- So, you're thinking about getting a project car.
Good, that's great news.
But how do you do it?
How do you actually do it?
Where do you look?
How do you find one?
Once you find one then what do you do,
just go to some guy's house and buy it?
Yeah, kind of.
Today, we're gonna break down that whole process.
We'll show you how to find the right car,
how to go inspect it and test drive it,
we'll show you how to negotiate
and how to actually buy a project car.
Kind of like a big old buyers guide.
Come on, let's go.
(trap beat)
Hey guys, this episode was made possible by Mobil 1.
Mobil 1 advanced synthetic motor oils
are designed to keep important engine parts
in excellent condition for 250,000 miles.
But I'll tell you more about that later on in the episode.
So obviously I think you should get a Miata,
but you don't have to.
You can get whatever you like.
But listen,
especially if this is your first project car,
you really want to get something that's gonna go smoothly.
So I'll give you some criteria
for what I think makes for a good first project car.
A lot of this is kind of predicated
on the production numbers for a given car.
If a car is uncommon or rare,
you're not gonna find very many of them
and you're not gonna find that many parts for them.
So as far as car shopping goes,
these days I use Facebook Marketplace.
I really like Craig's List,
but nobody seems to post much there anymore
and everybody's on Facebook so there's a lot of traffic.
All right, so let's find some examples.
Let's check some different cars
to see if they make for a good project.
First, let's check some for old Mr. Pumphrey.
Check a Mark I Rabbit.
- [James] Not good.
- (laughs) Not good.
A couple examples.
Price isn't too bad.
They're definitely all projects.
There's only about three
in all of Southern California right now for sale.
Okay, not terrible.
Let's see what's out there for parts.
There are actually more places
still making parts for these than I thought.
That's not bad.
Not the worst choice for a project car,
but not the best either.
There's just not that many of them,
it'll be tough to find one.
But they're still out there.
Next, let's look at something I kind of want
that I know is a bad idea.
How about an old Jaguar XJ.
I love these.
Ooh, here's an XJ 12 for $4,500.
That's the V12.
It's a 1990.
They didn't make very many of these
and there's only one for sale anywhere around here.
So this is a perfect example of a terrible project car.
While it seems cool and it's enticing,
it's a bad idea.
There's no aftermarket support,
there's no community around these,
they didn't make nearly enough of them.
So stay away from stiff like that.
Now let's look for a Miata.
Less that $4,500.
So many results.
I mean,
there's a million examples.
Let's check for parts.
I bet I know what we'll find.
Oh, a million parts everywhere.
Because they made a million Miatas
and everybody's working on them.
As it turns out,
the Miata is a great choice for a project car.
Wow.
So another thing that you should check
when you're checking out the forums
and the Facebook groups and all that stuff,
you should check for vehicle specific buyers guides.
Generally a forum will have a specific guide
to give you an idea of what you should look for
when you're looking at a specific car.
Some cars will have very common issues
that you need to be aware of.
So before you go look at anything,
check for a specific buyer's guide
and that'll arm you with some knowledge.
So once you find something that you like
that has a great community,
great parts availability,
and doesn't seem to be being sold by a scammer,
it's time to inquire.
So here's a quick list of stuff
that you want to make sure you ask right off the bat.
Get out a pen, write this down,
take some notes.
You want to ask about the title.
Is it clean and in-hand and ready to sign over?
What do I mean by a clean title?
I mean not salvaged or rebuilt.
Salvaged or rebuilt title means
that at some point during a car's life
the insurance company for that car decided to total it.
And that can happen for a number of reasons,
whether it's the car actually got into an accident
and got mangled,
or if it was in a flood
which is always an absolute no.
Or sometimes maybe it got broken into,
some thievery was afoot.
So a salvaged title in and of itself
isn't a definite no.
You need to do some research but in my opinion,
it's better to go with a clean title.
So anyway, back to things to ask the seller.
If you live in a state
that requires the title to be notarized,
do they have it notarized?
