Having trawled through the carsales.com.au listings of your favoured models and checked our expert reviews for design faults and reliability issues, the next step is to make an appointment for a test-drive.
Just turning up at a dealer’s premises and expecting instant attention is risky as sales staff may be occupied with other customers. Private vendors may need notice as well, due to work or family commitments.
Before making a final decision on which model to buy, try to drive more than one example and note differences in the way each car sounds, performs and handles.
THE TEST ROUTE
Whether buying privately or through a dealer, make sure your `test drive' is more than a five-minute whirl around the block or a chauffeured excursion with an owner who pleads `insurance reasons' for denying you a turn behind the wheel.
Some insurers do place driver restrictions on their policies – especially younger drivers in high-performance models – but this ban doesn’t extend to licensed vehicle repairers. If you can only ride in a car and still want to buy it, arrange for a repairer who specialises in that particular brand to undertake the final test. A car being sold through a dealer should have no test-drive restrictions at all.
The test drive should be no less than 10 kilometres and include – if possible – some freeway or highway driving. Remember that test drives are not an excuse to abuse the vehicle and a vendor has every right to terminate the demonstration if you are driving in a way which might damage their vehicle.
Brakes, handling and response to rough surfaces can all be checked at normal speeds. Spend some time before arriving at the vendor’s address finding a route which incorporates a selection of road conditions.
If the vehicle is going to be used to carry family members in the rear seat, bring one with you and ask their opinion before deciding to buy.
PRE-DRIVE CHECKS
Before even getting into the vehicle, check the registration label is current. If not, you could be fined for driving an unregistered vehicle. There should also be a Roadworthy or Safety Certificate available for inspection, but many owners don’t obtain those until someone commits to buy. With a ‘trade plate’ attached you will be able to legally drive an unregistered car being sold via a dealer.
Once inside, make sure that the seat can be adjusted so you feel comfortable. Some cars have been with the same owner for so long that the seats are stuck in one position. Ensure that the mirrors can also be moved and you can see adequately out of the side and rear windows and that you can reach the pedals without being too close to the steering wheel.
If the vendor has already started the engine, switch it off and restart. If the starter motor turns slowly and the dash-lights pulse there are electrical problems.
Any gap in the row of warning lights that illuminate when the ignition is switched on needs investigation by a vehicle service professional. A bulb may have blown but the sender for that light may also have been disconnected to mask an electrical or engine problem. Make sure the indicators work.
If the clutch feels heavy or weak or the brake pedal is ‘mushy’, forget that car and look elsewhere.
OUT ON THE ROAD
Gears in a manual car should engage easily and without any whirring from the clutch or crunching from the transmission. This is especially important when down-changing and could be a symptom of an expensively-worn gearbox.
In an automatic, start off in Drive then, at around 50km/h, manually downshift to Second, noting how long it takes the transmission to respond. Being able to engage a lower gear quickly will help on steep descents. Flooring the throttle at low speed should also make the transmission ‘kick down’ for quicker acceleration.
On a flat road, loosen your grip on the steering wheel to see if the vehicle wanders significantly or pulls to one side. Suspension problems can be the cause but so too can something simple like incorrect tyre pressures or poor wheel alignment.
Check the brakes on a straight, clear road with no parked cars to hit and nothing close behind. Brake gently at first, noting if the steering wheel tugs to one side or any of the wheels want to lock. If the brakes don’t work acceptably at low speed, do not attempt anything more hazardous.
Anti-lock (ABS) brakes will cause the pedal to shudder when a wheel is close to locking under hard braking. If this doesn’t happen or the wheels lock in an ABS-equipped car it has expensive-to-fix problems.
Automatics provide minimal engine braking so test brake efficiency on a downhill stretch of road to ensure the pedal doesn’t start needing extra pressure due to ‘fade’ and there’s no burning smell or grinding sounds that warn of components needing replacement.
Acceleration should be smooth, without stuttering or misfiring. Flooring the throttle in an automatic may produce a momentary hesitation but backfiring or serious reluctance to respond are signs of mechanical trouble.
At freeway or open road speeds the car should maintain its pace with minimal throttle. Small engines hate steep hills but changing back a couple of gears in a manual should deal with most inclines. On the way down, use the same gear as you did to climb the hill to ensure there is some engine braking.
Models built during the past 15 years are often fitted with cruise control. Before the test drive ask the vendor to demonstrate how it works and check that it will engage and disengage easily.
The steering should feel direct and have no more than 25mm of free-play when stationary. Power steering that ‘groans’ when on full lock or makes the wheel twitch in your hands when cornering is suffering problems.
Any smell of exhaust, oil or coolant coming through the vents needs to be investigated. An exhaust leak or damaged rear hatch seal that allows fumes into the cabin is potentially lethal.
Switch on the air-conditioner – even in winter – to make sure that the air being supplied is cold and not simply cool and that the fan works on all of its speeds. Also try the heater to ensure controls aren’t stuck and warm air is coming through demister slots on top of the dash.
WAIT AND SEE
After the test drive, don’t immediately switch off the ignition. Let the car idle for a minute or so – longer on cool days – then note the temperature gauge reading and switch off. Wait a couple of minutes then restart the engine. If the temperature has increased significantly, suspect a tired water pump, clogged radiator or worse.
Look also for any fluids that might be dripping under the car or any smell of fuel or oil that wasn’t apparent when the engine was cool.
With the engine running and the car in Park or neutral, press down on the brake pedal. If after 15-20 seconds it begins sinking to the floor there is a leak and air in the system.
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