How to Buy a Used Car and
Not Get Taken

Detecting Transmission Problems
As ,you're driving and the car is changing gears, listen for any unusual sounds. The transmission shifting should be quiet on automaticshifting cars. Again, find someplace without traffic and stop the car. Slowly drive the car forward a few feet, stop, shift into reverse, and back up a few feet. Repeat this several times. The shifting should be smooth without noise, clanks, or thuds. The transmission should never seem to be "slamming" into gear. Then start up again and accelerate slowly. Feel the transmission shift into second, third, and fourth. Then depress the accelerator. Does the transmission down-shift to the next lower gear smoothly and without making any unusual sounds?

Standard Transmission

If the car has a standard transmission, you should find it easy to shift gears. Assuming you are proficient at using a clutch, the process should be smooth. You should not feel the gears grab, slip, or hear them chatter as you move from one gear to the next.

Test the transmission on a hill. As you shift through the gears, notice if the clutch appears to slip. If it does, this could mean a problem with the pressure plate or a leak that is affecting the clutch disc itself.

Here's another test: While driving on an uncrowded road with a speed limit of 55, accelerate to 35 MPH and put the transmission into high gear-fourth or fifth. After checking to be sure you're clear of all traffic and have an open road ahead of you, push down hard on the accelerator. If the engine "revs" and does not accelerate immediately, the clutch is probably slipping and will need repair.

Driving Evaluation
On the test drive, find a major highway and accelerate up to the speed limit and notice how the car behaves. Certain problems will show up only at highway speeds. For example, shimmies in the car and in the steering wheel, vibrations, wind noise, etc., can often only be detected at over 50 miles per hour.