hey guys chrisfix here and today I'm
going to show you what to look for when
you test drive a used car and how I
negotiate with the owner of the car and
what to look for in the cars title to
make sure the bank doesn't own the car
or that it isn't a salvage or flooded
car in the previous episodes of how to
buy a used car we met with the owner did
an engine interior and exterior
inspection so all that's left is the
test-drive so let's get to it actually I
should mention this first only go for a
test drive if you're really interested
in the car because you don't want to
waste anybody's time I know I'm gonna
make Frank an offer as long as the car
drives as expected and I just want to
make that clear alright so get in the
car start er up and then go over in your
head the main tests you want to do on
this test drive the main things that
we're going to want to test are the
engine transmission brakes and
suspension to do that make sure you get
some highway driving as well as city
driving and I have everything you need
to check on my checklist and you can
download that with the link in the
description so when you inspect the used
car you won't forget anything now let's
get going now you want to spend about 10
minutes taking the car for a test drive
and just drive normally if there are any
problems there's a good chance in those
10 minutes from just driving around
normally that you're gonna find these
problems and we're gonna go jump on the
highway right away because it's right
here
so again right now I'm driving normally
and it's a good idea to tell the owner
of the car what you're going to be doing
for example we're going to be doing a
hard acceleration test and a hard
braking test obviously you want to be
safe when you do all this but you want
to let the owner know just to be
courteous and also because you don't
want freaking out when you're jamming on
the gas and jamming on the brake so
here's a merge and here's a good chance
to really accelerate hard so I'm going
to do a hard acceleration here
the engines warmed up it shifts nice
for a 2.5 liter this thing has pretty
good pet now I'm letting it Coast I want
to make sure it's not slowing down too
fast like the brakes are locked up or
something like that that definitely
passed the hard acceleration test I do
feel a little bit of a shimmy you're
talking about the the brakes being no
good so that could be from the brakes
don't forget to test the cruise control
turn it on with the button back here
comes on on the screen then you get set
there we go beautiful it works then when
you hit the brake it shuts off awesome
and I actually get off here so it was a
relatively short Highway test we don't
have to go far we just wanna make sure
it feels smooth everything felt really
smooth do you ride this on the highway a
lot or is your or your trips local I'd
take it to the city every once in a
while the handles pretty well on the
highway my opinion but typically it's
pretty local it's a good idea to ask the
owner a lot of questions whatever comes
to mind he knows the car you don't he
knows how he's driven you have no clue
you know these roads pretty well yeah
I'm familiar with the area I'm about a
half an hour away so I've been here
plenty of times the malls right around
the corner yeah so now we're kind of do
the city driving we're just getting a
feel for how it reacts on the stop and
go so now I'm going to hit the brakes
hard because it doesn't look like
there's anybody around so go to speed
limit and I'm going to try to lock up
the ABS so the ABS didn't turn on we
didn't get any skidding I'm gonna try it
one more time
there we go
I felt the ABS in the pedal and that
means it's working there's no ABS lights
on in the dash so that's good that's
what we want to see it stops straight
when you hit the brakes
even when I'm going so when you hit the
brakes at stopping straight check for
that here's actually a good spot that we
could mess around with turning hard you
want to turn the wheel all the way until
you can't turn it any more this will
test the front bearing cv joints and the
axles the ball joints and the power
steering you want the steering wheel to
turn easily with no noises groaning or
whining is going to be the power
steering pump squeaking is a bad ball
joint or bad tie rod a click could be a
bearing or CV joint that's in the front
X and then when everything sounds good
you want to turn it the other way and
feel and listen again this feels and
sounds good so the test drive is going
great all right at this point we can
start heading back
perfect timing some bumps in the road
one of us Apprendi bangs or nuts
that could be shocks or sway bar
bushings going bad also make sure the
steering feels comfortable and
predictable
that was really good test for the
suspension suspension feels good it's
nice and firm you would think it would
be a little bit softer for a luxury car
but this is like one of those luxury
sports cars
Farmar suspension so that pretty much
covers what you want to do on a test
drive there are a few tests that I like
to do on every test drive which I showed
you but for the most part just pay
attention to the gauges pay attention to
anything that doesn't feel normal or
seem normal again hitting the brakes you
can see there is a shimmy here but it's
nothing horrible it's just like work
brake rotors so I'm pretty sure that's
where it is you said I need the brakes
that's my guess yeah I'm thinking that
front to Gregg's has to be replaced yeah
that plus the tires in alignment could
be what's causing the shaking the good
thing about this test drive is the
engine is buttery smooth and powerful
and the transmission shifts are crisp
and overall the cars handling great
basically the car is something I would
want to own it feels reliable and I feel
comfortable driving and the last thing I
want to say is always be nice and
respectful to the owner when you touch
drive in the car because it isn't your
car that's what Craigslist gets exactly
I've had a my fair share of people look
at this car got some weirdos
all right and there we go that's how you
check out a used car we checked out
everything on this checklist and thanks
to Frank the owner of the vehicle for
letting us film and everything and now
comes to the fun part where we do the
negotiation now before we negotiate this
is what's going through my head I want
the car this is the best one I've seen
mechanically out of all the Jaguars I've
looked at my main concern is the
vibration in the steering wheel it's
going to need new tires new brakes and
an alignment right away plus the hood
cable has to get replaced
so the hood doesn't go flying and then
