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Checklist before buying a used car in Illinois

Twenty minutes of checks worth more than any seller's promise. Print it or keep it on your phone.

Buying used in Illinois has its own rules: where to look up the title, which brands the state uses and what the climate leaves on a car. A big market means good prices and also more cars with stories nobody tells. This list runs in order: what you can do from home first, what you check on the lot next, and what you sign at the end.

Before you leave home

• Ask for the VIN by message. If the seller won't give it, you already have your answer.
• Decode the VIN for free and compare it with the listing: year, trim, engine. If it doesn't match, ask why.
• Check for open recalls at NHTSA with that VIN.
• Look the title up at the state's official source: salvage, rebuilt and flood brands, and the title status.
• Title and registration status inquiry (Illinois Secretary of State): www.ilsos.gov.
• Complaints and car-buying guides (Illinois Attorney General): www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.
• RUT-50 private-party tax (Illinois Department of Revenue): tax.illinois.gov.
• ST-556 instructions: trade-in credit on a dealer purchase (Illinois Department of Revenue): tax.illinois.gov.
• Run NICB VINCheck for theft or a total loss declared to an insurer.
• Compare the asking price with the market for that year, mileage and area. A price far below market almost always has an explanation.
• If it's a dealer: look up their license in the state registry and read recent reviews, not the ones on the dealer's own site.

On the lot: outside

• All three VINs match: dashboard, driver's door and title.
• Paint: different gloss between panels, "orange peel" texture or overspray on rubber and trim mean repair.
• Even panel gaps. A misaligned hood or door suggests a hit.
• Tires: even wear, same brand on each axle, DOT date code under 6 years old.
• Underneath: surface rust is normal with winter salt; flaking rust or holes in the frame rails are not.
• Lights and headlamps with no moisture inside.

On the lot: inside

• Musty or moldy smell, new carpets in an old car, rust on seat bolts: flood signs.
• Sand, mud or a water line under the dash, in the trunk and in the spare-tire well.
• Dash lit up: every warning light comes on with the key and goes off after start. If one never lights, the bulb may have been pulled.
• Odometer: compare mileage with wear on the pedals, steering wheel and driver's seat.
• Air conditioning cold within 2 minutes; heater and defroster too.
• Every window, lock, mirror and the screen respond.

Test drive (at least 20 minutes)

• Cold start: metallic noise, blue or white smoke on start-up.
• Brakes: no vibration in the wheel, no pulling to one side.
• Steering centered on a straight road; the car doesn't drift when you let go.
• Smooth shifts, no clunks or slips; in automatics, no delay going from P to D.
• Highway at 60–70 mph: no vibration, no bearing noise.
• Afterward: nothing dripping underneath, no burnt smell from the engine.

Before you sign

• Pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic you choose. If the seller refuses, walk away.
• History report on the VIN: titles, odometer, listing history.
• Title in the seller's name, no lien, or with a lien release letter from the bank.
• At a dealer: the "Buyers Guide" on the window says whether it is "As Is" or has a warranty. What that paper says is what counts.
• Everything promised out loud, in writing in the contract.
• Add up the total: price, dealer doc fee, tax, tag and title. Negotiate the total, not the monthly payment.