hi all

as before i am purchasing a verada from jontz.

want to know (i trust him to tell me of course) but i want to know what im looking out for engine and trannie wise?

ticks taps and what coming from where?

thanks

Front drivers side top engine mount. $110 to replace and cost me $80 for fitting.

how will i know if thats gone?

thanks thomas

Mine had a split in it and I could spin part of it.

me personally i would look how bad the engine leaks (tappet covers very common) and also what colour the radiator is... if its original its prob shot, they go a greeny/brown color when they go brittle. check the top drivers side engine mount there always split.. ive had 3 replaced in 9 years lol. ummm being auto if you can drive it chect the box changes smoothly and dosnt flair...

Mossy,

Front drivers side top engine mount. $110 to replace and cost me $80 for fitting.

$80 to fit??? thats almost an hours labour?? just put a block of timber on a jack and place under the sump pan, jack up only to take the weight, unbolt mount bolt in new one and let down jack.. 15 min tops

Yeah I know it shouldn't have but they helped me out in a sticky situation once before so I didn't mind so much.

fair enough thanks everyone!

anything a trait of the 3.5L tho? anything specific wrong with that engine?

apparently its done 215000 so i will ask about the belts.

and obviously listen for knocks or slaps

Spark plug tube seals dry out with age and seep oil into the plug chambers. Rocker covers can weep too. Other seals seem to be OK but these two seem to go prematurely

Wave spring failure is common in a lot if Magna auto transmissions. Check the fluids etc. Hmm what else?

also check that the timing belt has been done and when...

Dive under the car and check the 4 drive shaft boots and 2 steering rack boots. At 215K Km they are either new ones or totally F#*ed.

Brake discs for scoring. Brake pads for wear.

Suspension and steering components for wear and play.

It could be a very tired car with LOTS needing fixing.

My opinion only, but if you do all the checks and look for all the known faults etc you will be totally confused. If you like the car, it drives good and you feel comfortable about it then no problems. It will be over 10 years old so it will have faults, but don't they all.

has the brake fluid ever been replaced? How often has the trans been serviced? have all the services been done? With my car, I write in the book every little thing to do to service & replace things. Blades, belts, fluids, linings, shocks, batteries, bulbs, etc etc. If nothing else it shows the buyer that I'm keen on maintenance. I admit that maybe half of this is just appeasing the gods, but I know that, by god, the more maintenance you do, the less likely it is to break down. And if an owner gets in and under and around a car, gets really familiar with it, they often forestall problems. I'd be happy buying from someone like that. But some people see all maintenance as optional. Don't buy from someone like that.

Here's a rash generalization that I'll get shot down in flames for: have they smoked in the car? If they are willing to do that to their lungs, imagine how little they care about the coolant and trans. fluid.

my main point hako was engine itself.

i dont mind so much about cv and whatnot as i can do them myself (with a hell of a lot of swearing in my second gen)

as long as the engine and tranny work fine then im not worried (if they need an oil change thats easy enough)

my second gen flared ridiculously on gearshifts and downshift was just about non existant. so as long as its smooth im not worried

Here's a rash generalization that I'll get shot down in flames for: have they smoked in the car? If they are willing to do that to their lungs, imagine how little they care about the coolant and trans. fluid.

Not cool. My car gets treated like a god.

apparently he is a apprentice mechanic so i would say its in decant nick mechanically.

anyway enough talking about other amc members.

thanks for your help guys

Here's a good list of things to check on all cars.

Extracted from the MCM forum - http://forums.mightycarmods.com/showthread.php?2307-The-Official-Unofficial-Car-Buying-Thread&p=32645&viewfull=1#post32645


CAR BUYING TIPS:

1) The more stock a car is, the better off it may be. The car will be healthier and the risk factor of it being run hard is lower. In case of future modification you will have the option of keeping the stock parts, which will help you to sell it later but also in case you have troubles with aftermarket parts.

2) The fewer the owners the better. That way no information is lost along the way. Be wary of cars owned by older people because as most are driven too lightly they can gradually build up carbon over time from not being burned off by high temperatures. This will make the car sluggish and require more work. Also it is good to note that newer cars will need to reset the ECU (as simple as taking off the battery for 15min) as the ECU learns from your driving style and it will default to the original driver, causing poor performance.

3) Ask for documentation, it is key. If the owner doesn’t keep a record of service or any other work done to the car, then chances are he’s hiding something or hasn’t taken good care of the car. You don’t honestly know what you’re buying. Imported cars can be hard to find documentation for. If the car has been in the country for a while ask for as much info that they can supply. Use good judgment to avoid headaches later.

4) Mileage is not always a huge factor. If the owner can honestly say that the mileage is all (or majority highway) then high kilometers shouldn’t scare you. It’s healthier for the engine to run on the highway then in the city. However make sure you can verify this.

5) 20,000km a year is average. When looking at a car match the present year to the year that the car was made. Multiply the difference in years by 20,000km, this is a guide to how many kilometers the car should have. Anything under and anything over should be questioned to verify the health of the engine. An example to use good judgment on would be a government or hire cars as they will have higher milage but they are serviced regularly as the fleet companies make sure they are done on time. But this isn't always a smart buy as they are driven really hard due to being company owned, not driver owned.

