What to Check When Buying a Used Car

You do not need to be a mechanic. You need to be systematic. Work through this in order and you will catch the expensive problems.

Body and accident damage

• Crouch at each corner and look down the flanks — ripples mean filler or a replaced panel
• Panel gaps should be even; a bonnet gap wider on one side suggests front-end damage
• Check paint thickness differences by eye in sunlight — colour and gloss mismatch between panels
• Look for overspray on rubber seals and in the door shuts
• Open the boot and lift the floor: look for wrinkled metal and fresh sealant on the spare wheel well

Rust — the German winter tax

Road salt is the main killer of otherwise good cars here. Check the sills (Schweller) behind the plastic covers, the rear wheel arches, the tailgate lower edge, the brake lines and the subframe mounts. Surface rust on the exhaust is normal; flaking metal on structure is not, and it will fail the HU.

Engine and mechanicals

• Feel the bonnet before starting — a warm engine means it was pre-warmed to hide a cold start problem
• Start cold and listen for rattles in the first ten seconds (timing chain on many petrol engines)
• Check the oil for milkiness (head gasket) and the coolant for oil film
• Look under the car after the test drive for fresh drips
• Blue smoke = oil burning, white smoke that does not clear = coolant, black = fuelling

On the test drive

• Brake firmly from 80 km/h — pulsing means warped discs, pulling means a sticking caliper
• Find a bumpy road and listen for knocks (bushes, drop links, top mounts)
• On a DSG/automatic, check for shunting at low speed and hesitation from a standstill
• Get to at least 120 km/h and check the car tracks straight hands-light
• Test every electric window, the AC (should blow cold within a minute), heated seats and the tailgate

Paperwork to see before you talk money

• Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II — the seller's name on it
• Teil I (Fahrzeugschein) — matching details
• Last HU report (not just the sticker) — it lists recorded mileage and noted defects
• Service book or invoices with dates and mileages that increase logically
• Both keys — a replacement key can cost €250–500

Get a professional check for anything over €8,000

DEKRA, TÜV, GTÜ and KÜS all sell a Gebrauchtwagencheck for roughly €100–200. On a €15,000 car it is cheap insurance, and the written report is strong leverage on price.