Car Purchase Guide
Alex Petrov
21.08.2025 год.
How to choose the right shitbox.
My name is Alex, this is Stay Tuned, and today I'm going to help you choose the right project shitbox!
Everyone's been there—bored at work or home, scrolling through your favorite car site for rides that are on the verge of being listed as real estate, and suddenly, BAM—you find the "perfect" listing. The price is lower than a brand new iPhone, it's in the same city, and it only has a few photos and a two-sentence description. How bad could it be?
🚨Warning: Most cars are "good from afar, but far from good..."
Some of them aren't even worth their weight in scrap. But, every once in a while, you stumble upon one that, with a little work and dedication, can be turned into something special. That's why we're here—to equip you with a useful inspection checklist, so you know:
- What to look for?
- What to ask?
- When to just walk away?
🤝We've all done it: You call your brother, your dad, your girlfriend, the dog...
You inspect the car, trying to be alert, and you check it from top to bottom. You buy it... and in the following days, you start noticing things you missed during the inspection, probably because the dog had explosive diarrhea in the trunk (yes, that has happened).
That's why our site has an article and a PDF checklist with all the points to check before you pay and fall in love with yet another clunker. It's part of our project for Ultrace 2026, where you'll see how a "scrap" car can be turned into something insane.
🧠Before we begin: What do you need the car for?
If you're going to drive it every day – you have one set of priorities. If you're going to make it a garage project from time to time – another. Don't get hung up on the paint if you're going to repaint it anyway. For me personally, “drives and stops OK” is the minimum. No radio? I don't care. The paint is trash? I'm going to spray it anyway.
We have different categories, followed by 3 ratings (💩-😐-🤩) -
- 💩 it's clear what this means (if I could, I’d put a Renault logo here, but that would be too harsh).
- 😐 just OK – not bad, but not good either (like the moment when you're driving a BMW and the cops stop you for the 10th time in a week).
- 🤩 AWESOME (I think we’ll rarely give this rating, but still, there’s potential, no matter how small it may be).
📋The Checklist: What should you look for?
1. Exterior: In the checklist we’ve also included a car template, so that whatever needs to be noted/marked can be written down.
Is the car clean? If it’s dirty and neglected, chances are that’s how it’s been maintained overall. Sure, if it rained yesterday or it hasn’t been driven for a month, that’s fine. But if it’s used every day and the interior looks like a dump or an abandoned shack… walk away. In this case, it’s known the car has been sitting for 2 months, which explains the condition — and that’s OK.
Rust? Like relationships with baggage — if it’s there, you don’t need it. Check the sills, wheel arches, and floor. If you want the headache, I won’t stop you, but let’s just say tattoos and dyed hair usually come with drama. I’ll leave the judgment to you; at least I spared myself with this Civic, since it only has a little rust in the back that I can fix.
Panel gaps? The panels should fit well. If you can stick a finger between them — that’s a problem. Some cars, like Hondas for example, might be perfect, but after removing and reinstalling the bumper they can end up with a small gap. What matters is that everything else lines up reasonably well. If it can’t be fixed with a slight adjustment, the car may have had a more serious hit. For example: here it’s visible, but all the panels still close more or less OK. We won’t make a big deal out of these gaps.
Condition of the panels? Check them one by one. Look for hail damage, dents, sanded edges. Trust me, you won’t want the hassle of replacing a door or fender if they’re full of dents and flaws — aftermarket panels are usually crap and most need a ton of rework just to fit halfway decent. The panels on this Civic are fine, but it’s got some pretty nasty hail damage.
Headlights and taillights? Faded headlights = light output like a 50-cent flashlight from Temu (just like these). They may look fine, but once the reflector is dull… you’ll either need a restoration or new headlights — which you can grab from Stay Tuned!
Glass? Scratched, cracked, or replaced with non-original ones (often a sign of a more serious accident)? Red flag. 🚩Here, surprisingly, all of them are original and in good condition!
Fender liners and undertrays? Are they missing? If so, the chances of the car rusting/rotting go way up. Aftermarket ones once again prove to be crap, and used OEM parts are hard to come by (sometimes impossible). Example: it’s especially fun to install brand-new headlights, only to have water — or in winter, snow and salt — thrown all over them because the liners are missing. Luckily, here I can say everything is perfect and in place!
Tires, wheels, brakes, and suspension? Check the DOT date, tread depth, and edges of the brake discs… and MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHETHER THE WHEELS ARE ROUND. 🛞 For me personally, if the tires are under 3–4 mm or older than 5 years, they’re trash and need replacing. You can even feel the brake discs through the wheel to check for a lip — and on some cars, discs and pads aren’t just 50 bucks, so don’t overlook it. The only thing you can’t check through a steel wheel are the pads themselves, but with alloy wheels it’s easy to see if they’re on their last legs.
It’s best to check the suspension at a shop, on a lift. But if that’s not an option, you can try moving the wheel side to side while it’s off the ground — if it’s completely shot, you’ll hear knocking. In this case, the situation isn’t great: winter tires in the middle of summer, 13-inch steelies (good for scrap only), but at least the brakes don’t need immediate replacement. The suspension, I’d say, looks fine for now.
2. Interior: Look carefully — personally, I find it really annoying having to hunt down used parts that are still in decent condition.
Carpet and headliner. If they’re badly worn — think upholstery job. On this Civic they’re not in great shape, but we were planning to reupholster them anyway.
