This reminds me
Of a car yard I visited with a friend who was looking at buying an old Holden (Australian) they had on offer. It looked great, all shiny and with a new paintjob, but when I crwaled under the car, it was full of rust. At one point inside the wheelwell you could even see where it had been dented enough to rip the steel and the whole thing had been covered with plastic filler.
Right says teh dealer wandering over, she's a beauty isn't she?
It's full of rust and at least one panel is full of bog, I reply.
Nah nah nah, it's all original! New paint is all, no filler anywhere.
Oh really I say and pull out a magnet (which I had for just this reason, my dad was a panel beater and I'd seen this all a hundred times).
I stick it to the door, I stick it to the panel, I move it to the wheel arch and it falls off. Will not stick at all.
That's not a magnet, it's got glue on the end! he says.
Bye, we say.
( difficultchild, Tue 17 Apr 2012, 8:01, 1 reply)

"That's no magnet"
My fave was to wipe under all the big seals (crankcase, clutch housing etc.) and pull the oil cap off to look for the tell-tale white gunk that tells you that the head gasket's blown (or at least on it's way out).
Best thing tho if you're going blow 10 to 15k on a secondhand car is to spunk 50-60 bucks on getting the local RAC to do an inspection. Saved my carse more than once.
(Misery McUglywife an attention seeking sociopathic fuckstain., Tue 17 Apr 2012, 8:36, closed)