How to tell if a car is a SMOKER?

[sjn2004]

Besides putting the Aircon on full blast with windows closed and checking the asktrays/lighter, are there any other tell tale signs of a car being driven by a smoker? thanks

[dilbert]

If you can't tell, what beyond government induced hype, is causing you to discriminate?

[w1how]

Try pulling the ashtray out and run your finger around the recess(some people buy a new lighter and ashtray but do not clean the surrounding area.Also put your nose against the headlining and breathe in deeply for fag smells.Check also the area around the top of the glass on the drivers door(some tend to open the window a little and flick out a fag end,leaving marks).

[hendry]

Burn marks on the back seats where butts have been flicked out of windows but re-entered.

Also quite a lot of white powdery ash seems to go out of windows too, so check around the seals and also perhaps the seat belt (pulled extended) for evidence.

Erm, the seller have crease markes round their lips, crap breath, brown fingers and a wheezy laugh? Also, try chasing him round the car a few times. If he can't manage I would say 6 laps of a medium sized car without coughing then he has shown you what any decent valet will cover up.

[sjn2004]

dilbert said:

If you can't tell, what beyond government induced hype, is causing you to discriminate?

The dealer may have gone heavy with the air freshener/cleaning solutions/masking agents, then 1 week after delivery when its all evaporated your car smells like an ash tray. The dealers always have all the windows down/sunroof open so the stagnant/smelly air can't build up, only later will you find out.

[dilbert]

I saw this really great Luxo Barge last week, three weeks old it was. Bearly half a mile on the clock, and he only wanted a hundred quid. The seller had died of smoking related heart disease. You can imagine how gutted I was that now Tony has outlawed smoking, I couldn't break the line and make a pound or two!

[dilbert]

sjn2004 said:

dilbert said:

If you can't tell, what beyond government induced hype, is causing you to discriminate?

The dealer may have gone heavy with the air freshener/cleaning solutions/masking agents, then 1 week after delivery when its all evaporated your car smells like an ash tray. The dealers always have all the windows down/sunroof open so the stagnant/smelly air can't build up, only later will you find out.

Ahh, I see. You'll be wanting to watch out for those cars where the owners kids have regularly wedged chocolate buttons down the back seats, and had the odd bout of sickness and incontinence then.

P.S. I know a guy who uses a Subaru to drive around his farm and check up on his sheep. Don't dare to think about the consequences of having a poorly sheep in the boot!

[sjn2004]

dilbert said:

I saw this really great Luxo Barge last week, three weeks old it was. Bearly half a mile on the clock, and he only wanted a hundred quid. The seller had died of smoking related heart disease. You can imagine how gutted I was that now Tony has outlawed smoking, I couldn't break the line and make a pound or two!

Some of us actually find the odour of tobacco totally disgusting.

[dilbert]

sjn2004 said:

dilbert said:

I saw this really great Luxo Barge last week, three weeks old it was. Bearly half a mile on the clock, and he only wanted a hundred quid. The seller had died of smoking related heart disease. You can imagine how gutted I was that now Tony has outlawed smoking, I couldn't break the line and make a pound or two!

Some of us actually find the odour of tobacco totally disgusting.

Especially if you can't smell it! Then it's just something to worry about.


Do you think that the engine might blow up within the first 300 miles, or will it be the suspension that falls apart? I've also heard that some cars have hidden electrical gremlins, that make them impossible to use.

There's a car I know.... It's never been owned by, worked on by, or even so much as sneezed on by a smoker. It was scrapped because it was a cut and shut!

[moleamol]

Offer it a cigarette and see if it accepts?

[Kiltie]

A few years ago, another PH contributor and I owned pretty much identical Impreza STi's.

I had some bits and pieces done to mine and one day suggested that we swap cars so he could test the difference.

When we parked up at a boozer afer the drive, I asked what he thought. His response was; "your car has a great deal more torque and smells of tobacco".



Cheers,

Eric

[Tunku]

It's easy to tell in my car. Loads of little bits of tobacco on the floor where I've dropped it whilst rolling a fag. It's a French car and appreciates it.

[Pat H]

Tunku said:

Stuff

You're not Tonka's long lost brother, are you?

[Don]

sjn2004 said:

dilbert said:

If you can't tell, what beyond government induced hype, is causing you to discriminate?

The dealer may have gone heavy with the air freshener/cleaning solutions/masking agents, then 1 week after delivery when its all evaporated your car smells like an ash tray. The dealers always have all the windows down/sunroof open so the stagnant/smelly air can't build up, only later will you find out.

You can work as hard as you like on a car that has been smoked in regularly. It is simply impossible to get totally rid of the smell. However - you can do a 95%er - with some serious internal valeting...but its the 5% that means you'd really prefer not to own the car.

I'd suggest buying from a car supermarket like "Trade Sales" or similar when purchasing a "shopping car". They don't valet the cars at all - you get 'em how the previous owner left 'em. That way you can tell if the car has been smoked in and get the car valeted to whatever standard you want afterwards.

As a point to smokers who may not be aware: yes the mechanical condition of the vehicle is of prime importance - but if you simply don't want to travel in it because you cannot stand the smell of smoke then it being mechanically sound is irrelevant.

I would say, as a non-smoker, it is a very high consideration when buying a used vehicle - I would not knowingly buy a vehicle that has been smoked in.

So. If you *are* a smoker, or are one of the few non-smokers who don't mind the smell, then be grateful that people like me are pernickity and pick up the bargain cars that have suffered additional depreciation because non-smokers don't want them! Alternatively - when buying new - seriously consider giving up smoking - you'll save money on ciggies AND your car will be worth more!

[anonymous-user]

Same as renting an apartment. If it looks nice, and estate agent has all windows and patio doors open, you may not notice anything. After you've moved in a few hours, with the heating on, the stink comes out of the walls. I had to break a tenancy to get away from one such flat.

Comparisons with a kid's puke or farm animal waste or mechanical risk miss the point completely; typical smoker/vaper self-pity / passive aggressive disingenuous b/s. I grew up on a farm and have a shed full of old bangers; puke and crap and mechanical risk, none of those things would bother me in the slightest. They're just smells and things that can be sorted. Third-hand vape/cig residue though is a different matter - it's the No 1 reason I'd walk away from a motor as there is no way to get rid of it.

See:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC47659...

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/272425.p...

https://tobacco.ucsf.edu/electronic-cigarettes-are...

https://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/e-cigarettes...

http://www.trdrp.org/files/triangulum/suzaynn-schi...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/1708...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4885796/...

http://tobaccofreeca.com/secondhand-smoke/if-these...

https://no-smoke.org/smokefree-threats/thirdhand-s...

https://m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/thirdhand-smo...

As this guy notes:

"We wouldn't buy a used car from a smoker for two reasons. First, smoking is reckless behavior. Second, it suggests the owner might be reckless with regards to repair and maintenance.

Even more important, there's the stink. Even if the smell is only faint, you might want to walk away. First of all, the owner probably left the windows open for a week before selling it, and probably emptied a 55-gallon drum of Febreze on the upholstery. That's as good as it's ever going to smell. It will only get worse once you roll up the windows and take it home. And the smell will never, ever go away — a bitter reality that's true for any strong odor. And, over time, the smell of cigarettes will permeate everything you own that travels with you in your car: your clothes, your gym bag … "

https://www.cartalk.com/content/top-10-warning-sig...

[I accept that the chances of a smoker-sucker having a gym bag are slim to none though : )]

[eliot]

you resurrected a 12 year old thread for that?