When you’re looking for a car there are some things that you need to ask the previous owner in order to make sure that you are getting the best price possible.  Purchasing a $500 car does not mean that you are purchasing junk it just means it might need a little bit of work or you’ve talked the guy down in price.  When you are purchasing a car from a private owner there are some things that you need to make sure that you look at so that you do not end up spending more money than you need to when you get the car home.  Here are some things and you need to consider looking at before you even decide to start reaching for your wallet in order to make sure that you’re getting the best deal possible for the previous car.

Everybody should take a look under the hood to make sure that there are no oil leaks or any other type of liquids coming from the engine.  This can indicate several problems in the engine and today than costing you more money to fix on top of the money that you are a spending to purchase a car.  Check the antifreeze and all of the other fluids such as the power steering fluid and the brake fluid to make sure that there are no leaks or cuts in line.  You want to do this before you even start the car because if something is wrong you want to be able to see it before you do more damage to the car.  Just check all of the fluids to make sure that there are no drips or leaks before you start the car to cover your own skin.

Now that you have looked under the hood and seen if there are any leaks or drips with the fluids you want to check over the entire body of the car.  Checking the body for extra scratches and dents in the car could lower the price.  If something is sold as is than you need to be sure that you mention everything because it could get you a lower price on the car you’re looking at.  There’s nothing wrong with offering the previous owner a different dollar amount and what they are asking for.  This will just show you that if they are willing to negotiate on prize then they are willing to meet you halfway in order to get rid of the car.  Check over the car top and bottom before you even start the car in order to make sure nothing is going to get in the way when you test drive it.