by K-CAR_WAGON » Sun Nov 20, 2011 9:13 pm
1) Amount and extent of rust underneath (including structure along sill areas and rear spring perch area)
2) Leaky head gasket and/or indication that the car has overheated.
3) Dirty antifreeze and/or dirty overflow container (including very dirty fluid and/or some oil in radiator overflow container)
4) mileage - and does general condition (interior, exterior) seem reasonable for the mileage
5) clunks while driving, clunks when acclerating
6) vibration while driving
7) check for stored fault codes, check that fault codes have not been very recently cleared
8) condition of oil
9) condition of trans fluid - and smell it to see if it has a burnt odor - and how does it shift
10) irregular wear pattern on front tires
11) exhaust - smoke?
12) leaks from power steering rack
13) check all power windows
If its a turbo, there are probably specific turbo realted checks that you should make. Maybe a turbo-owner can add some comments as to what to look for.