light should come on briefly and turn off. If it doesn't light up at all, run away!

It will sound obnoxious, but I try to avoid buying from smokers. The car will smell like an ashtray and they seem to neglect maintenance. You’llknow, because the car will be dirty when you go to see it.

Me: "the engine is running a bit rough." Seller: "oh that's a cheap fix it just needs some new spark plugs." If someone ever tells you something is a "cheap fix," ask yourself: then why haven't they fixed it? My rule of thumb is "don't buy trouble."

Basically ask yourself "Would Hoovie buy this car?" If the answer is yes, don't buy it.

Another tip is to take the oil cap off and put your hand over it. Easy way to find excess blowby. Old mercedes diesels like a 300D would even float the oil cap above the engine if the motor was worn out.

I can't fathom how anyone would buy a vehicle on the promise the engine is fine yet it can't be started.

ALSO, make sure the engine in the car you are looking at is cold when you start it. If the engine is warm, it might not show problems the engine has when cold. It might knock, tick, smoke, or run terrible when cold. I bought a car that ran great when I looked at it, but when I went to start it up the next morning I found out that it ticks when cold.

Back in 2007, I went to a Chrysler dealer to check out a 1989 New Yorker. I'd had one, wanted another. Red flag #1 - "the car's in the shop for brake work." I go over there, they have it on the lift, and I can see major rust all over the underside. Red flag #2 - "it's done, you can drive it but the brakes are weak." Red flag #3 - BAD misfire, and yes the brakes were real, real bad. I had to drive hours to even go see that car... I was absolutely livid.

when you first get there, start the car. let it idle the ENTIRE time you're there. make sure you chat them up for a while. you REALLY want that car to idle for 30 minutes minimum. if it has a head issue or busted block it will overheat while running. then it blows up before you buy it.

Back in the days when cars were fun to fix, my dad used to say: you can fix every thing but body, so make sure that the body is in good condition when buying a used car.

I bought a car really cheap BECAUSE the seller was selling it because the brakes did not work. I checked and the master cylinder was empty I made a very lowball offer he accepted. I came back with a friend to pick up the car so I could drive it home and brought brake fluid. Brakes worked fine on the way home! Tripled my investment.

When the wizard opened up that audi hoood... bad memories suddenly rushed into my mind... audi...never again...

Good video. I have also heard that if the seller will not let you take the car you are considering to your trusted mechanic for checkout-DO NOT BUY. Also, if you buying one of those old cars, like the Cadillac, you might want to take a magnet. I live in Texas, and years ago, I knew a person who brought an old Buick down from Michigan. The car had rust where you might think rust could never occur. Nothing like a Texas car. He finally filled it full of Bondo, got a cheap paint job and sold it!

The best advice I ever got, if someone is Selling a car, 90% of the time it’s because something is wrong with it and they’re tired of fixing it. The best used car to buy is from someone who doesn’t want to sell their car. Usually such a car is well-maintained, and you have to convince the person to give it up, because they know it’s good also

I’m semi-retired after 30 years in the car business. In my experience there are by far more crooked private party sales vs. dealers. All the time we had new customers bringing in a just purchased private party car with major problems. I felt sorry for their expensive mistakes that cost them way more than what they “saved” by avoiding dealer markup. The basic issue with private party sales is they only have to sell this one car with no concerns of repeat business. A lot of people are morally challenged and feel no pain when dumping a dying car on an unsuspecting buyer. They want YOU to take the loss.

Wizard needs to buy a fubar XJS to just have as a shop ornament. Seeing one in the background is just clickbait for me

Another issue that you must check. Make sure the Airbag light comes on when you start the car, and then goes off. Airbags are very expensive to replace, and a lot of cars that have been in an accident and are fixed, the seller does not want to spend the thousands of dollars to replace the airbag, and disconnects the airbag light instead. People have died because of this, where they get into an accident and the airbag is missing. This is far more common than people realize.

I fell for the aftershave down the defroster trick.hides the antifreeze smell leaking from the heater core. my younger years so don't fall for it.

