"Joe S." <anon@mous.com> wrote in message
news:3rOdnV86gOfOdU3enZ2dnUVZ_s6dnZ2d@comcast.com...
> First thing I do is run the a/c -- if anyone smoked in the vehicle, it'll
> come out of the a/c. Then I check the interior to make certain knobs,
> levers, etc. are in place. I figure if the previous owner didn't care
> enough to replace the broken knob on an a/c control lever, or if a piece
> of trim is broken off, he probably didn't care enough to do his scheduled
> maintenance. The trashed interior could be the result of dog(s) or
> kid(s) -- but a trashed interior could also indicate the previous owner
> didn't give a damn about how he treated his truck.
Good tips.
Another trick I picked up years ago from a knowledgeable friend
(although the OP's prospective vehicle was 65k miles, so it's a tougher
judgement-call) was to look at the pedals, and see if the wear on them
squares with the odometer's displayed mileage.
I once looked at a Dodge sedan ( 2 years old, one owner, personal use)
with "22k" miles on it, and the corners of the accelerator and brake pedals
were worn smooth. That's an awful lot of foot-work for just over
(ostensibly) 2 years on the road...
S-M