Door cards and plastics. This can be a very simple and cheap fix, but BMW owners know the pain best — the door cards are basically cardboard, a bit of glue, and fabric. If they’re in bad shape, check how expensive the fix is, because sometimes you just can’t find any in good condition at all. In our case, they’re in decent shape, except for the top material, but we’ll sort that out together with the headliner and carpet.
Seats. Even if they’re stock, if they’re torn and/or the padding is gone, you’ll hate driving the car like that every day. Sometimes a set of seats can be 50 leva, sometimes 500. On the Civic they’re borderline trash — not torn, but something definitely pokes you in the ribs when you get out.
Steering wheel. If it’s falling apart in your hands — it’s cheese. Replace it.
Gear shifter. Not the knob (that’s 20–50 leva), but the actual mechanism. The point is, there shouldn’t be a “sixth neutral,” and if it’s cable-operated and the cables are seized, it’ll feel like you’re pulling the handbrake. Nasty and expensive to fix. Luckily, in our case it’s perfect!
Gear shifter. Not the knob (that’s 20–50 leva), but the actual mechanism. The point is, there shouldn’t be a “sixth neutral,” and if it’s cable-operated and the cables are seized, it’ll feel like you’re pulling the handbrake. Nasty and expensive to fix. Luckily, in our case it’s perfect!
Electronics. EVERYTHING! Power windows, mirrors, heater, A/C, sunroof, wipers.
Trunk. Check under the spare tire — is there a pond in there or not? 🐟 See if all the panels are in place, how dirty it is… Aside from the mess, the Civic is actually fine!
3. Engine: This is where it’ll hit your wallet the hardest if something’s not right, so it’s best to do a few checks before starting it up.
Is everything there? On many projects I’ve come across, things have been removed or modified — wiring, patched-up vacuum lines (especially on the faster cars), different hoses, and so on. The more original it is, the fewer headaches you’ll have. Aside from a missing pipe and a heat shield on the manifold, this car looks like it hasn’t been touched at all.
Leaks. A 15 leva gasket or a seal that costs 300 leva in labor — either way, it smells like money. New, old, or in-between, a leak is still a leak, and sooner or later it needs to be addressed. The Civic has no leaks, and the engine is even clean!
Pre-check. Oil level, coolant, belts, cables — more than once I’ve looked at a car that had oil below the minimum, and the owner either didn’t know or didn’t care. For me, that’s a clear sign to walk away without even doing a test drive, because you have no idea what shape the bearings and everything inside are in.
4. Test drive: The best indicator of any bullshit. This is the moment when everything hidden comes to light — as long as you know what to look for. You’ll need peace and quiet. Knocks, noises, etc. aren’t always easy to hear if there’s constant rumbling around you...
- Steering wheel. Is there play? Does it return to center normally after a turn? If not, it’s probably just an alignment issue, but it could also point to something else. Here it’s obvious the Civic doesn’t track straight.
- Pedals. Do they squeak? Does a pedal sink? Is there play? Everything should feel smooth. Throttle cables are hard to find, and if the clutch engages high, it might just need adjustment — or it could mean a new clutch. With this beater, everything’s fine, except the brake pedal has a bit more travel than usual.
- First – second – third gear. Try driving the car gently, then a bit harder, and (for me) it’s a must to run first–second all the way after the car has warmed up. Since you’ll definitely be testing more than one car of the same make/model, you’ll have a reference for how one should roughly perform. We’ve had cases where owners of a 1.8 Toyota Celica had no idea it was supposed to pull harder than a 90 hp Honda Civic. Here we’ve got 75 hp, and since the car manages to climb a hill in 3rd while still accelerating, at least half the horses are still alive. 😂👌
- Suspension. Drive over cobblestones — don’t go smashing potholes, but bumps are preferred. Even the most worn-out suspension won’t make noise on a smooth road.
- Brakes. It’s good to test them at least once. If the car has ABS, it’s recommended to try a harder stop to make sure it works. ‼️Check if the steering wheel shakes when slowing down from 80 km/h — if it does, the discs are most likely warped and need replacing.
- Stability. ‼️If the car feels unstable above 80 km/h, there could be several issues — from low tire pressure to play in the steering rack, or simply the need for an alignment. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s best to have it checked at a shop before buying.
- Bonus tip 💡: If the owner doesn’t want you to test-drive it, or insists on driving it themselves — red flag.
🔧 And now what ?
The first and most important thing is to lie down 🛏️ and think it over. Even if it looks like the best deal ever, it’s often too good to be true. It’s always smart to have 1–2 backup options. Sometimes it’s just not worth saving 500–1000 BGN.
People who know me are aware that we’d normally never go for a car like this. We usually choose more expensive stock cars, which are in better condition. In this case, though, we picked a car for a Stay Tuned project, with the idea of showing you the entire process — from absolute zero to the very last bolt🔩. It’s easy to show things from the top, but the real value is in sharing the journey to get there.
Projects aren’t cheap, they’re not easy — but that’s exactly why we’re here. If you need parts — suspension, wheels, intakes, or even just an opinion — we’re always available. You can message us or give us a call.
Print out our inspection checklist and take it with you. Mark things down, take photos, keep notes. That way you won’t end up stuck with junk — you’ll leave with a project you love… or at least one that doesn’t hate you back.
Speaking of projects — the next video will be all about expensive cars as a starting point: what’s worth it, what’s not, and then you can decide which direction to take. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, TikTok, and Instagram. Stay Tuned! ✌️
If you’re still wondering whether the car is worth it, let us help you!