A '92 Paseo I bought 10 years ago, I checked out as much as I could underneath the hood. Checked the fluids, checked the backside of the oil filler cap for water/ oil residue, etc. Wasn't for another year that I realized the hood underneath was a different color, and one of the fenders had been repainted. I lucked out 'tho, the car served me fine for years.

I’m ready for a run of videos where the wizard goes with fans to buy a used car.

Make sure the title matches the VIN!!! I've been with 3 different friend's buying vehicles where the seller provided the wrong title. It was always the case where they simply grabbed the wrong one, but you never know if someone is trying to scam you because the VIN is one digit different.

Translation: "Ran when parked" means "boat anchor".

Get/use/have someone with a scan tool that can check the “live”‘data, and look for engine misfires, and whatnot. Cause seller may have cleared the codes before u got there. Need to always scan LIVE data. Also, on cars with digital/electronic mileage indicators, compare the scan tool mileage reading with what the vehicle is showing.

Ms.Wizard is a damn rockstar. The wizards are such a good couple!

The biggest thing to do is to make sure you have it inspected by your trusted mechanic.. If someone has a problem with you taking it to a shop before you buy pace it for the next sucker.. People never buy without going to your shop and if the owner says no say goodbuy have a nice day.. Never buy without a inspection...

Shipping a classic car to Australia can be a nightmare if the authorities in customs determine the vehicle had any parts that contained asbestos during it's life. Plenty of stories of cars sitting for months at port while the car is stripped down to the frame as it undergoes a thorough examination. Destructive testing can also be used before the car is given the okay to enter the country.

It's ALWAYS easier and often cheaper by far to walk away than to assume you can cheaply fix things - UNLESS you're an experienced mechanic!!

Here is a good tip! : Check the checking of bulbs before starting the engine. All of the bulbs will flash before starting up the car to check the bulbs themselves. Some people take the bulbs off and mislead the customers to thinking the car does not have that specific problem.

A few more tips: 1. Tell the seller you want to inspect the engine Cold (feel the radiator hose). Helps discover if it has a cold start issue, and some problems disappear once the engine warms up. 2. Before even going to see the car ask who's name the title is in. If its an open title or some "friend, etc" the seller is probably a car flipper. Also make sure the title isn't "Salvage or Reconstructed" which will be a BIG problem when you title it. 3. Beware if the engine and undercarriage look super clean (another car flipper tactic). Better to be a little dirty. Easier to spot leaks. 4. Scan the car an make sure none of the I/M Monitors show "Inc" (incomplete). That means the codes were erased so the check engine light is off (but it will come on again). 5. Make sure the VIN on the car matches the title, and carefully check all info on the title. 6. If the inspection expires in a month or two there is a good chance they are selling it cause it needs repairs to pass. 7. Only exchange money at the title office. 8. Never look at a car at night or in the rain.

Craigslist is a cesspool when it comes to used cars.

I remember when I was about 19 yrs old, before I got married.. I went to this used car dealer, down the street from where, I lived.. I went to look at this nice car, I think a Chevy Caprice. LOL. I went in side to talk to one of these 3 men sitting at a table.. I asked how much such and such car was. Their reply, more than you can afford.. Now I know they were full of crap.. Plus since were I lived, I summed up that they were part of the local organize crime family.

"Rebuilt Engine" scam claim, what was actually rebuilt?? .LOL.. its a catch all phrase that sometimes even includes installing a used junkyard motor ... or some minor engine work .. when a real rebuild would include boring cylinders, new pistons, bearings, new valve seats, valves,...and MUCH MORE.

You also have to watch out for sellers that lie about Facebook not letting them put the real price on the ad to lure people in

I always reccomend to friends and customers to take it to a shop for a pre purchase inspection if possible. Should be wary of an engine compartment thats too clean and shiny too. Seen many that are clean and pretty up top, but an oily mess underneath.

My big thing when buying modern cars in addition to everything the Wizard has detailed is: 2 Keys. It's often a pain to get another key programmed correctly, not to mention expensive. If the car has 2 keys...check that they both work.

It costs a bit, but if you have a good mechanic and can convince the seller to let you have the car checked out, they can catch more than the casual car buyer.

