ESL Podcast 171 - Buying a Used Car
used car - an automobile that is not new, usually one being sold to another person
She's worried about buying a used car from someone she doesn't know.
reliable - dependable; someone or something that you can have confidence in or rely upon
I need someone reliable for this important job.
just the thing - useful or well-suited
My sister made me some soup when I was sick, which was just the thing to make me feel better.
low miles - a car that has not been driven very much; a car that has been driven very few miles
I don't drive this car very often so it has low miles.
good condition - something without any serious problems
We were surprised to find the house in good condition after the bad storm.
fell off the back of a truck - used to describe something that has been stolen or taken illegally and then is sold to someone else
The price on that watch is great, but suspect that it fell off the back of a truck.
interior - the inside of something, such as a car, house, or airplane
It's a nice house, but the interior needs a lot of work.
power windows/doors - windows that you can open and close in a car by pushing a button instead of rolling it up and down with your hand; doors that can be locked by pressing a button that locks all of the doors in the car
The power windows and doors are standard features on this car.
gas mileage - the number of miles you can drive for each gallon of gasoline in your car; usually described as "miles per gallon"
With these high gas prices, cars with poor gas mileage cost drivers a lot of money.
a steal - to pay a very low price for something
I got this sofa on sale. It was a steal!
a lemon - something that has serious problems, often problems you don't discover until after you have bought it
He promised me that it wasn't a lemon and said that if it doesn't work, I can return it.
to steer (someone) wrong - to give someone bad advice about something
My best friend really steered me wrong when he told me that his sister was interested in me.
it won't hurt to - to do something that you aren't very interested in, but that does not require very much time or effort
We're not really interested in their product, but it won't hurt to meet with the sales team to hear what they have to say.
test drive - to drive a car before you buy it to see if you like it
This is a very expensive car. I want to test drive it a few times before making a decision.
You won't be sorry. - you will be happy with your decision; used when you are trying to convince someone that the decision you want them to make is a good one
I want you to meet Danielle. You won't be sorry. She's beautiful and smart.
We'll see about that. - I have my doubts, so I will wait to see what happens in the future; also can mean that you do not like what someone is doing and are going to try to change or influence what happens next
He called and said that he was too tired to come to work today. We'll see about that!