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Buying a car can be an overwhelming experience, especially if it’s your first time. With so many options to choose from and factors to consider, it’s easy to feel lost in the process. If you just want someone to hold your hand and tell you what to ask, what to look for, and what to do before you hand over your hard-earned money, you’ve come to the right place.
Having a checklist to guide you through the process from start to finish can be a game-changer. It helps you stay organized and ensures you don’t overlook any important details. Whether you’re buying from a dealership or a private seller, knowing what to ask and what to look for helps everything go more smoothly.
I put together this car buying checklist while helping my own teenagers look for their first car. It started out just as a way to get them to take some ownership in the process, and gather information so that I didn’t have to do it all. By the time I was done, I realized this was a master checklist for the entire car buying process, start to finish!
It’s fun to look at pictures of cars, but you can usually knock quite a few off your list just by finding out some basic information and doing a realistic assessment of them. To make the most out of this car buying checklist, make sure you do things in this order:
Some of these things might be deal breakers, others are just good information to have.
By the time you get to this step, you should already have narrowed down your car search to one or two that you’re seriously considering buying.
And I’m sorry to say, but the research part of buying a car isn’t over yet. Remember, this is a huge purchase and it’s one you want to take your time with. Time spent now will save you even more time and money later.
Here are a few more things you’ll want to do before leaving your house:
These are the fluids you will want to be sure to look at:
You might leave your house not knowing for sure if you will buy the car, but be prepared to do just that! Some sellers won’t be willing to hold it for you and if you end up thinking the car is a good fit, you want to be prepared to drive it home. Plus, you’ll need a few of the following items just to test drive the car.
You know what would make for an awful test drive? Getting in an accident or scraping the car on a curb. You’ll definitely want to document a few things before you get behind the wheel, to protect yourself from possible accusations about causing damage on a test drive.
My friend once had someone take her car for a test drive and they ended up colliding with another car at an intersection. The person tried to argue about some of the damage not being his fault and it turned into a whole mess. Where this example was a nightmare for the seller, the opposite could be true, depending on the situation.
So that leads us to the first thing on the list of things to pay attention to when you arrive:
Are you starting to get a little twitchy about buying a car?
We’re almost to the more fun part, I promise. But before you hit the road, there are a few more things you need to check.
When checking fluids, be sure the car is on flat ground. If the car is parked on a hill, you’ll need to move it before checking fluids.
Be sure to check all of the fluids that should be checked when the car is cold before leaving on your test drive. Pay attention to if the fluid has the appropriate level and color.
Turn the key and look for all the lights that SHOULD illuminate when the key is turned. All lights should do a self-check, meaning they all come on (check engine, SRS, ABS, oil, traction control, etc.). Most of them should go off within a few seconds. A couple will stay on until the car starts and has pressure (like the oil light).
IF THEY DO NOT ALL TURN ON, THEN THE SELLER HAS LIKELY PULLED THE BULB TO HIDE A PROBLEM AND YOU SHOULD HIGHLY CONSIDER LEAVING WITHOUT EVEN WASTING ANY MORE OF YOUR TIME.
So just make sure those lights are actually working, so you can have confidence that you are getting any notices on the dashboard that you should be getting, as far as problems are concerned.
Make sure to also check the following:
Okay, now is (hopefully) the fun part. There are still important things to pay attention to, but this is when you get to start picturing yourself driving around town in your new ride, and that’s pretty dang cool.
Back to the test drive checklist…
If the car checks most of these boxes and everything handles good and you’re okay with the condition it’s in, there are just a few more things to take care of.
Write down anything you come across that will cost you money that you find during your inspection/test drive here, so you don’t forget!
If you want to use these things as bargaining chips, it will be nice to be able to refer back to a list.
DO NOT buy the car if you do not have the signed title in your hand!
Phew! That was a lot of information.
Fun fact: when I got remarried, my stepson had just turned 16 and was in the process of buying a car. That’s when I started making these checklists.
I called my out-of-state brother who is a mechanic, and he was SUPER helpful when it came to putting together this car buying guide for beginners.
Then I helped my daughter buy her first car. And then her second car. And then my son. I’ve done this a few times. And every time, guess what we’ve used: the checklists.
Buying a car is a big deal, but it should also be fun. Make sure you download the car buying checklist and save yourself some of the research, stress, and headache!
***These printables will be available soon!!!***
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