10 Things You Should Consider Before Buying Used Car

The used car market has very tempting offers.

It is true that many believe that buying a second-hand vehicle is paying for someone else’s problems; unfortunately, some “professionals” of dubious morals have done a lot of damage to this sector.

But, with these simple tricks, it will be difficult to give you “cat for a hare”. So, once you have decided on a specific model and you have located some “candidates”, follow these steps to get your decision right

Talk to the owner (if possible)

You have to try to be a little psychologist; talking with the seller we can find out if he is a careful person with the car or not, why he sells it, if he is the first owner

Key questions:

1. Why do you sell the vehicle?
2. How many owners have you had?
3. Have you suffered serious accidents?
4. Do you have the assistance or log book with the revisions sealed?
5. Does the car “sleep” in the garage?
6. Are there bills for possible repairs?
7. Can you let me see them?

Consider the following tips

1. Look under the exterior of the car and scan any hits or hits on the car, they will help in negotiations and any other possibilities
2. Look for asymmetries in the body. If a headlight is lower, if the bumper has more gap between it and the wing on one side than on another or if the bonnet fits on the side, it indicates that there is a poorly repaired blow; that should put us on alert.
3. Check out the lights, pilots, moldings . Do not trust the cars that equip the “tuning” rear tulips, sometimes they are mounted after an accident, since they are cheaper than the original ones.
4. Open the hood and check the anchors of the headlights, the front struts and the shock absorb supports. Keep playing the seven differences , if the welding of one of the struts is different from the one of the opposite, it may have been repaired.
5. Since you are in the engine compartment, check for oil leaks, if the mechanics are too clean or too dirty .
6. Ask the owner to start the car. See if in the starting process the propeller rattles too much: it could indicate that some engine support is broken.
7. With the engine running, ask the owner to turn the direction to one end and the other. If you hear a kind of grunt, it may be due to a low power steering fluid level, which indicates a leak in the assistance system. If you hear squeaks, it is usually due to a belt of auxiliaries in poor condition or slack.
8. With the steering to the side, check the status of the bearing shields and the steering knuckles, the trapezoid studs, etc. Some cracked or broken tires indicate the current mileage of the car.
9. Examine the brake discs; If they have a bright and raised edge, they indicate high wear. If the car does not have many kilometers and the discs are very worn, it usually means that the driver is overusing the brake or driving too fast.
10. The trunk is also a place to investigate. If the carpet is very worn or dirty, it is that the car usually circulates heavily. Lift the carpet and look at the hole in the spare wheel. If there is moisture, oxides, etc … it may indicate that the trunk does not close properly or that water enters through a rear light, which may be the result of a badly repaired blow.

Other items to look out for

• Check that you keep the jack and the typical tools (wheel wrench, anti-theft nut, jack, screwdriver …) that come with the car.

• In the passenger compartment, look under the seats and carpets. If there are crystals, it may be due to an attempted robbery or an accident: ask the owner.

• Check the operation of all the car’s electrical systems. Operate the windows, the seats with this regulation system, the air conditioning, the windscreen wipers and all the accessories that the unit in question assembles.

• Look for inconsistencies. If you mark a few kilometers, but the steering wheel, gear knob and pedals have a lot of wear, distrust.

• If the clutch pedal shows more severe wear on the left side, it may be that the driver usually carries the foot resting on that pedal. This will have left to mark on the clutch and is an expensive repair.

• Now that the engine is hot, remove the oil filler cap carefully and check for smoke. Put your hand and, if a lot of pressure is generated … bad news. The engine has worn and causes the compression of the cylinder to pass to the crankcase and, by ventilation, rise to the rocker cover. Find another car.