By Matthew Pataky

Let me start off with a little history: I was the little kid who took everything apart. My mother would walk into a room and find her Kirby vacuum cleaner disassembled on the floor - and I do not mean just the handle and the bag. I was inspired when I overheard her tell her friends that she was impressed that I could actually put such household appliances back together. After childhood, I moved on to bigger and better things.

I have been operating Sunnyvale Foreign Car Service Inc. for about 15 years. Most auto service I have performed in that time has been fairly routine. But occasionally I’ve come across some interesting customers with even more interesting problems.

In 1994, one of my loyal customers brought me his recently purchased sports car. The car was a rolling midlife crisis. The first thing I asked him was why he had not discussed the purchase with me beforehand. He replied in an enthusiastic, almost childlike way, “Look at it!”

I then asked if he had had the car professionally examined before he bought it. He explained that the car was such a good deal that he could not resist it, adding that he was sure everything would be “OK.” I then told him to see if he could return the “OK” car to the seller. My customer brought the car back to me a week later and told me that he loved the car and just wanted me to fix it, regardless of the cost.

By the time I was finished with the initial examination of this “OK”car, I had uncovered several problems which cost my customer close to $3,000 - a large service bill in 1994.

I asked him if the car came with a warranty. He said no, that the car had such low mileage that he didn’t think he needed a warranty.

During the next year, I watched the car fall apart in front of my eyes. Every time I called my customer with an estimate on the latest problem, his voice would drop. “What is it this time? How much stock do I have to sell?” His car spent more time in my shop than on the road.

The moral of the story is: Never buy a used car without having a professional auto technician check it out first.

There are several other steps to take before buying a car. First, make sure you are buying a car that fits your lifestyle. You do not need a race car if you are just driving two miles to the gym or the office.

Second, research the car before you buy. There is extensive information on almost every car online through Consumer Reports, Carfax and other forums. Then talk to your auto technician to see if he or she thinks the car is a good match for you.

Finally, make sure the car fits your budget. This includes the purchase price and, most importantly, the price of maintenance.

Remember, however, that the inspection is only as good as the inspector. It has taken me about 10 years to put together a comprehensive inspection. Furthermore, bear in mind that the inspector does not have a crystal ball. There are some vehicle problems that are impossible to foresee.

So to avoid ending up like my customer in 1994, remember to do your homework and have a used car examined by a professional auto technician before you purchase it. Then you won’t be throwing good money after bad on an “OK” car.

This is the first of monthly columns by Matthew Pataky, owner of Sunnyvale Foreign Car Service Inc. in Mountain View. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Pataky has more than 20 years’ experience in auto repair and manages a staff of four certified technicians.