it does need new wheels because they're
not the right ones for this car which
could also be causing the vibration at
speed and then I need to figure out why
the backup sensors aren't working but
the car could still be driven if I don't
fix that right away so he's asking
$3,000 the car is worth about 2,500 in
fair condition so I'm going to try to
get the car for around two thousand
dollars because that's somewhat
reasonable but at the same time you
don't want a lowball and because that's
just gonna make them feel disrespected
or mad and that's the last thing you
want so what I do to prevent that is I
explain my offer also a very important
thing we learned from the test-drive is
what he said right here I've had my fair
share people look at this car so we
probably wants to sell it already
because he's shown it so much and I'm a
serious buyer with cash in hand and I'm
ready to take the car today right now
so use that information to your
advantage and here's how I negotiated
let's go for it
again thank you very much for letting us
check out your car letting me film I
really appreciate it I'm sure all the
viewers appreciate it and not a problem
and now comes to the fun part where we
negotiate and I really I like the car
this is the best Jaguar I've seen it
does have a few things here and there
the wheels and tires they need to be
replaced I think your offer of $3,000 is
a little bit too high you said you loved
the car yeah no I do like the car but
I'd like to make you an offer of $1,500
for this car I think that's what it's
worth
well I don't think I could do 15 I
I need to put the money towards my new
car so 15 is not gonna I can drop it a
little maybe 26 we're still a little bit
too far off I'll be honest like I I
can't go above 2 that's that's too much
I'm I'm really would you do 1,800 uh I
can come down to 21 that's still for
this car it's still a little bit a
little bit too high one I'm gonna I'm
gonna make you an offer
1,900 that's my final offer you have my
number I'm here right now with the cash
I'll buy it right now that's up to you
I'm interested you know I'm ready to buy
it right now take it off your hands
right now and for 19 I think I think I'm
gonna hold off for now I have a couple
more people that said they want to come
and look at it so I'm kind of set at the
$1,900 mark I honestly just don't think
the car is worth more than that I'm
gonna be putting in about $1,000 but you
have my number I really appreciate the
test-drive letting me film and
everything the viewers appreciate it so
thank you very much and again you have
my number give me a call if you don't
sell it will do close but no cigar all
right I'll tell you what change your
mind I can do two grand I'm really firm
at that 1,900 there's just there's a lot
of stuff that need to get done to it I
love the car for me I'm comfortable at
1,900 I'll give it to you for 1919 yeah
we got a deal give me that camera
get this handshake on camera got
ourselves a deal I'm gonna just go over
and park real quick all right sounds
good all right look at that that is our
new car that is awesome
my dad is gonna love this I'm pumped to
go bring this home this is I love the
look of Jaguars and this one was the
nicest one I've driven he's at my price
range you know that's what I mean don't
get emotional if he comes down he comes
down if he doesn't he doesn't so now
we're gonna go fill out the paperwork
he's going to give me the title I'm
going to give him the cash money and
we'll go off of that all right the car
is almost ours we negotiated we came to
an agreement with the price now we have
the title in our hand
and we need to make sure we check a few
things before we hand over the money the
title or the pink slip whatever you want
to call it is the piece of paper that
you need in your name to own the vehicle
so the first thing we'll do is we want
to check out this top section here
there's a lot of important information
you want to make sure this VIN number
right here matches the VIN on your car
if this VIN does not match this title is
not for the correct car and then you
could also verify you know it's a 2003
Jaguar x-type it's a four-door and it's
silver good and then right here is going
to be the mileage that Frank bought the
car at so Frank bought the car when I
had one hundred and twenty nine thousand
miles it now has like one hundred and
thirty-five thousand miles so he put
about six thousand miles on it right
next to the mileage there's a letter
right here and this letter is very
important a means that it's the actual
mileage but if you see an S that means
the cars salvage or a T that means that
the car was used as a taxi F is for
flood peas for police LS for lemon law
and so on so you want to check this out
everything on this title up here is
looking good there's one more thing up
here we want to check we want to make
sure that the person showing us the car
is the listed owner on this title so
Frank was showing us the car and he's
the owner it also has his driver's
license down here just in case you want
to verify you know you could just ask to
make sure the driver's license is the
same because you can't have somebody
else selling you the vehicle
besides this owner listed right here now
even if Frank is listed here he might
not own the car the bank might own the
car and that's what we're going to look
at right down here if there's a stamp
right in this section right here that
means the bank owns the car now if
there's a stamp here but then right here
it says lien released by and it's signed
off and there's a stamp on this that
means that the lien was paid off so the
bank doesn't own the car anymore Frank
owns the car so once you check all this
information on the front of the title
now it's time to sign the back of the
title this is where you need to focus
and pay a lot of attention because you
can't mess up here you can't have any
cross-outs
because then this title is void and then
you have to get the owner to come with
you to DMV if do all this paperwork and
it's just not worth it just pay
attention here take your time don't rush
after everything's all signed off now
you could give your seller the money
take this and the car is now yours now
you're going to go to DMV and take care
of business
thanks again Frank I really appreciate
it made my day this is this is cool so
driving home the new jag that is exactly
how you do it that is how
you buy a used car hopefully you learned
a lot again comment below future Jaguar
videos to come hopefully not repair
videos but we do need new tires
we need new rims and need some breaks
and couple other things so stay tuned
come on
no one works