Buying a Used Car
by Henry
Here are some tips on what to look for when buying a used car in Panama.
First ask if the car was imported from the US. There are many such in
Panama, and they are easy to spot after a while. The speedometer should
be calibrated in KPH, not MPH. There a few exceptions, like our Tempo
and Cherokee which were sold by Army and Air Force Exchange, so the
speedometer is not a 100% check. Next check the mileage. Typically,
recent used US imports will look pretty good and run well, but have
very high mileage. These cars are bought at auction in the US for a few
hundred dollars and brought here and sold for several thousand. You
will also find more recent models with lower mileage that were
imported. Beware! Many thousands of cars were flood damaged in the
US and there is a fair chance many of the late model imports are
from that group. There have been many complaints about imported used
cars. My advice is to steer clear of the ones you find on used car
lots. There are, of course, exceptions to that advice. We bought our
Suburban from Patel Autos and have been pleased with it, though we did
have to spend a bit on brake repairs and the A/C.
Mismatched tires can be an indication that the previous owner wasn't
quite as attentive to maintenance as he should have been, or that the
dealer bought it with bald tires and stuck on what was available. Tires
should all be the same brand and size and show about the same amount of
wear. Look for any sign of fresh paint or body work. Fresh paint
usually indicates wreck damage. Some dealers will buy wrecked cars and
have them repaired, usually as cheaply as possible. One car I looked at
was missing most of the fasteners on the front fenders and grill, a
sign of sloppy workmanship. Check the engine compartment. I usually
pass on cars that have recently had the engines cleaned, because you
can't tell much about a sparklingly clean engine. I prefer to see one
that has a bit of dust and dirt on it, which makes it a lot easier to
spot fluid leaks. Look underneath the car. There should be no oil or
fluid puddles. Pull the engine and transmission dipsticks. If the
engine oil is too dirty, the owner neglected regular services. Too
clean on a high mileage car usually means the oil was changed recently.
Take a flashilight with you on car hunts and you can look down the oil
hole in the engine and see if there is any caked up oil deposits. A
well cared for engine should be pretty clean inside even with over
100,000 miles on the odometer. Smell the transmission fluid (for
automatics). If it has a burned smell, walk away. Check the brake and
clutch pedals for wear. There should be only slight wear on a low
mileage car, and with 100,000 miles you should see some wear, maybe
even bare metal, on the brake and/or clutch pedals. If you find a car
that shows fairly low mileage (30,000 to 50,000 miles) and has brand
new brake and clutch pedals, be wary. This might indicate an odometer
rollback.
Those are just a few things to look for, and after you've found what
seems a good buy, spend a few bucks on a good mechanic and have him
check the exhaust system, the engine, brakes, steering and engine
mounts. Motor mounts take a beating on Panama's streets and
replacements are not cheap. If the car is otherwise OK, but needs
mounts, you should be able to talk the price down. If everything so far
checks good, take the car to an A/C shop and have the system tested.
You should expect that any used car you buy that is over 5 years old
will have A/C problems. This applies even if the A/C is blowing very
cold air. Evaporator leaks are very common and repairs run
about $500.00 and up, so make sure the one you're buying isn't in need
of repair.
Take your time, look around a lot, and don't believe everything the salesman tells you.