Buying a used car has always been known to be a bit of a risky business, with plenty of horror stories about cars sold by unscrupulous owners and salesmen which turn out to be an expensive mistake. However, if you arm yourself with the right knowledge and do a little bit of checking around, there is no reason why you should fall prey to such things. If you are going to take a look at a used car you are thinking of buying, follow these helpful tips to make sure you get a good deal.
Check the “Carfax”
Carfax is an invaluable service if you are looking at a car. It is a simple website that returns information about vehicles based on information held by the DMV, insurers and other legitimate sources. You”ll need the car”s VIN number, but any reputable seller will have no issue with giving you this – or you can find it yourself when you are looking at the car. The main reasons people use the service are to check the car hasn”t been previously written off in another state, or that it hasn”t been in a major accident, flood or other serious incident. It can”t tell you everything, but it”ll certainly give you a good insight into how well the car has been looked after and also throw up any serious “red flags” if the car has a shady past!
Inspect Inside, Outside and Underneath
When you go to visit your potential new car, throw on some old clothes so you can get down and look underneath for signs of damage, and also make sure you inspect the interior fully, including things like the glove box. If the car has been damaged in something like a flood, you”ll see telltale signs like a lack of wear on new carpet and upholstery, or you may notice a mildewy smell. A car that has been flooded is likely to have sustained structural damage and may also have electrical problems, so if you see anything like that don”t buy the car – it”s not just a online casino games moldy smell you”ll have to put up with if you do!
Get a Professional Opinion
If you have pretty much decided you want the car, it is still worth getting a mechanic you trust who is impartial to the sale to look over the vehicle. You”ll need to pay for this, so it isn”t something you”d do with every car you look at, but more a final step in the process to safeguard you before you sign. A mechanic can verify anything the seller might have told you about their glowing driving record and careful maintenance of the car, and can also identify any niggling problems you might want to get fixed before using the car. Generally a private seller will want to drive the car to your chosen body shop or mechanic”s workshop themselves, but this isn”t something most sellers will mind you doing if they have nothing to hide!
By doing your research and being thorough in your inspection, as well as getting a trusted second opinion, you can make sure you don”t get landed with a lemon and are able to negotiate a fair deal on your next used car.
Samantha Brave is a part of the team at 4SafeDrivers.com which facilitates viewing up driving records at reasonable rates. When she isn’t working, she takes up gardening.
