There's already a "buying a car" item, but it deals with buying new cars,
which isn't something I can afford to do at the moment.  I just need
something, no matter how unfancy, that can get me from place to place without
having to schedule around when my parents need their cars, and without having
to go over to my parents' house to pick it up, so I'm considering buying
scott's '83 Nissan pick-up.  Since I'd be buying it from somebody I know, I'm
not having the usual used car worries about whether I can trust the person
I'm buying it from, but I'm wondering what I should be watching out for in
an old vehicle like that.

6 responses total.

In one word:  RUST

Steve, it's still a good idea to have a used car looked over.  This is not
at all a comment on Scott, who I'd trust too; it's the voice of experience.

I agree with davel. My car was used, but I trust my dad's judgement.
Come to think of it, his opinion was the second; a friendly neighbor
had tipped me off to it previously.

...'course, it wouldn't hurt to do a little looking yourself. Ask about
the history of the vehicle. Has it been in any accidents? Does it have
its original engine? Is the odometer accurate? Which parts have been
replaced? Are any parts due to be replaced? Definitely check for rust,
esp. under the vehicle.

One of the nice things about old trucks vs. old cars is what effects rust has.
My old '80 Subaru ended up in 1991 or '92 with a death sentence from rust.
The drive train was fine but the thing was due to break in half due to rust
in the unibody construction.  I got the truck because it has an actual frame
under it.  The panels and doors will rust, but the chassis itself will last
a lot longer.

(davel's advice is good.  I can tell you everything I know/suspect, but I
don't have the time to take the brakes apart to check pads, rotors, etc.)

Right.  In fact, my own very bad experience I think was due to the seller's
ignorance, not wilful dishonesty.  I suspect Scott's likelier than this
person to know of serious problems; & that "have it looked at" may well
be a do-it-yourself thing, if you're more competent than I am.

CU has an annual auto issue in April - they describe some simple tests
that an average person can do to triage used cars.  After that, they do
recommend having a mechanic look it over.  CU also has
frequency-of-repair records that can be a helpful guide in terms of
which cars to look for (or avoid) - as well as possible problem areas.

So far as the auto goes; brakes should obviously be fixed, but that's
not necessarily that bad a deal - the mechanic can tell you much much
that will cost.  In these climates, rust has historically been the major
cause of auto death; but new cars do seem to be better.  Depending on
how well the car has been maintained, and the quality of the car, engine
repairs can become a problem; that's one area where the mechanic can
probably tell more than you can.

A few years back, after the mississippi flood, a lot of cars made it
onto the used market that had been flooded.  This was pretty insidious,
because while the used car dealers could make those cars look "like new"
again; they couldn't fix the invisible corrosion damage that had
happened inside wires & other components, which meant those cars were
going to become nightmares for their future owners.  People near the
river were obviously going to know this, so the cars got shipped all
over the country - often *very* far away from the flood.

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