Cars and Bikes

Buying used used 4x4 its fun and a bit tricky. Usually the person who have a plan to buy used 4x4 have also another plan in their mind: go to 4WD shop and looking for some additional accessories for the their 4WD.

Before you buy, take a little time for internet research, talk with your friend who have 4WD, then its good if you can decide what type 4WD that you want to buy. In this case its often someone want to buy a Jeep in their mind and back home with a Nissan Patrol.

If you serious about modification plan, consider your geographic area. In United States of course is a heaven for Jeep or Ford owners. In Aussie, jeep is minority and lack of available accessories, however its bunch and plenty supporting equipment for Toyota and Nissan. In Europe maybe you can looking for Land Rover.

There are some tips before you decide to purchase:
- Do a quick inspection for the exterior, looking for body damage, rust or maybe poor roof condition. Small dent and scratch is normal.
- Try to open and close all doors, make sure all doors can close properly. A poor door alignment is a sign that vehicle has a major crash previously.
- Open the engine hood, looks for any leaking from the engine, check for torn wire, check the fluids quality (engine oil, trans oil, brake oil, power steering oil).
- Check the radiator coolant, make sure there is no oil sign in the coolant.
- Go inside the car and inspect the interior, especially in the floor area. If the previous owner used this car for real off roading, there is always potential they used this car crossing a pond or river. A water could trap under the carpet and starting rust.
- Turn on the engine, let it idle for a while. Inspect for any strange noise from the engine. If you look at for diesel engine 4WD, took a close hear near the injector pump. This pump is one of the main consideration, it is costly to repair.
- Engage the gear, and ask for test drive. If you inspect an automatic transmission car push the gear lever to every position (P, N, D, 3, 2, 1 etc), feel the engine pulling before you push the throttle.

That the above tips actually can use for any car, not only for for 4 WD. For the 4WD car you might need to inspect more like: .....more