Car Questions to Ask
Twenty-one questions to ask before you buy a used car, from a dealer or a private seller. They cover why it is being sold, what the paperwork shows, accident and finance history, what will need replacing first, the running costs, and the real price once every fee is listed.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Why are you selling it, and how long has it been up for sale?
Why ask it
Ask this first, before anyone is invested in the conversation. A clear reason, a new baby, a company car, a house move, is reassuring, while a car that has sat unsold for two months is either priced wrong or has something putting buyers off, and both are useful to you.
Are you the registered owner, and how long have you had it?
Why ask it
Short ownership on a private sale can mean a trader posing as a private seller, which removes most of your consumer protection. Ask to see the registration document in their name, and treat any reluctance as the answer.
Can I see the service history and the paperwork?
Why ask it
Documents are the only part of the car that cannot be cleaned up before you arrive. Look at whether the mileage rises steadily across the records, whether services are roughly on schedule, and whether the invoices match the story you have been told.
Has it ever been in an accident, or had bodywork done?
Why ask it
Ask directly, then check for yourself: mismatched paint, uneven gaps between panels, overspray on rubber seals. A seller who volunteers a minor repair before you find it is usually being straight with you, and one who says never while the panels disagree is not.
Has it ever been written off, or bought at auction?
Why ask it
A recorded total loss can be repaired and legally sold, but it changes what the car is worth and what your insurer will pay. This is a question to verify with a paid history check rather than to take on trust, since the honest answer costs the seller money.
Is there any finance outstanding on it?
Why ask it
If money is still owed against the car, the lender can have a claim on it after you have paid for it. Ask, then check independently, because this is the mistake that leaves buyers with neither the car nor the cash.
What has been repaired in the last year, and what is due next?
Why ask it
The second half is what you are really buying. A car with a fresh clutch and new tyres is worth more than the same car due for both, and a seller who knows exactly what is coming has been looking after it rather than running it into the ground.
What is not working at the moment, even the small things?
Why ask it
Ask for the list and watch how readily it comes. Sellers who name the sticking window and the dead reversing sensor are usually honest about the bigger items too, and a flat everything works is rarely true of a car with age on it.
Does the mileage match the records and the wear?
Why ask it
Compare the number on the dash with the service invoices, and then with the state of the pedals, the steering wheel and the driver's seat. Low mileage with a worn interior is worth asking about, and a gap in the paper trail matters more than the figure itself.
Can I have my own mechanic inspect it before I buy?
Why ask it
The single most useful question here, and refusal tells you almost everything. An inspection costs a fraction of a serious repair, and even a cooperative seller with nothing to hide will occasionally turn up faults they did not know about.
Can I start it from cold, and take it out on a fast road?
Why ask it
A warmed-up engine hides the noises you most want to hear, so ask them not to run it before you arrive. On the drive, get it up to speed, brake firmly once where it is safe, and listen with the radio off.
What will need replacing soonest: tyres, brakes, belt, battery?
Why ask it
This turns a vague sense of condition into a number you can subtract from the price. Timing belts and clutches are the expensive ones, so ask when the belt was last changed and whether there is an invoice for it.
What goes wrong with this model and this year?
Why ask it
Do the research first, then ask, because you learn whether the seller knows the car or is just moving metal. A dealer who can name the common fault and show you it has been addressed is worth paying slightly more to.
What does it actually cost to run?
Why ask it
Ask for real figures from their own use, fuel or charging, tax, servicing intervals, rather than the manufacturer's claims. Then get an insurance quote yourself before you commit, since that is the cost buyers most often discover afterwards.
Is there a warranty, and what does it exclude?
Why ask it
The exclusions are the whole document. Ask what is covered for how long, whether wear items are in or out, and whether servicing has to be done in a particular place to keep it valid.
How many keys are there, and is the spare here?
Why ask it
A small question with real money behind it, because replacing and coding a lost key can cost several hundred. Ask about the locking wheel nut key, the handbook and any charging cables too, since those all get quietly left behind.
What is the price with every fee included?
Why ask it
Ask for the total you would hand over, itemized, and get it in writing. Delivery, admin, preparation and paperwork charges are where an advertised price grows, and a dealer who will not itemize is telling you where the margin is hiding.
Which of those fees are negotiable?
Why ask it
Some are genuinely fixed, such as taxes and registration, and the rest are policy rather than law. Asking line by line is more effective than asking for a discount on the total, because it forces each charge to be justified.
If a problem shows up in the first two weeks, what happens?
Why ask it
Get the answer before you sign, not after. Dealers and private sellers have very different obligations, and a private sale is usually final, so knowing exactly where you stand should change how much inspection you insist on.
What is the lowest you would take today?
Why ask it
Ask it once, plainly, and then stop talking. The pause does more work than any negotiating tactic, and if the answer is the asking price, you still have the option of walking away and calling back in a week.
If you were buying this car, what would you look at more closely?
Why ask it
A disarming last question that sometimes produces a genuinely candid answer, especially from a private seller who has been driving the thing for years. Silence in response is informative too, and it costs you nothing to ask.
Buying without regretting it
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you go and see it
- 1Look up what the same model, year and mileage is selling for locally, so you are negotiating against the market rather than the advert.
- 2Read owner forums for the model's known faults, and note the mileage at which each tends to appear.
- 3Run a paid history check on the registration number before you travel, covering write-offs, outstanding finance and recorded mileage.
- 4Arrange to see it in daylight and, if you can, when it is dry. Rain hides paint defects and dark hides everything.
- 5Ask them not to warm the engine up before you arrive, and say why, so a cold start is not a surprise request.
Dealer or private seller
From a dealer
You get more legal protection and pay for it in price. Focus your questions on the fees, the warranty exclusions and what preparation work has actually been done, and get the out-the-door figure in writing before you talk about payment.
From a private seller
The price is usually lower and the sale is largely final, so the inspection matters more. Meet at their home address, check the registration document is in their name at that address, and never pay in a car park.
Traders posing as private sellers
The signs are a phone number that appears on several adverts, meeting somewhere neutral, and vagueness about how long they have owned it. This arrangement exists to remove your rights as a buyer, so walk away.
Where buyers lose money
Skipping the inspection to save a hundred
It is the cheapest insurance available on a purchase this size, and the report also gives you specific, unarguable grounds to negotiate on.
Naming your monthly budget
Talk about the total price of the car, not what you can afford per month. A payment can be made to fit almost any figure by stretching the term or hiding cost in the finance.
Falling for the deadline
Another buyer coming this evening, a price that only holds today, a deposit needed to hold it: all of these are pressure, not information. Any car you cannot walk away from will cost you more than it should.
Paying a deposit before you have seen the paperwork
Deposits are hard to recover and easy to promise. See the registration document, the service history and the car itself first.
Testing it round the block
Ten minutes of gentle driving will not reveal a slipping clutch, a warped disc or a gearbox that only complains when warm. Ask for half an hour and include a fast road.