If you are like me then you don't enjoy the process of buying a used car. I enjoy driving it, but the whole process of bargaining and looking at several cars isn't enjoyable to me. I hate trying to guess whether what the seller is telling me about the car is true or not. Unfortunately we have to drive cars and we all have to buy used cars throughout our lives.
We have probably all seen those cars on the road where the back tires are not in line with the front tires. You know, it looks like the car should be veering to the left but is going perfectly straight. This happens when the frame is bent due to a serious accident that the car has been in.
In this case it is quite easy to see that the car is not functioning properly and will cost you a bunch of money in the future. But some cars that are lemons are not that easy to spot. How do you know that you are getting a good deal?
If you suspect that the car you want to buy has been in an accident or has been totaled check the title. It is law in most states for body shops and insurance companies to report it if a car has experienced so much damage that it is totaled or salvaged. If the title is clean and you are still not convinced then keep reading to find out how you can tell if the car is a solid car to buy or not.
The most obvious signs of a repair on a car are the light covers. I have seen this a million times! If there is paint on the taillight cover then the car has been in some kind of accident for sure. How do I know? Because they had to repaint that piece of the car, and some of it got on the taillight. This might not be a big deal but if the seller won't admit to a "small" fender bender then he might be hiding a much bigger accident and much more serious damage to the car.
Another place to look is the lines where two parts of the car come together. For example, you would want to check the crack between the front fender and the hood. If one end of that line is close together and the other end is far apart then you know something is not lining up right. Something has probably been changed and isn't fitting like the original.
Of course we don't want to overlook the obvious, ask the owner! Many times people are honest people trying to sell their car and will be completely honest about the cars history. Remember that not everybody out there is trying to steal and cheat you. In fact a minor fender bender is quite common and if the owner tells me this straight away I trust them and would probably proceed further to consider buying the car. If they aren't straight forward and their answers are questionable I would maybe keep looking!
Just a few months ago I was looking at a used car. Yep, our family is expanding and we needed an SUV. As I looked over the car I noticed that it hadn't been take care of very well. Then I spotted the paint on the taillight. I causally asked the seller if the car had been in any kind of accident and he stated, "oh sure, just the normal fender bender a couple of times". I almost walked away right then! Why didn't he walk me over to that fender and say, "A few months ago we got hit here in a parking lot, and had to have this fender replaced"? Because he didn't want to tell me what really happened. Needless to say, I walked away and didn't buy that car.
I hope that you will take these tips with you when you buy your next used car. Buying cars is something that we all have to do, and is most definitely a part of our life. So, be smart and enjoy the process. Do you homework so that you can drive a car that you know is in good condition and that you can be proud of.
We have probably all seen those cars on the road where the back tires are not in line with the front tires. You know, it looks like the car should be veering to the left but is going perfectly straight. This happens when the frame is bent due to a serious accident that the car has been in.
In this case it is quite easy to see that the car is not functioning properly and will cost you a bunch of money in the future. But some cars that are lemons are not that easy to spot. How do you know that you are getting a good deal?
If you suspect that the car you want to buy has been in an accident or has been totaled check the title. It is law in most states for body shops and insurance companies to report it if a car has experienced so much damage that it is totaled or salvaged. If the title is clean and you are still not convinced then keep reading to find out how you can tell if the car is a solid car to buy or not.
The most obvious signs of a repair on a car are the light covers. I have seen this a million times! If there is paint on the taillight cover then the car has been in some kind of accident for sure. How do I know? Because they had to repaint that piece of the car, and some of it got on the taillight. This might not be a big deal but if the seller won't admit to a "small" fender bender then he might be hiding a much bigger accident and much more serious damage to the car.
Another place to look is the lines where two parts of the car come together. For example, you would want to check the crack between the front fender and the hood. If one end of that line is close together and the other end is far apart then you know something is not lining up right. Something has probably been changed and isn't fitting like the original.
Of course we don't want to overlook the obvious, ask the owner! Many times people are honest people trying to sell their car and will be completely honest about the cars history. Remember that not everybody out there is trying to steal and cheat you. In fact a minor fender bender is quite common and if the owner tells me this straight away I trust them and would probably proceed further to consider buying the car. If they aren't straight forward and their answers are questionable I would maybe keep looking!
Just a few months ago I was looking at a used car. Yep, our family is expanding and we needed an SUV. As I looked over the car I noticed that it hadn't been take care of very well. Then I spotted the paint on the taillight. I causally asked the seller if the car had been in any kind of accident and he stated, "oh sure, just the normal fender bender a couple of times". I almost walked away right then! Why didn't he walk me over to that fender and say, "A few months ago we got hit here in a parking lot, and had to have this fender replaced"? Because he didn't want to tell me what really happened. Needless to say, I walked away and didn't buy that car.
I hope that you will take these tips with you when you buy your next used car. Buying cars is something that we all have to do, and is most definitely a part of our life. So, be smart and enjoy the process. Do you homework so that you can drive a car that you know is in good condition and that you can be proud of.
About the Author:
If you are in the used car market then check out http://findhotcars.com where you will find a large selection of used cars, they also have many hard to find in a Used Luxury Car at great prices.
0 comments:
Post a Comment