I’m usually more suspicious of a clean engine bay from a private seller than a dusty one. Car lots usually do a full detail including the engine bay for the lot, but private sellers rarely splurge on that unless they’re cleaning up leaks

Always keep a copy of the advert. Photograph the car before you take it away from a dealer. Only view it at the owners home if not a dealer. Bit dodgy meeting up half way. Always have a friend who can be more critical or give you a lift back so as not to commit having bus, taxi, trained or flown there.

The last car I bought had the title. But it had 2 titles. The guy had thought he lost the title. Applied for a new one and gave me the "lost" one. Went to register it and the title was no good. I was pissed. Luckily it was an honest mistake and he found and brought me the good title to me at the DOL.

soooooooooooooooooooooooo right about blend door issues and hvac routing servos being the ultimate p.i.t.a.

I've said this before, I'll say it again.... I once bought a motorcycle without the title being ready, the friend of a friend said he'd get it to me later. He did, so it worked out in the end, but it took a couple of months with this bike sitting in my garage, that I couldn't do anything with. Listen to the Wizard! No title, no deal.

12:00 My friend had a Porsche repair shop some years ago and I remember that one particular 928 whose warning lights went perfectly off, after the car was started. In reality. All the wires were cut and revired to a single warning light that really went off and so the others followed suit. I remember that to repair that beautiful machine was more expensive than what it originally cost.

Look out for buying a used Cadillac from a guy named Heavy D. AC doesn’t work, just needs a can of Freon. Look out for mismatched tires, milk shake oil dip stick, dirty, rusty, burnt transmission oil on trans dip stick. Are there aftermarket electronics done by bubbas.

My cheap code reader has an "Emission Ready" light, so if the seller had reset the trouble codes my reader won't illuminate that light. The emission stuff requires a certain number of driving cycles before it thinks things are okay. Not getting the "ready light" indicates a resent code reset condition. You won't see any idiot lights on the dash for some codes that take a while to set..

Good advice. I wouldn't even bother asking a seller what was wrong if the oil was low, the coolant reservoir was dirty or had oil or sludge in it or smelled bad. Just walk away. Plenty more cars out there.

As someone whom has bought a used car or two thru the years I generally follow as many of the excellent suggestions that you put forth in your video concerning checking out a used vehicle. I bought a used 2009 Nissan Frontier basic King Cab truck this past May with 165K miles I thoroughly inspected for all the red flags you put forth in your video underhood and underneath and it all looked good on this vehicle. Being near the part of the year when it was long daylight I overlooked to check the lighting systems. This fall I discovered that I have no low beam headlights; after inspection, the body control module has been diagnosed as being bad sending no output signal to the underhood relay box. Lesson learned, $1540 for a new BCM; vehicle was priced for quick sale at $5500 for this reason.

More points: -When you come to see the car, look if the engine is already warmed up, some guy may be trying to hide cold start issues. -A freshly detailed engine bay could try to hide a small leak, It all looks clean but a few days later you get a small puddle on your driveway. -Beware of old R12 AC systems, especially in Europe where I live. It may "just need a recharge" but no shop will want to touch it unless they convert it to R134A, big money trap there. -If it is suspiciously cheap, it may be suspicious.

Another trick to check temps on modern cars without those gauges is a bluetooth obd2 adapter and your phone. You'll have to research the appropriate temps beforehand though.

Mrs. Wizard should get an academy award. This actress is amazing.

If you're buying a car in the UK a very simple check can be the MOT history, which is a free service on the Gov website. Can get a quick idea of how well the car has been maintained - i.e. I'd avoid cars that have failed for things like having multiple worn tyres. Also helps verify the mileage.

