Tips for buying a 2nd hand Chimp

[IanBlackburn]

How about a list of buying tips for 2nd hand chimps? I''ve looked through this forum and can start us off with the following from RickyM in the WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON 2ND HAND CHIMP thread: * Check for hissing sounds from the back (diff bearings) * Tread depth (silly I know, but why turn 18K into 19K?), * Check the fans come on at 90 degrees and keep the engine at 90 degrees Any more?

[philshort]

Get underneath and check for rusted wishbones and rusted chassis.

[wslogue]

Also, it sounds trivial, but don't forget to check that ALL the equipment works. Speaking from personal experience, it's a terrible feeling to buy a car only to discover, the first time it rains, that the windscreen wipers don't work. Such details also give you a good idea of how the car was cared for in general : a blown fog light doesn't just mean the car has a bad bulb, it implies that the car's owner wasn't too fussed about it and didn't bother to get it fixed. Even if the odd broken electric mirror or dodgy fan heater doesn't put you off buying the car, it's good ammo for haggling and can be used to shave a couple of hundred quid off the price.