The 5-Point Gut Check: Buy a Used Excavator Without Losing Your Shirt

You see a used 2018 CAT 320 for $65,000 online. It has 4,200 hours. The pictures look clean. This feels like your chance to finally upgrade. Stop. This exact situation is where 9 out of 10 buyers get burned. Let’s turn you into the 1 who doesn’t.

Skip the confusing jargon. Here are the five simple checks that will show you the real machine hiding behind the shiny photos.

1. Check the Tracks and Wheels: The $20,000 Mistake

Get on the ground. I once saw a contractor skip this on a “low-hour” Komatsu PC200. He saved $8,000 on the price… and spent $22,000 on a new undercarriage six months later.

What to do:

• Sprocket Example: Point to the big gear teeth. On a good machine, they look like rounded mountains. On a worn-out one, they’re sharp like shark fins. Sharp teeth mean the whole track system is shot.
• Track Pad Example: Look at a track pad. A new one has a thick center ridge like a speed bump. If it’s worn flat like a pancake, you’re buying thousands in replacement parts.
• Roller Test: Try to spin a bottom roller with your hand. It should spin freely. If it’s stuck and growls, it’s destroying the track from the inside.

2. The Cold-Start & Drift Test: Listen to the Machine’s Story

Demand a cold start. A seller in Texas once told me his Volvo EC220 “ran perfect,” but he had it idling when I arrived. I made him turn it off and wait an hour. On the cold restart, it coughed out a cloud of blue smoke—a clear sign of worn engine rings.

What to do:

• Listen for the Story: A healthy cold start goes vroom-crank-vroom. A bad one goes crank…crank…cough…rumble.
• The Simple Drift Test: Lift the arm and bucket all the way up. Set your phone timer for 5 minutes. If the arm sinks more than the height of a soda can, the hydraulic seals are failing. This is a $3,000+ repair.
• Listen to the Pump: When you move the controls, the hydraulic pump should whine like a quiet fridge. If it screams like a tea kettle, it’s about to fail.

3. Check the Fluids: The Machine’s Health Report

Pop the caps like a doctor. The fluids never lie.

Real-World Example: I checked a Hitachi ZX210 with “perfect” fluids. The engine oil looked clean—until I wiped the dipstick on a white paper towel. I saw fine, glittery metal flakes. That engine was eating itself alive from the inside.

What to check:

• Hydraulic Oil: Should look like light honey on the dipstick. If it looks like used motor oil or coffee with cream, run. This means water or dirt is in the system.
• Coolant: Should be bright green or red, like antifreeze. If it looks like a muddy milkshake, walk away.

4. You MUST Drive It Yourself: The Seat Test

You wouldn’t buy a truck without a test drive. This is no different.

A Story: A friend let the seller operate a “smooth” CAT 308. When he finally got in the seat, he felt a hard clunk-clunk every time he swung the machine. The swing bearing was destroyed—a $7,000 fix he almost missed.

Your Test Drive Checklist:

• Drive in a Circle: Does it pull left or right? Pulling means a final drive is failing.
• Dig a Pile: Does it dig with strong, even power, or does it shudder and stall?
• Feel the Pins: As you curl the bucket, feel for a wobble or knock in the joint. More than a little play means expensive bushing work.

5. Paperwork & Price: The Truth Detectors

No Records = Big Risk. A machine with 8,000 hours and a binder full of oil change receipts is a safer bet than a 3,000-hour mystery machine.

The Price Truth: Let’s go back to that $65,000 CAT 320. If other similar machines are listed for $85,000, ask: “Why is this $20,000 cheaper?” The market is smart. A bargain price usually means someone knows about a major hidden problem.

Your Closing Move: After your inspection, talk facts, not feelings.
Say: “I see the sprockets are sharp, the arm drifts 6 inches, and there’s no service history. To make this a safe buy for me, I need to budget $15,000 for those repairs. My firm offer is $50,000.”

This isn’t about haggling. It’s about paying for the real machine, not the promised one. Do these five checks, and you’ll move from being a hopeful buyer to a smart owner. You’ll either drive home with a good machine at a fair price, or you’ll walk away with your savings intact. The right machine is out there—you just have to know how to look.