A Woman's Guide to Buying a Used Car

The majority of women are not car experts, although there are some exceptions. For women, the used car purchase may seem daunting, but buying a used car is an intelligent decision. You save money on the price of the car, the insurance, the tag, and the value of the depreciation on a new car that happens when you drive one off of the lot for the very first time. Used cars are increasingly dependable, and finance rates have dropped in previous years. Occasionally a manufacturer also offers certified used cars with warranties, which makes the decision even smarter. There are three things you should consider when buying a used car, however. Used cars may accumulate higher repair costs that when combine with time away from work, may total more than buying a new car. A used vehicle may have been wrecked before, hurting the car's resell value, or the used cars odometer may also have been rolled back to a previous reading. This guide details how to combat major "used car fraud".

Occasionally the cost of repairing and maintaining a used car, when combined with the cost of the car, can exceed the price of a new car during the used car's lifetime. I once purchased a Nissan Maxima for $1000.00. I had the car for four months before it became irreparable. During the four months that I owned it, I invested almost $1000 more dollars in it, and then the transmission bottomed out along with a few other things that were wrong with the car. To repair it at this point would have cost around $2000. That comes out to be $1000 per month. I could have been driving a used Hummer, or a new Kia for that! The best way to protect yourself from this kind of "used car fraud" is to have the car checked out by a reputable mechanic. This is called a pre-purchase inspection.

A pre-purchase inspection is a detailed assessment by a qualified individual to determine the cosmetic, mechanical, and safety condition of a vehicle before completing the purchase. Most pre-purchase inspections are done by a certified mechanic or automotive technician who is knowledgeable in the make and model of the vehicle being inspected. The intent of the PPI is to uncover existing conditions or to reveal maintenance shortcomings that may become potential safety or financial issues for the buyer in the future. 1

If you do not have a mechanic in the family, you can pay one to inspect the car for you. You can also request permission to take the car to the mechanic. If your requests for a pre-purchase inspection are turned down, you can surmise that the car is not worth the asking price and move on. Make sure you pay close attention to the frame of the car as well. Do not buy cars with bent frames because the vehicle may have been wrecked before you purchased it.

If the vehicle has been wrecked before you buy it, the used car dealer or owner may never tell you. This can void several warranties and insurance policies. If you wreck your vehicle, and it has been wrecked before, the insurance company may refuse to pay for repairs because of the prior damage to the vehicle. Buying acar that has been wrecked before can also affect the vehicle's resell value. If you buy a car thinking that the car hasn't been wrecked at normal market value, and try to resell it months or years later, the purchasers may not want to offer you market value for the auto. The best way to combat this type of "used car fraud" is to have a report ran on the VIN number of the vehicle. In the United States and Canada, you can use CARFAX to obtain a detailed report of the car's history including:

• Totaled in an accident/Salvaged
• Flood damage
• Odometer rollbacks
• Lemon histories
• Junked Titles
• State emissions inspection results
• Lien activity, and/or
• Vehicle use (taxi, rental, lease, etc.)
• Service and repair history

• This information is very necessary and helpful for the used car buyer, male or female.

  Odometer rollbacks are another source of "used car fraud". This happens when a used car dealer uses software or tools to manually rollback the mileage of the car to a previous state. If the mileage seems way too good to be true, and the vehicle is not owned by a little old lady in her eighties, it probably is. You may want to ask yourself why the vehicle has such low mileage. Did the motor have to be repaired in the past, or was the vehicle sitting in someone's yard or garaged for years. Very low mileage is not necessary a good thing. An auto report on the VIN number should uncover this type of fraud.

  To protect yourself from the various types of car fraud, you should have the car inspected by an auto mechanic pre-purchase, and run a report on the vehicle's VIN number. This can expose much of the vehicle's potential to run properly in the future, and save you literally tens of thousands of dollars. You can't be too careful in today's used car market, although it much safer than in previous years. Adhere to instructions in this article for a informed, smart decision when buying your next used car.

  Sources:

  1. Carchex.com, http://www.carchex.com/about/news/News0016.aspx
  2. http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/78387/article.html
  3. http://www.carbuyingtips.com/used.htm
  4. How to Discover Odometer Fraud: http://www.samarins.com/check/mileage.html
  5. Used Car Buying Guide: http://www.samarins.com/buying/index.html