Tips to buying a used car from a dealer

If saving your budget is the real pre-occupation of your mind, a used car can be a great reliever, provided you know how to go about doing business at a second hand car dealership. Second hand cars are like a deep ravine you can never be sure of what you are venturing into.

Following are our useful and handy tips that will guide you in making an informed decision and make sure your endeavor with a second hand car be trouble-free.

  • Check for damages to the frame:

    The easiest and a layman method to do this. Stand right behind the car and watch if the rear tyres and the front tyres align in a straight line, also check the angle of the body for its correct position. If by any case the car looks warped to you, the most probable cause would be an accident that the car has been into which ended up in damaging or bending the frame. As a cardinal rule, if you spot such damages keep your hands off such cars, the reason being the expensiveness and tough to fix nature.

  • Carefully examine the Paint Job:

    Open the hood and look underneath it, open the doors and inspect the doorsills.  Have a keen eye for any mismatch of paints or colors that looks fresh than the remaining parts of the body. If you discover it, that’s a betraying sign that the car has been repainted due to shunting mishap or some other damages. Make your decision cautiously as ascertaining the actual damage sustained by the car in the event of an accident is not easy.

  • Examine the car for signs of water damage:

    There is no dearth of used cars in the market place which have been victims of flooding. When you’re scrutinizing a prospective car purchase, have a keen eye for dry mud in the fissures, especially at the back door panels and under the hood. A moldy or musty odor is yet another testament of water damage, as is recently recreated seat covering or carpeting.

  • Look beneath the car and under the hood:

    No matter if you aren’t a mechanically competent person, you can get a fair idea of how ably the car has been concerned for by just looking at the car’s hoses and belts. Examine them for signs of tear and cracks, and also inspect for leaking or dripping transmission fluids, oil and coolant. Another place that should be your concern is the ground underneath splatters and drips. If you notice a puddle of water or oil, that can be a testimonial of some serious mechanical subject.

  • Check the Odometer:

    On an average a normal driver will clock between 12,000 and 15,000km per annum, and if you notice the odometer reading a considerably higher mileage than this figure you must look elsewhere. On the contrary if the mileage of the car seems to be very low on the lower side of it raise your suspicion about the authenticity of such readings and most probable case of tampering.

  • Try to get the vehicle history report:

    Jot down the vehicle registration number and go to the regional transport office under whose jurisdiction the vehicle has been registered and get a detailed report of the vehicle. This will shed a good amount of light on the car’s history, be it bad or good, such as salvage title status, accidents and any tampering of the odometer. It is surely a worthwhile an exercise in terms of its cost.

  • Take along a mechanic:

    If possible drive the car to a certified mechanic. They’ll be in a position to guide you about the needed repairs, if any and what can you expect from the car in the run. This is conceivably the best approach to make certain that you don’t end up with a loser, coupling this with the report of the vehicle from the RTO, is definitely a grand investment.

Buying a second hand car shouldn’t have to be akin to dodging a minefield. By adhering to the tips aforementioned, you can get a hold of a good, reliable second hand car at a realistic price and will be far less probable to be taken for a traverse.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.