Things to look out for before buying

[corradomr2]

Hi there!

New to the forum and looking to get a used 2006-2008 Yaris with 115k -150k miles (180k - 250k kms) for my daughter as her first car.

For those seasoned owners, what are the major issues or items to look out for or expect to change besides the usual wear/tear items like brakes and tires? In poking around some posts, perhaps it's the alternator and/or water pump?

Thanks!

[bronsin]

If you have a scan tool scan the computer for error codes.

If you put a voltmeter on the battery and crank the engine, the voltage should not drop below 10 V more than that indicates a bad battery.

Look on the bottom of the hood. Pink stains on the passenger side indicate A a leaking water pump.

With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap. Oily residue indicates a bad cylinder head gasket

Good luck and tell us what happens!

[corradomr2]

Originally Posted by bronsin

If you have a scan tool scan the computer for error codes.

If you put a voltmeter on the battery and crank the engine, the voltage should not drop below 10 V more than that indicates a bad battery.

Look on the bottom of the hood. Pink stains on the passenger side indicate A a leaking water pump.

With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap. Oily residue indicates a bad cylinder head gasket

Good luck and tell us what happens!

Fantastic tips, thank you!

[corradomr2]

Originally Posted by bronsin

If you have a scan tool scan the computer for error codes.

If you put a voltmeter on the battery and crank the engine, the voltage should not drop below 10 V more than that indicates a bad battery.

Look on the bottom of the hood. Pink stains on the passenger side indicate A a leaking water pump.

With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap. Oily residue indicates a bad cylinder head gasket

Good luck and tell us what happens!

UPDATE:
Not in the same class as the Yaris, but in the Toyota reliability-family My daughter decided on an 09 Corolla S with a relatively low 80k miles. Unfortunately, a Yaris was hard to find and the odd gem we found was already sold before the ad was down. Very high in demand these days due to gas prices! Corollas on the other hand, were much easier to find, especially one in excellent mechanical and body shape as the one she got.

Anyway, many thanks for your help and enjoy with your Yaris!

[bronsin]

I hope you have good luck with it!

I thought of another thing you can do when evaluating a used car. With A cold engine start it and grab a rag. Use the rag to seal the tail pipe. You should feel pressure and not hear any hissing sounds. If there’s no pressure at all that means there’s a hole in the exhaust system