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Questions to ask

Q. Why are you selling the car?service performed at the dealership?
A. This is potentially the mostDealer service is most expensive, and is
important question in your telephoneusually of high quality. Has the owner
conversation. You can learn a lot aboutclaimed lots of recent service, but has
the car -- and a lot about the owner. Ifno receipts? Be suspicious.
the owner says he has been transferredQ. What recent work has been done to the
and has to start work in Denver thecar?
following week, there's a chance this isA. This question gives you a snapshot of
a legitimate distress sale. That's anthe car's maintenance history. If you're
opportunity to get a bargain. On thelooking at a car that's only one or two
other hand, beware of implausibleyears old, don't be concerned if nothing
answers. If the car is a Chevy Camaro,has been done recently. It just hasn't
and the seller said it belonged to hisreached the point where things have
mother, think twice. You can uncoverstarted breaking.
such discrepancies in you Carfax historyQ. Are you the original owner?
search.A. This question is basic and
Q. What condition is the car in?self-explanatory. It's a good opener
A. This is an obvious question. But thewhen responding to a classified or web
way the owner answer this question canad. If the owner isn't the original
tell you a lot about how well the carowner, don't forget the corollary: how
has been maintained. As you listen, takelong have you owned the car? There are
notes of all the problems, so you cantwo important things to be gleaned from
refer to them should you go ahead with athis. One, how well does the owner know
test drive. Your list will also bethe car in question? Two, you can test
helpful if you take the car to athe veracity of the response by
mechanic for a professional inspection.performing a [[linkurl=http:/
Q. What Color is the Car?www.carfax.com/]Carfax [/link]vehicle
A. This is a deceptively importanthistory check. Any discrepancies should
question. Some cars just have hideouscast a deep shadow on the value of the
colors. Ford Aspires from the latecar. The biggest problem is weekend auto
1990s, for instance, were made in adealers posing as owners. They buy cheap
variety of revolting "nail polish"and sell quick, passing along
shades. Audi and Lincoln both haveundisclosed problems to the new owner.
pearly off-whites which many admire, butQ. Does it have any rust?
which some guys find too feminine. SoA. In Boston, where I live, all cars
ask first. Plus, this is a good car torust out. It's just a matter of time.
open the conversation with the owner andEven well-made luxury cars like Mercedes
get a sense of how chatty he or she is.will eventually succumb to the red
A word or two about colors. Black carscancer. The same goes for other areas of
are extremely hard to keep good-looking.the country that get lots of snow.
Red cars do sometimes attract attentionSo the question of rust is crucial. All
from the police. And if you really don'tcars will eventually corrode. When you
like the color of a used car, you mayinspect the car, you may not see
find yourself unhappy with it not mattereverything. Asking the owner can point
how well it performs. (Ask me about myyou towards potential problems.
1998 Audi A4 in pearlescent white.)But don't overreact. If you're buying a
Q. Do you have receipts for recent10-year-old commuter, some surface rust
service?won't make any difference. For that
A. A conscientious owner who hasmatter, neither will a big hole in the
maintained the car will will havebottom of the driver's door. Your
receipts. If you inspect the car, takemechanic will tell you if the chassis
15 minutes to go through the receipts.has been weakened in any way.
See where the work was done and whetherAs with other questions, the owner's
it is consistent with the owner'sresponse will give you a clue about how
description of recent work. Are therewell the car has been maintained.
records of regular oil changes? Was



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