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eTyres care about our customers. The
following article may be of interest.
Used Car Buying Pointers
by Jay Bauder
"Key-Pointers When Buying a Second Hand Car"
Buying a car from an individual or from a local car
dealer is one tedious task if the objective is to
purchase a second car that is still in good running
condition. A buyer would never trade his hard-earned
money with just a complete wasted used car. Whether new
or used, when buying a car, it should be treated with
the same importance and value.
There are things to take into consideration before
buying the car and these are:
1. Educate yourself as a consumer 2. Prepare a list of
your needs. Prioritize between the necessities and the
wants. 3. Determine the budget and the kind of car that
would best fit. 4. Make a selection by models and types.
Narrowing them will be helpful. 5. Research both online
and offline by dealers. 6. Know the value of the second
hand car in the market. 7. Research the Vehicle
Identification Numbers and history. 8. Take a mechanic
when checking the car whether buying from a friend or a
dealer. 9. Never shy away from asking questions. 10. If
there's a gut feeling about it not being good, don't be
afraid to walk away.
Bringing a mechanic along is always a good strategy.
Make sure your mechanic inspects the totality of the
car, from the history down to its last screw. It should
be parked on a level spot. You should make certain that
it was driven for about an hour. This should make it a
good time to make the inspection. Always make it on a
well lit surrounding and in broad daylight.
How to inspect it thoroughly:
Checking the exterior. Walk around to see if there is
damage to the body. The corners of the car should be
shaken and bounced up and down to see if the shock
absorbers are still in good condition. Make sure that
the wheel bearings do not make any sound when trying to
pull the front tires by tugging them. Open the doors
lift the hood and the trunk to see if all the rubber
seals are still in place. This will also tell if there's
anything loose around the hinges. Check for signs of
repaint. There will be difference in the color because
shops can never duplicate the original paint of the car.
Ask someone to turn on all the lights outside of the car
and look if all are working. Cars with only 30,000 miles
of travel must still have its original tires. Beware if
you find a car with only a few miles of travel but has
new tires. When the test drive is done, check the discs
of the brakes, this should still be clean and smooth.
Check the windshield for cracks.
Checking the Interior. Though it sounds odd, smell the
insides of the car. Sniff under mats and the carpet. If
it smells like mildew then it's a sign that there is a
leak somewhere or that the car may have undergone flood
damage. Switch on the air-conditioning to make sure that
it really turns the whole inside of the car cold. Next,
try the heater. Try out all lights inside as well and
never forget to blow the horn. Also try all the seat
adjustments. The upholstery should still be in good
shape too. There will be a lot more to check and here is
where the mechanic can help the buyer.
Looking inside the trunk. Once more, smell the insides
and check for any signs of leaks. Make sure that some
basic car tools are still present for the new user.
Checking under the hood. Feel the wiring for any cracks
or brittleness. Squeeze the hoses and the fan belt for
any cuts and possible electrical tape patches. Do not
take off the cap of the radiator until its cool enough.
The greenish color indicates a good condition where the
coolant is. Beware of stains and dirty-whitish color on
the radiator. Again, let the rest be checked by the
mechanic like the batteries.
Checking under the car. Lie down if you must and use an
emergency light to see the engine underneath. Feel any
signs of residue. Check the pipes and examine any
possibility of heavy rusting.
Do the Test Drive. The owner or dealer should not stop a
buyer from going over about twenty minutes of test
drive. This is a special time to thoroughly look for any
problems with the air-conditioning, heater, steering
wheel, brakes, transmission, and most importantly, the
comfort. Feel everything; it's okay to try it on a hump
or a slight bumpy road to really experience the
performance. Listen carefully to check any rattles. Have
a pen and paper, flashlight, gloves, magnet, towel,
blanket and even CD or tape when checking a car out.
About the Author
Jay is the web owner of http://www.new-cars-in.com New
Car Loans, a website that provides information and
resources on searching for new cars, new car pricing,
loans, and dealers. You can visit his website at:
http://www.used-cars-in.net Used Car Quotes |