In answer to the question... When looking for a second vehicle, I checked this one dealership who had a 2008 Mazda CX-7 with relatively low mileage (118,000km), advertised as rust-free (a bold claim in Ontario, Canada). I called ahead (purposely) and they were there with the keys and were all too happy to start rambling off facts and numbers that would only impress someone that didn't know much about cars. I cut them short and said "give me about 20 minutes to go check things out" - they thought I meant a test drive, and I said "No - if I like what I see, _then_ we'll talk test drive." So I got out to check it out, pop the hood, and put my hand above the engine - it's warm. First bad sign. This is why I call ahead - if they go out and "warm it up" before I get there, I know they might be trying to hide an engine that idles bad or doesn't start easily because there's no reason to do that on a healthy engine. So check around the engine - I see the valve cover leaking. Check under the car - lots and lots of wet greasy areas. Check the reservoir - fluid is a weird translucent yellowy-green. This was the turbo version of the engine, so I suspect it was already wearing and starting to have a head gasket issue. Checked between the door frame, under the doors, in the wheel wells, underneath - rust was starting everywhere, but in places that you couldn't see from topside. Saw no rubber plugs in the door frames that would have indicated previous owners had it oil sprayed during it's life. So that was all I needed to see - engine on it's way to the grave, cancerous rust in the wrong places. Walked back in, handed them the keys and said "not interested." But... all that stuff would go easily unnoticed if someone didn't know what to look for.

Everytime I see Audi’s like that now I think “engine out, engine out, engine out”

Thanks for the pointers, My uncle knows a small dealer who sells cars, has been buying from for years. Can't wait to get my car.

I had one of two exhaust pipes plugged up and two muffler shops were stumped. I took the 53 Caddy back to my mechanic who rebuilt the engine and he found a mouse nest in the one tail pipe! Cars that sit do get critters in them.

SOLD AS IS *UNTESTED* Ebay speak for "we tested it and it did not work."

Mr. and Mrs. Wizard: So appreciated this particular video. Am an old guy, retired builder and carpenter. After over 40 years as a builder, I joke that I know everything their is to know about houses (not really true). But I admit I don't know much of anything when it comes to buying a quality used that doesn't surprise me with major hidden defects after I get it home, and I think I must have bought 50 or more, over my lifetime, between myself, my kids, my former business. At the moment I'm looking to replace my 1993 Toyota T-100 with another older model Tundra. My budget is 10k tops. Most all of what I can find for sale, be it on autotrader or wherever, are from used car dealers. I've not found many if any that are completely honest about what they're selling. Any advice or tips from anyone or where to look, would be much appreciated. Car Wizard, I know what you mean about titles-in-hand, as they say. I once bought and paid for a used car at a very reputable dealer, on a promise that they were getting the title soon. I returned the car for a full refund after two weeks and no title yet. Thanks again for this video!

I always watch these at 1.5x speed. when Mrs. Wizard is on I have to go back to normal.

When checking oil make sure its fairly clean no sludge as well as it not looking like chocolate milk

My 02’ 525i sport. The transmission liked to go into failsafe mode but you Could get it out by shifting to neutral and starting. I bought the car any way and ended Up fixing it by checking the transmission position switch connector. It is a black connector with male and female pins that can rotate if it comes loose which will send incorrect signals between computer and trans. The bmw was great even after I rebuilt it from a crash, so I learned everything about the e39! Would consider an m5 because of it. Every car has a hidden story. How much of the book can you speed read? You’ll never know everything. Sometimes a bit of smoke off a valve cover is normal for some cars esp. European. I have the SL500 now and it’s a much faster and better car, just had it serviced for 280$ they corrected my abc suspension, changed my oil, filters etc. and did a general reset of the computer. I hope it becomes a collectible one day. I’ll never get rid of it

Take a magnet with you and put it up against the parts of the bodywork that are most likely to be hit in accidents. Magnet doesn't stick= panel bogged and repainted.

No title, no deal. Amen!

I actually had a guy misplace his title, and understood when I wouldn't buy. He actually came from an entire house move after a house fire. Had the title only 2 days later and THEN I was willing to look at the car. Been driving the car for 2.5 years with only oil changes and some filters! Also had to get a new rim but that's because a cheaper tire I got myself blew out and hurt the rim.

i usually go to dealers by law in Missouri they usually have it inspected but that's not 100%. i trust no one. my friend bought car on Facebook 1500$ a mitsubishi outlander wound up paying more get worked on. and i research parts prices on vehicles ask my mechanic whats it like get it worked on don't be like hoovie he got money most people don't

Dont sell a car unless you do it at the police dept .they have a better way to do it safely .i listed a very nice van and the first test drivers redlined it and blew it up with myself and my kid in the car! We met at a kangaroo gas station with video for safety. Did it in the daytime. It was horrible and vetu scary and trashed my car. 4 people wanted to ride during test drive. .