Ask about service records.
Does the seller have any maintenance history
or service records?
Do you know how this car's been treated?
Has the car been smogged?
If you live somewhere
that it needs smogged or emmission checked,
has it been done?
Another big one,
especially if you're looking for a car
that has specific options or a certain addition,
you want to get the vin
and at least run it through a vin decoder
so you can see what the car actually was from the factory
when it was built.
A vin decoder is just something you can find online
for whatever car you're looking for.
You just plug the vin right in
and it'll give you a whole listing
of the entire build spec sheet for the car when it was made.
Super handy.
Then you can go a step beyond that if you want
and you can take the vin
and you can get a Carfax report,
which does cost $40
but it can be very much worth its weight in gold.
It gives you a lot of very pertinent information
that can be helpful when you're thinking about buying a car.
And another thing to think about,
which I think a lot of people do think about, is mileage.
Higher miles aren't necessarily a bad thing.
It's not always the best way to gauge the health of a car.
Some cars with higher miles can be very well maintained
and be very healthy.
There are also on the other side of that
cars with low miles that have been treated very poorly
that you don't want to buy.
So the number on the dash isn't the end-all be-all.
You need to think about how it's been treated
and cared for over its life.
Anyway, if you found a car that gets you going,
you've talked to the owner,
you've asked these questions
and everything still checks out,
it's time to go look at it.
(chill beat)
So it's time to hit up the owner and go check it out.
But it's not always the best idea
to just go to a stranger's house I will admit.
So a lot of people like to meet up
and check out a car in public places,
like a Harbor Freight parking lot or a gas station
or even a police station.
A lot of police stations will even have a designated area
for that type of thing
where you can do Craig's List transactions.
And that is a really good way
to keep yourself from getting murdered.
All right,
so we'll assume you got the basic stuff out of the way
like the title, maintenance, smog,
all that kind of stuff.
So now it's time to inspect the car.
And a big thing that you're gonna want to do
while you're inspecting the car
is stack up bargaining chips.
And what I mean bu bargaining chips
are things that the car needs.
Even if it's stuff that you don't necessarily care about.
Or stuff that you do.
But for a negotiation's sake,
you need to stack up
all the things that are wrong with the car
and make it seem as bad as possible
so you can get the best price possible.
With all that said,
it's time to really get into the inspection
and we're gonna start with the exterior.
First off, obviously, just walk around the car.
Give it a nice once over.
Make sure there is zero dents.
Make sure the body's in perfect shape just like this.
How's the paint?
What kind of condition is it in?
Do you even care?
Also it's time to check the tires,
see how much tread they have left,
see if they're starting to dry rot or crack
or if they look really old.
While you're at the tires check the brakes.
Take a look at the rotors,
see if they look nice a flat
or if they're deeply grooved and look very worn.
Get an eyeball on the brake pads too if you can
and a flashlight can sometimes help.
But you want to see how much meat is left on the pad.
If they're nice and thick, great.
If they're not,
it's probably time to replace them.
Check all the lights, turn on the headlights,
the hazards, the taillights.
Whatever the car has you need to make sure they work.
Then pop the trunk,
see if all the interior bits are there.
Check for the spare tire.
And if the car ever came with a toolkit,
see if that's there.
It's also a good time, if it's a convertible,
to make sure that the convertible top goes up and down.
You're gonna want to look for any holes like that.
And now it's time to get your head under the car
to make sure the thing's not covered in rust.
Check the brake lines and fuel lines,
make sure they're in good shape.
Look at all the suspension bushings,
make sure they're not falling apart.
Look for drips and leaks.
This thing has good a lot of wetness on the oil pan.
That's another bargaining chip.
All right, that pretty much covers the exterior.
Now it's time to get into the interior.
All right so once you get in the car,
first thing you should do it (sharply inhales)
take a deep breath in.
How does it smell?
Does it smell like mildew and mold?
Are there any signs of water damage
or any giant, big, gross stains?
