Hop in and out: Hop in and out a few times. Get a feel for how comfortable this is for you and how well the doors open and shut and how heavy they are. See if it’s easy to reach the door handle. Climb in the backseat, too. See if the vehicle’s going to be a good people hauler if that’s important to you.
Hop in the driver’s seat: See if you can set the seat to your comfort. Are power seat buttons easy to operate when the door is closed? Don’t compromise. You’ll be spending tens of thousands of miles behind the wheel. Nothing short of perfect should do.
Fiddle with the controls: Adjust the mirrors. See if the radio and air conditioning controls are within easy reach.
Adjust the steering wheel: Does it tilt and telescope? Does the position fit you comfortably? Do the redundant audio and cruise control buttons work?
Test the A/C and heat: Make sure they blow cold and hot. Test cold before heat because it takes a while for an engine to warm up. Cold air should blow in less than a minute. Bring the temperatures to their extremes. Check the vents to see if they close and open smoothly. Hop in the backseat to make sure the systems work back there, too.
Get a feel for the transmission: Does the car shift easily from park to drive if it’s an automatic? A loud clunk doesn’t mean there’s a problem per se, but make a note so your mechanic can check it out. A manual transmission should shift easily among the gears. The clutch should also engage the transmission easily.
Turn the key: It’s something you’ll do at least twice a day for as long as you own the car. See if the car starts easily: not just how it turns over, but how much effort is needed to turn the key. Also, see how easy it is to remove the key. Finally, make sure the seller has two sets of keys and even a valet key. Keys can be expensive to replace.