6) Cosmetics don’t define a good car. When buying privately its a imperative to see that the owner has maintained the car at all required stages of maintenance that way the car is most likely very healthy and nothings wrong. This is a semi repeat of number 3. Just because it looks clean and great doesn’t even remotely dictate that the car is worth buying. This method is often used by brokers as a way to get the automotively incompetent to buy the car. If buying an older car or buying in an area close to the sea or where it snows, take a strong fridge magnet with a rag underneath and run it along the metal parts of the car. If it sticks it then cosmetically it is ok, if it doesn't it could mean its been patched up with bog (after a crash) or it even has or had rust under the paint. Either could be simple to fix or very expensive, use good judgment.

8) Check the pedals, seat wear and tear and plastic covers in the interior. Check the pedals to see how worn they are, if the grooves are significantly worn out but the car has low kilometres the mileage might not be honest or it may have done a lot of city driving. Verify the usual wear and tear from the seats and interior plastics to back up your statement. Use your logic to see if the wear and tear match the kilometers, if not question!

9) Check the oil, see if it is low, or has a white substance. If its white, stay away. If its low, look for leaking oil, if it leaks oil, you might want to do some research but your safest bet is to stay away also, unless you are automotively trained. Make sure its also not black or thick, this can mean the engine has not been serviced regular.

11) Start the car and check for smoke from the exhaust and any other abnormal noises. See how long it takes to get the car from Park to Drive in an automatic and see how long it takes to engage the car from neutral to first in manual. If it takes long there might be a tranny problem. Cycle through all the gears to be safe. Go for a drive as well, clunking when changing gears or harsh changes can also be the sign of big issues with the gearbox. Be aware if the car has been "warmed" up before you go to look at it. Dealers and some private sellers can do this if the car has trouble starting or has other problems when cold like noisy belts or hard to engage gears. This is not always the case but try and do your car shopping early in the morning before they have time to start them up.

12) Tires can be a deal breaker in a low budget car! If the car you are looking for does not have any treads left and requires new tires you can expect to pay at least $500 for new tires! For people in colder climates if the car doesn’t have any winter tires and/or needs summer tires your looking at least 1.5k so think about this factor when buying.

13) Reconsider your budget. If you have 3k to spend on a car then consider all options and deduct it from your car budget. Consider registration cost, tires (post 12), insurance cost, cost to clean the car if your renting equipment or don’t have cleaning supplies (post 10) and read the following post underneath for further instructions to service your car when buying, so your budget can be adjusted. That 3k might easily have just gone up by 2k, so price accordingly!

14) Don't under estimate fuel economy; gas is expensive. If your a full time student who works very few hours then dont shy away from a fuel economic car until you have more money or a full license for a different car!

15) If it's too good to be true, it might. If you see a skyline r34 gtst for sale with low kms by a private buyer for 5 grand, does this seem reasonable to you? Always be a skeptic to be safe, which is why you are using the guide. We always neglect reality in order to tailor to our needs and demands first since the news is great! However search around your favorite car buying websites to give yourself your own idea as to how much the car costs. If it doesn't fall in that window then there is something seriously wrong with the car or it could be a phishing scheme. Be sure to report all scams and phishing schemes to your local authorities to save somebody else the trouble!

16) Get the car inspected before you buy it! You can save yourself a lot of money and headaches by doing this first. If you are ready to buy the car, a hundred dollars or so might seem like a lot to get it inspected if you choose not to buy it but that 100 dollars could save you thousands in the long run! Often arrangements with the buyer are the best way to go such as a 50/50 split or have him include it in the price if you buy it. After the inspection get a background check done from REVS using the VIN number to further your car inspection research. This too could save you a few headaches in the future with resale as unmentioned accidents aren't nice to discover 5 years after you bought the car. If you are buying the car be sure to verify the REGO as well as this could re***e the sale of the car 500$ or so.

17) Head over to the front line; go ask a mechanic of the particular manufacturer what they have to say about the car and what to look out for. Who knows the car better then the people who service them?

18) Research has its limit. You can research and know as much as you want about a car, but until you have seen the car in person and have driven it, you cannot make your decision whether you want it or not. The feel of the car is completely different from what you read online and is not something that can be described

On top of this I'm going to add what I think you should look out for in the Verada

1) The Xi has a lot of electronic features. Test them all.
2) Xi's came with sunroofs - check for leaks - it is common for water to collect around the seals and cause rust.
3) Xi's came with leather seats. Check for any cracks/tears. Remember you cannot stop leather tearing. It can only be replaced. If it is only cracked then this can be repainted and repaired using the right products.
3) Check the driveshafts for grease - esp. on the passenger side. Not a big deal but may need to replaced in the future
4) Check rear spark plugs & rocker cover for oil leaks. Very common problem.
5) Check camshaft cap on the right hand side of the front rocker cover. The o-ring inside commonly leaks.
6) Peel up carpet and feel around passenger footwell. Heater core seals commonly give way and coolant leaks down.
7) Transmission. 3rd gen 4sp auto's have real problems with wave springs, oil pumps & planetary gears that often break. There's not a while lot you can do to prevent these problems but it seems that good maintenance and a aftermarket transmission cooler prevent them. Inspect the condition of the oil. Make sure it is a nice light pink colour. Take the car for a drive when cold and listen for any noises or harsh gear changes. This may be a sign the gearbox is developing a problem.
8) If possible, drive into underground carpark, wind the windows down, Drive over some speedhumps or bumpy roads and listen for any squeaks or harsh noises. This may indicate suspension/shock problems. Inspection of these components can diagnose problems as well. Push down on each of the four corners and see how they spring back. One slow rebound is what you want - car should not bounce much.