Part 7 - Let's take a drive

There are two things to look out for when it comes to manual gearboves - the clutch and the gearbox's synchromesh.

For the clutch, take the car out for a drive to make sure that the clutch isn't slipping. Slipping occurs when you accelerate off the line, disengage the clutch pedal but the car doesn't take off cleanly even though the engine is revving. Accelerate through the gears and each time you release the clutch pedal to engage a higher gear, the increase in engine revs should correspond to an increase in road speed.

A worn syncro could be a problem when there are grinding sounds each time you engage a certain gear or gears. This could mean a full gearbox replacement that could cost you an arm.

Take the car to places where there are road irregularities and speed bumps. These are good places to test out the suspension of a car.

The car shouldn't have too much vertical movement like you will experience on a boat on rocky seas. If it does, chances are that the shock absorbers are worn out and require replacement.

Take the car down a stretch of straight empty road. As you cruise down the road, set the steering wheel straight and release your hand. The car should continue to track straight and not pull over to one side. If it does, it indicates that the wheels are out of alignment.

Next perform u-turns to the right and left and check for any clicking or popping sound. The car should turn smoothly and silently. Clicking and popping noises indicates damaged Constant Velocity (CV) joints. The CV joint is attached at the end of each drive shaft. Its function is to transfer torque to the wheels as it is steered as well as to accommodate for up and down motions of the suspension. Driving with a damaged CV joint might result in you having to change the whole drive shaft, which will cost a bomb.

Sadly, even though the car might drive well, smell nice and look good, it does not mean that there are no underlying problems with the car.

As a precaution and peace of mind, it is strongly recommended for you to send the car in for a detailed inspection at a reputable inspection centre such as STA or Vicom. These inspection centres will put the car through a whole series of diagnostic test and reveal problems that no amount of test-driving would. They should also be able tell you if the vehicle has been through a major accident before.

A certificate of differing grades will be presented after the inspection to the car. A grade "A" indicates the car is in good condition and has not been in an accident before. A car that has been through an accident before would score a grade "C".

Credits: Story by Ming Jie