What to look for, what to avoid, and questions to ask when purchasing a used car
Buying a used car, especially without experience, can be quite a daunting task. Maybe you’ve heard horror stories of scams, of flood cars, or lemons in general. Buying a used car can be very easy and carefree, you just have to know what to look at when buying a car.
5. Modifications
Arguably the fun part of owning a car, modifications can tell you much more than you need to know about the owner. Depending on the type of car, the type and quality of modifications on it can show you what kind of owner the car has had. A car can be modified with tasteful modifications by an enthusiast, or it can have numerous questionable looking modifications. This is one thing where you would have to know what you’re looking for.
4. Fender Liners
Look under the wheels into the wheel wells. See a plastic or rubber lining surrounding it? If you do, that’s a good sign. If you don’t, it’s usually a sign that somebody had the car apart and didn’t put it back together right, or that the car was possibly in an accident.
3. Service Records
Service records tell you a lot about a car. Like when things were replaced, what has been replaced in the car’s lifetime, and all of this can give you an idea of either how reliable a car is or what might need to be replaced in its future. In many cases, this is the easiest thing to look for in a car, as the owner either has records, or not.
2. Rust
Rust is an obligatory thing to look for, but many people still overlook it. Yes, you may think you don’t see rust, but what you’re forgetting is that it likes to hide. Look in door jambs, look under the fenders, under the trunk, look around at the parts of the car that weren’t designed to be looked at. This not only will show you if there is hidden rust, but any damage from an accident can be revealed this way. Look for any sort of strange paintwork or over spray, ask if the car has the original paint or if it have been repainted.
$ 1. Title, and History
Whether it’s Autocheck, or Carfax, these in the end can tell you enough to make you either want to purchase or not purchase a car. Ask for any of these car reports or the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) for you to adquire the report yourself. Aside from being able to see things like where the car has been and how many owners it’s had, it lets you see if the title is original and clear or not. Any accidents will be revealed to you, and any sort of thing like flood or frame damage is revealed this way also. Cars can be repaired very well, to the point where you might think a car is good until you find out it’s a flood car. Don’t get attached to any car until you know this information.
When in doubt, one small at front investment that may save you money in the long run will be paying for a good mechanic to check your “soon to be” used vehicle. Of course, buying a used car from a reputable dealer with some warranty will be a great option, especially if it’s in your price range.