- [Eddie] Are there? (giggling)
- The general cleanliness of the interior of a car
is often a pretty good gauge
of how it's been treated by whoever you're buying it off of.
What kind of shape is the cloth or the leather in?
Are the seats destroyed or not?
Is there a radio?
If there is does it work?
Are the speakers blown?
How does it sound?
Push every single button in the car.
Make sure the heat works or the AC works if equipped.
And check the dash.
Are there any lights on on the dash that shouldn't be?
If so it's good idea to get them scanned
'cause it might not be a big deal.
Might be a great bargaining chip.
All right that pretty much covers the interior
so now it's time for the fun stuff.
Let's pop the hood.
(synth music)
All right, so here in the engine bay take a look around.
What does it look like,
how's it make you feel?
Is the condition overall pretty good, pretty clean,
or real gross?
Are there a bunch of zip ties
and a bunch of evidence of some shoddy repairs
or modifications from previous owners?
If so kind of a red flag.
It's nice to get things that are relatively stock.
It's a good idea to check the oil.
Now listen, you're gonna want to give your new project car
an oil change pretty much ASAP,
but you need to check what's in there currently
and make sure there's no shiny metal bits or grittiness.
'Cause that doesn't bode well for the health of the engine.
Check the coolant as well.
Check the level,
make sure there's no oil floating in it.
And check all your hoses and all the rubbers under the hood.
All that stuff is prone to becoming brittle over time
and breaking which is bad.
You need to check your belts
for general wear and tear and health.
So you're also gonna want to ask the seller
about the timing belt.
And if he says "Huh,"
then it's probably time to replace it.
All right so if everything checks out in the engine bay
and it doesn't seem like anything's about to come apart,
it's time for the test drive.
Does it start right up like that
or does the battery sound weak like
(makes weak revving noises).
Put it in gear.
Are there any grinds or weird noises?
Do you have to force it in?
Row through all the gears.
How does it go?
No problem, great.
all right so first gear,
start letting the clutch out,
see how it feels.
Nice and tight,
no weird noises, no weird vibrations.
Sweet.
Now it's a good time to test the brakes.
They work, yes?
Okay, good.
So now let's get up to about 25 miles and hour
on a nice flat road.
And we're gonna be listening for any vibrations,
any weird noises, rattles, clunks.
Anything that seems out of place.
So get going nice and straight.
And let of the steering wheels.
See if it pulls one way or the other.
If it does you might just need an alignment
or you might need some new suspension bits.
You hear any weird noise coming from the transmission
or the engine now that it's up in the RPMs a little bit?
What about the differential out back?
Hear any clunks?
Get on and off the gas a little bit.
Sorry, Eddie.
Does it make any weird noises when you do that?
How does it feel?
Does the throttle feel like it's hesitating
or does it feel like
it's actually attached to the throttle body?
Now let's get up to a little bit faster.
Let's get up to highway speeds.
You get up to about 60 miles an hour
and feel for the same vibrations,
feel for any rattles,
or weird noises coming through the cabin.
Especially through the steering wheel,
the petals, and the seat.
Your butt is a really good indicator of how the car is.
Go back and forth a little bit,
do some zig zags,
find some corners,
test out the suspension.
Do you have any clunks?
Does anything feel out of place?
It's a really good idea to try to hit some bumps
so that you can really test the suspension
and see how it acts when it hits bumps.
If you've got worn out end links
or control arms or bushings,
bumps will kind of sort that stuff out
and you'll really get to hear some weird noises.
So take a look at the gauges
after you've been driving for a minute.
Does everything seem good?
Is the tack working?
Does the speedometer work?
Is the coolant temp good?
Are you overheating at all?
Especially in Miatas,
that's a pretty common issue, overheating.
And it's basically a death certificate.
So make sure the thing is not overheating.
This has an oil pressure gauge.
Make sure it has oil pressure.
So listen, I know I just said a lot of stuff,
a lot of things to pay attention to and,
and it's probably more than
you're gonna be able to remember.
