Specific Things to Look For Ride quality. Drive the car on a number of different road surfaces to better evaluate its behavior in different settings. Seek out winding roads, city streets, hills, potholes and freeway on-ramps to see how the vehicle reacts. Test it on the sorts of roads you expect to drive every day. Listen and feel how the car handles smooth pavement as well as road bumps.
Air conditioners put a serious drain on small engines.
Be sure to repeat all of your tests with the air conditioning on. If driving a car equipped with a manual transmission, look for smooth shifter and clutch action. If you're testing an SUV, engage and disengage the 4WD to test how easily or intuitively it operates. Operation should be nearly transparent with no abrupt jolts or lurches during shifts. Mix it up.