ESL Podcast 826 - Shopping for a Used Car

to test drive - to drive a car as research to determine whether one likes it and whether one would like to buy it

Becky test drove one of the new cars, but she thought the seats were too uncomfortable.

dealership - a business that sells new and/or used cars, usually specializing in a specific make (manufacturer)

They're building a new Honda dealership right next to the Ford dealership.

private party - an individual who is selling something, not a company

Are you sure this private party is the real owner of the jewelry? Maybe it was stolen?

to rip (someone) off - to trick someone into paying more than something is worth; to give someone a bad deal in a sale

That man ripped us off by selling us a boat with a hole in the bottom.

certified - with an official statement about the qualifications or characteristics of someone or something

Sandy is a certified Java programmer.

warranty - an agreement for a company to fix or replace a product for a certain period of time

I dropped my phone in the bathtub and now it doesn't work. Is that covered under the warranty?

to jack up the price - to increase the price of something significantly, charging much more than it actually costs or much more than something is really worth

Hotels in university towns jack up the price of their rooms around graduation, because they expect a lot of guests.

blue book - a publication that lists the expected prices for used cars based on their make (manufacturer), model (type), mileage, location, and condition

Blue book values are generally higher for cars that have been driven less.

value - amount; price; how much someone will pay for something

Larger packages of food usually cost more than smaller packages, but they offer a better value per ounce.

to raise some red flags - to appear to present a warning or something suspicious; to make one wonder whether there is a problem; to make one doubt the quality or legitimacy of something

If someone makes an offer that seems too good to be true, it should raise some red flags.

totaled - destroyed; ruined, especially in a driving accident

Sergey got into a horrible accident and totaled his new car, but fortunately nobody was hurt.

salvage - something that has been saved from an accident

After the house fire, the insurance company assessed the value of the salvage.

odometer - the device in a car that shows how many miles a car has traveled

They're planning to have a party when the car's odometer hits 150,000 miles.

to roll back - to decrease the value of something by moving it backwards, especially when changing the value on an odometer to make it seem like a car has traveled less than it actually has; to return to an earlier state or setting

It is illegal to roll back the odometer when selling a car.

mechanical - related to how a machine works, how something is built, and how moving parts work together

Leon studied mechanical engineering to learn to design motors.

to look a gift horse in the mouth - to be ungrateful when one receives a gift, questioning why the giver gave the gift or questioning the value of the gift

I don't know why Francesca gave us such a nice present, but we smiled and said thank you. Never look a gift horse in the mouth!

title search - a process of researching who actually owns something

The title search showed that the homeowners still needed to pay off their mortgage and some unpaid taxes.

pink slip - a vehicle's title certificate; a document showing who owns a car

Make sure the vehicle identification number and the license plate number are the same as the ones listed on the pink slip.

to go up in smoke - to be wasted; to be ruined and then disappear or no longer be available

When the restaurant was flooded, the owners watched all their hard work go up in smoke.