When looking to buy a car, many people go for the used variety as they find themselves saving significant sums of cash while also getting a quality product. However, you do often hear horror stories about people who have gathered together their savings to buy a used car only to find that it was a complete lemon. The only way you can increase your chances of being happy with your used car is by being careful and following some steps before making the purchase. These are a few points to bear in mind before buying a used car.
Vehicle History Check
Checking the history of a vehicle before actually making the purchase will give you some useful information about whether it has ever been written off, if it has been reported as stolen or if there is still any outstanding car finance. There are many companies that are on hand to offer this service for you so it may well be worth considering. It only costs a small fee and you will find out if any scenarios have taken place to the vehicle that were previously impossible to spot.
Do Your Research
As with making any kind of major purchase, you should make sure to do your research before actually investing in a used car. This will give you a better idea of how much you should expect to pay, and will put you in a stronger position when it comes to actually negotiating a price.
Make Sure the Viewing is Thorough
When you go to buy the car, make sure you visit during the daytime hours as you will get a much better view of the vehicle and be able to spot any scratches or bumps that may be there. Double check for any signs that the car has been in an accident like paintwork that doesn’t seem to match or any other signals that is has been in for auto repair. Ask questions to the seller about anything that may be useful to know. They should be able to give you all the answers you are looking for. If they are not, you may want to reconsider how reliable they are.
Check Inside Too
When many people go to look at a used car, they tend to focus a great deal of their attention on the outside. If you are doing this, then you may well end up missing out on what is actually inside. Make sure to sit in all the seats and try out all the features that you can possibly think of so that you are confident that everything is in good working order.
Take it for a Spin
Your final step will be to actually take it out on the open road to see how well it performs. Obviously, you need to make sure you have the right insurance in place before actually taking it for a test drive. Try to spend at least half an hour driving at different speeds, checking the steering, brakes, gears and overall handling.
