Second Hand Cars: What You Should Do When Buying a Used Car

Used cars are preferred by the middle to low income earners and should therefore operate well with little financial costs. The buyer should have an image of the car that he desires before approaching a dealer. He should then ask the appropriate questions that will point him to the best car.

The first thing that you should do while shopping for a used car is to bring a person along for advice. Reading magazines or this article will only give you general information; the car that will catch your eye will need to be evaluated in isolation. A mechanic, your father or aunt will provide invaluable help if they have driven for long. They can give a very good judgment of the car after driving it.

Check thoroughly for damages on the exterior. This will give you an idea of the accidents that the car was involved in and its extent. Previously damaged cars pose a risk to the occupants because the original metal could have been replaced by one of less quality. There are also pre-stressed areas of the car that reduce collision impact to the occupant, if these areas have been altered, the car's safety is reduced drastically. A magnet can be used to check if all the car's body is made of metal. Some damaged or customized parts such as body skirts and lower bumpers than the factory ones are replaced or made of fiber glass and this should be checked. Engine damage can best be checked by a mechanic so make a point of bringing one along.

The terrain covered is very important, unfortunately this information cannot be found on board the car. This is where the previous owners come into play. Ask them all about the car's history including damages, how it runs and any other information that he will give. Remember that they may lie and "forget" to mention some important points. Check the distance traveled and note the time taken to cover this distance. This shows the engine's condition, an old car which has covered the same distance as a newer one is not the same as a newer car that has covered more than an old one.

The warranty is most likely to have expired but check just in case. There are two types of warranties; for replacement and for repair, for replacement is better. Availability of parts is a major concern. A number of car makers deliberately cause a shortage of parts so as to shove car owners into buying newer models of their brands; this is inconsiderate of them for it is the consumer who suffers.

Fuel consumption is of economic value to you the buyer. Different types of cars use different amounts of fuel, a sports utility vehicle uses more fuel than a family car. Safety of the car should be well thought-out. Lack of seatbelts is illegal in some countries. Air bags, strong cabin frames and antilock brakes are added advantages. Insurance premiums that you will be paying depend on the value of the car. After sale services are usually bone by the seller if it is from a dealer private sellers do not usually do this and individuals almost never do this. This brings in the question of if it is better to buy used cars from private sellers or from dealers who are affiliated to the car maker. Well, the advantage of dealers is better quality because they use original parts and the workmanship is better, private sellers have lower quality cars leading to lower prices compared to dealers.

Some used cars are "highbred", by this I mean parts from a number of cars have been brought together to build a car. For instance, the body might be a Toyota's and the engine a Ford's. These cars pose a spectrum of different scenarios, good and bad, they are so diverse that they can go on and on and on and will be a basis for another discussion.

Lastly and most importantly, test-drive the car. Start from how in starts, note the stress on the engine on acceleration to how it runs in different conditions then the breaking. Test the shock absorbers by pressing hard on the four sides of the car separately and note the time it takes to come back up and from what level. Good shock absorbers will allow the car to move slightly down then back up in a very short time. Experienced car users will find this easier to decipher.