The Engine Compartment

What you want:

• a clean engine free of visable leaks, dirt, and broken parts

• flexible rubber parts free of cracks

What you will see:

Obviously, things look foreign under the hood, and you probably have no idea what you are looking at. Right now that's OK. You don't need to know it all right now. Knowing the basics for when you go car shopping will be fine. When you are at the used car lot and you see a car that you are interested in, you are going to need the keys. So if you can manage to ask the salesperson for the keys before they get into their pitch to sell you the car, do that. They can continue their pitch while you look under the hood.

When you are looking at the engine, it should be relatively clean. The image to the left is what a clean engine looks like. This is a very clean engine. Most engines aren't this clean.

Alot of engine parts are made of black rubber. You will see wires, hoses, hard plastic pieces, etc. They shouldn't be hard or brittle to the touch, cracked, or broken. You will have to use your judgement at this point. If something looks broken, or if it looks like there is a piece missing, chances are there is.

Besides the wires and hoses, you are going to see some of the top and sides of the engine, surrounded by other parts that look like containers with fluid in them. These are things like power steering fluid, brake fluid, and the anti-freeze bottle.

For the most part, these should be clean and free of leaks. You are going to see some dirt, but you don't want to see caked on, black dirt, or wet spots anywhere. Sometimes, you will see spots that look thick and black. This is where there is most likely a leak that has so much dirt stuck to it that all you see is black. This is bad. If you see anything wet, dripping, little puddles of fluid, etc., this is bad.

Keep in mind this is a guide, not a gaurantee. Engines can be washed to look like new.

You will need to use your judgement here also. A clean engine doesn't determine the mechanical condition of it.

What I have described so far is basically how clean or dirty the engine is, and if there are any obvious visible broken parts. Unfortunately, there are unlimited degrees of clean, dirty, broken, cracked, leaks etc. Having basic knowledge of cars as opposed to non at all will help you determine how bad the bad parts are.

For example, you can have minor leaks or major leaks. You can have leaks that don't impact any mechanical engine parts at all.

Leaking windshield wiper fluid isn't going to affect how the car runs, so it doesn't have to affect your decision whether or not to buy the car. Unless, of course, if you don't like to drive with a dirty windshield.

Leaking brake fluid, on the other hand, can be potentially very dangerous, if not life threatening. NEVER drive a car that is leaking brake fluid. I'm not saying a car that is leaking brake fluid can't be driven. Small leaks, like a drop or two, or maybe a little moisture around the area of the leak, aren't as dangerous, however it is best to leave the decision to a professional.

This pretty much goes for the whole car. Minor problems don't do much immediate harm. Minor problems however turn into major problems if not addressed in a timely manor.

After you have looked under the hood, if you are still interested, the next thing to do is take it for a test drive. VERY IMPORTANT! How can you tell how a car drives if you don't drive it.