Tips for Buying a Good Used Car
Cars are essential for many of us to get around, go to work, and even to have fun when we take a vacation. They’re also expensive, not only to buy, but possibly to maintain. On top of that, cars usually depreciate. Buying a used car is one way to alleviate at least a little bit of the cost of buying and owning a car. Why not buy a less expensive car if it could potentially last longer than a new one? It sounds great, but how can you know that used car will last?
There isn’t ever really any guarantee that any given used car will last longer than a new one and vice versa. There are ways to be sure that you can make a well-informed decision for your next used car purchase. Let’s look at a few:
Use Consumer Reports and Carfax
The two best resources to use when you’re looking for a used car is Consumer Reports and Carfax. Consumer Reports compiles real data from real consumers. That means you have the ability to see what’s good and what’s not about most models you would be looking to buy. You can even see common problems associated with a certain car as people have reported issues.
Carfax gives you a history lesson on a particular car that you may be looking at. Most dealers will provide you with a free Carfax report on the car you are looking at right from their website. If not, all you need is the VIN number of the car, and you see where the car has been, what kind of service record it has, and anything that’s happened to it during its lifetime. Has the car been in an accident? You can see that. Is it a flood vehicle? You can see that. Is the car really that good and is just really being offered at an awesome price? You can see that too!
Use other Internet Resources
Consumer Reports and Carfax may be the best resources to use, but there are many more that are available. It’s essential to thoroughly investigate a model before purchasing a used car to ensure that you do get a good car at a good price. Forums are a solid place to start. There are forums everywhere that cover just about any model. Often, you will find common themes throughout threads where users talk about issues they are experiencing. A simple Google search of the common problems associated with a specific model will give you hundreds of links to existing automotive blog sites. Part of their job is to give information and potentially expose weak areas of a manufacturer or certain model. It may be time consuming, but all this research may be easier than you think.
Buy from a Reputable Dealer
To be just a little more sure that the used car you are looking to buy will actually last, you should buy from a person or dealer with a good reputation. Craigslist and EBay can be a great place to get a used car for way cheaper than a dealer. There’s also the potential to buy a car that has huge issues. If you don’t know how to fix them, they could end up costing you thousands. If you don’t know what exactly you are looking for, it could be one of the costliest mistakes you make.
Dealers don’t usually buy cars from an auction they know they can’t sell. Even though they may be a little more expensive, their mechanics will at least give the car a once over and replace tires and things which may cost you soon after buying from anybody else.
Take the Car for a Test Drive
This may be obvious, but you always need to drive the car before you buy it. Listen for clicks, rattles, squeaks, and anything else that may sound out of the ordinary. Don’t know what “out of the ordinary” sounds like? Most cars won’t make too much noise at all. Listen as you go over bumps. Listen as you accelerate. Is the car louder when you apply the brakes?
Not only should you listen, but you should feel. Can you feel the car shifting gears even when you accelerate gradually? Does the car pull you to one side or the other as you hold the steering wheel loosely? These are the things you need to take into consideration as you test drive any used car.
Buy on Importance
Make sure you look for a used car with the top 3-5 things that you value most. Perhaps you have a long commute to work and you need a car that gets good gas mileage. Look for that in any car you consider. Maybe there is a feature that you don’t appreciate. Usually you can filter cars by any number of options and features. Make sure you also understand what you don’t need. With new cars, you can usually “build” your ideal car by selecting what you want and don’t want. Used cars aren’t like that. Whatever is on the lot is what you get. As long as you know what you need and what’s important to you, you will find what you’re looking for. Just be prepared to understand what you don’t need as well. Chances are that you won’t find a car with the exact mileage, color, safety features, price, and options that you want.
If you dread having to buy a used car, you aren’t alone. People all over feel the exact same way. If you use the guidelines above, you can be confident that you will find the car that you need while avoiding at least some of the dangers that come with buying a potential dud of a used car. Happy buying!