I"m pretty happy with my used car purchase. I work in auto parts, bought a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis LSE off a coworker. It had a cold start issue that I diagnosed as a bad IAC Valve and it's perfect now. It was using oil but switching to 5w-30, which it originally used before Ford changed it, fixed that. We rebuilt the front suspension and had 4 new tires put on it after an alignment. The only other thing I might do is convert from air springs to coil springs, but it rides so smoothly on air.

Wizard is for the people!

Great point about the engine oil.

This is a valuable episode that is a real keeper. Thanks Car and Mrs Wizard.

I've had pretty good luck with used car purchases. And it's all based on basic mechanical knowledge like this. Like back in 2008 I got a really good deal on a 1994 Buick Park Avenue, the seller said that the car wouldn't go into overdrive, but also didn't accelerate very well. I figured worst case scenario, GM used to put in that really crappy transmission fluid and it throws the overdrive gear, so I negotiated a really reasonable price with the price of the repairs calculated in, brought it to the shop, found out it was a throttle positioning sensor. Retired that car in 2020. I also bring my code reader with me, which can also see the code history on vehicles.

One time I wanted to by a 2000 or 2001 Volvo S70. Had about 166,000 miles and seemed to be in a decent shape. Contacted the seller, set up a test drive. They turned out to be some shop doing general car repair. Told me they've fixed a few things here and there on the Volvo and now are selling it for some old lady. The price was $1,200. Claimed nothing is really wrong with it. Well, that's interesting I thought. On the drive I noticed a screeching and grinding noise coming from the front end while turning right. The guy immediately jumped in with "don't worry this noise will go away the more you drive it. We didn't find anything wrong with it." Well to me, if a car makes any unusual noise like this, there's definitely a problem, right? So I asked if I could take to my mechanic to check it out which is btw a reputable Volvo shop just a couple of miles from these guys' shop. The guy: "No we don't allow that. I had a friend selling his car and they took to a mechanic who dropped it from their lift and the car was totalled. We're sorry we can't let you take it for a prepurchase inspection." "Have a good day" I said. Later, my quick Google search showed that it could be an issue with the subframe which could be a $2,500 fix.

Smart Wizard is Smart... Can't wait for the Conquest video!!!

I bring a bluedriver scanner when i test drive a car i want to buy ..i bring someone to read the bluedriver while i drive. I look under the car and on top and around .check all fluids...make sure its a clean title no salvage or rebuilt titles .

Things to check: 1. don't buy if they don't want you to take it far for a test ride or no test drive 2. don't buy if you can't start it 3. check fluids for problems: deposits / residues in radiator overflow tank low oil and/ or black oil low brake fluid 4. check engine or engine bay liquid splashes or leaks 5. check climate controls - heat and AC 6. check all electric windows - door locks - power mirrors - power seats - sun roof 7. check break pedal for normal operation 8. start it yourself - normal + no noises ? 9. after start and test drive no engine light symbols 10. run a OBD2 scan tool and check for codes or take it to your garage to have it scanned and checked - $200 - 300 is well worth it 11. some brands should be avoided as they are either problematic and / or very expensive to repair - be informed 12. it must have the title / registration or no deal

Another common "dupe" to a seller that I've seen being in the trade is cooked brakes but the brake reservoir is full. The seller knew the brakes were used up but topping up the reservoir makes it look like the pistons are still shallow in the caliper bores. Also, some sellers and cheesy lots will replace the brake/clutch pads on the legs to make them look newer and hide mileage.

Good video 👍🏼 Sending this to my friend who's always on Facebook looking for a "project car"

Very timely Wizard! I'm in the market for a used car right now and this is great advice to remember.

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Wizard for taking your time and trouble to give us these awesome tips.

You should also tell the seller that you want the engine to be cold when you arrive so that you can see how it starts cold. He could be having problems starting the engine cold that go away when it is warm.