Buying a used car is a great way of getting a vehicle at a great price. With the ever-rising cost of living, you may not have so much money to splash at buying a new car. There are also plenty of other great reasons for buying a used car, for example, it saves vehicles that are perfectly good from going to the scrapheap.
With this in mind, here are some of the things that you should consider when it comes to buying a used car.
Check To Make Sure It Is Legitimate
When you find the perfect used car, you’ll need to know that it is legitimate before you agree to buy it. There are plenty of unscrupulous people out there that will sell stolen or written-off vehicles, or that will lie to you about the history of a car.
A car that has been in a crash may have hidden damage that could make the car unsafe to drive.
Always do your due diligence and run some background checks on the registration plate to make sure that everything adds up.
Inspect The Interior Of The Car
Take a look over the interior of the car, is there any damage? Look for signs of water getting in through the window seals as this could cause condensation on your windows.
Check the odometer to see how many miles are on the clock. If the number seems low for the age of the car, there is a chance that the vehicle has been clocked. In this case, be wary as it may not be an honest car.
Inspect The Exterior Of The Car
Check out the outside of the car. Look for the telltale signs of rust everywhere, particularly on the underside of the vehicle. Look out for bubbling under the paintwork, as well as different shades of paintwork. This may indicate that the vehicle has had bodywork done following a crash.
Take It For A Test Drive
Once you have looked over a car, take it for a spin. Try a variety of manoeuvres in it to see how the gears and steering all react. Listen out for irregular knocking sounds when you drive it.
Work Out The Running Costs
Try and find out the cost of insurance before you agree to buy the vehicle. Insurance premiums may vary dramatically and it is important that you’re not left with a car that is too expensive for you to drive.
Shipping Your Car
It may be necessary to have your new used car shipped to you after you have bought it. A few examples of times when you may need to do this might be if the car is not currency road legal, or if some renovation work will be required before you can drive the vehicle properly.
You can ship your vehicle using a service such as Ship a Car Direct. This will mean that you get door-to-door shipping of the vehicle that you have just bought.