I get it,
it's hard for me to remember everything I just said.
So I was thinking ahead.
I made you guys a checklist down in the description
so you can take it with you
or just pull it up on your phone
whenever you go to look at a used car.
Take the checklist with you
and just check the boxes, baby.
- [Eddie] We do it 'cause we love you.
- We do it 'cause we love you, that's right.
You might think you're done at this point,
but no, no, you are not.
We've got a lot of stuff left to cover.
(funky beat)
Now this one's gonna be case by case
and not every seller is gonna want to negotiate with you
which is their dang right.
But of course you want to pick up your project car
for as cheap as possible so you can have
as much money left over for mods as possible.
So now it's time to pull out
all those bargaining chips we've been talking about
and dock as much money as possible for them.
So go over all the things that need to be fixed
and try to knock the price down.
It's also a good idea
to be ready to take the thing off their hands
right then and there.
I always show up with cash because some sellers
just want to get their junk out of their hair
and you can be the person to take it off their hands.
So I usually shoot for about 20% off
and I'll usually settle around 10% off.
This Miata was listed at $2,900
and I took it for 25.
Now I think that's pretty good
given that it's a two-seat roadster
that runs and drives with no real issues.
I think that's pretty awesome.
All right, so now that you've settled on a price,
what's next,
how do you actually make it be officially,
technically, legally yours?
Well,
I'll tell you.
So one of the first things that you need to do
is what's called a bill of sale.
Some states require it, some states don't,
and to be honest even in states that do require it,
I've never actually been asked for one.
But it's so easy to do that you might as well just do it.
There are three places basically
that you can get a bill of sale from.
You can check your state's DMV
or you can write one up yourself just by hand.
Or I made you one, the Donut bill of sale,
you can download it from the description below.
So next up is the title transfer.
This is probably the biggest part.
The title is actually the piece of paper
that officially assigns ownership of a vehicle.
So you need to get the title put into your name.
So now you got the title sorted out, what's next?
You need to insure it.
So call up your insurance company or get on their app
or what have you,
and make sure that you get it insured.
Because we can't have any uninsured drivers out there.
So insure it, drive it home, very easy.
So now it's insured but it's not registered to you yet.
So what do you do?
Can you drive it unregistered?
A lot of states just require that you have it insured
and that you have a bill of sale
and you can prove that you basically just bought it
and that's good enough for them.
Some states that's not okay,
but in those case you can generally purchase a permit
that will allow you to drive a car for a few days
unregistered basically for this exact thing.
So congratulations,
you just bought your very own project car.
Are you done?
No you are not.
It's time for the most important part of all.
You got to flex on everybody
and put your new project car on Instagram.
(upbeat music)
Nah, but really,
this is your kind of introduction to your new community.
You got to take some pictures of your car
and put them on Instagram and say hi to your new family.
If you want to get better at taking pictures of your car
to put on Instagram,
check out this episode of Wheelhouse that Nolan did
with Larry Chen and John Jack Cirone, my roommate.
So you've got a project car,
you got it home, and you posted it on your Instagram.
I am so proud of you.
But what's next, what now?
Is it time to mod?
Not quite.
Often overlooked but very important,
it's time to do some maintenance.
So we're gonna be replacing all the belts, all the filters,
and all the fluids on this little Miata.
Like the most important fluid of all,
your motor oil.
When you're changing the oil on any car,
whether it's a project or your daily driver,
it's important to go with a high quality motor oil.
And that's why we've chosen Mobil 1 to sponsor this episode.
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are designed to keep important engine parts
in excellent condition for 250,000 miles.
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Mobil 1 synthetic oils are specially formulated
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So guys, visit the nearest Auto Zone to you
or click the link in the description below
to find the right high-quality
Mobil 1 synthetic oil for you.
Now seriously, if you've got a car,
it's gonna need an oil change.
So you might as well support the sponsors
that help us make these videos,
because without them we couldn't do it.
Thanks for watching.