If you buy a used car, there are several things you should do to ensure that you don’t get ripped off. Without further ado, let us jump into the list of tricks to inspect a used car before buying it.
Read on to learn more.
Check the Fitment of Everything
The first thing that you should do when you are looking to buy used car is to go up to the car and check the fitment of everything. What that means is that you will be checking all the seams running down the car’s body to make sure none of the seams are raised up above each other or there are uneven lines.
You don’t need a tool to do that. You can use your hand and rub it over everything to make sure everything is nice and smooth and ensure that nothing pops out. Make sure to check out both seems and that everything is symmetrical.
Make Sure to Ask the Right Questions
If this is your first time buying a car, then you might not be as familiar with the inner workings of a car, which can prevent you from asking the right questions. However, you should take someone who is familiar with cars to ask the questions.
Some of the basic questions to ask the seller include the number of miles that the car has. If the car mileage is higher than twenty thousand miles per year, you should ask why that is so. A high mileage means that the car might have loads of wear while being used on short-distance trips.
However, lower mileage doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the car has been well taken care of.
Always Ask for a Test Drive
The worst thing that you can do when buying a used car is closing the deal online. You want to avoid this at all costs. If the owner of the car won’t allow you to test drive the car, you should take it as a hint that the car is definitely not up to the mark as the owner is trying to hide a fault.
So, if the private car seller isn’t willing for a mechanic to check the car, you should decide for yourself whether you are okay with proceeding with things and making a purchase. If you are checking out a used car online, ask the dealer about how much of the buying process you can do online, including the paperwork.
This way, you will have to spend less time at the car dealership.
Check the Tires
Apart from checking the body condition and mileage of the car, you should also inspect the tires as tires have plenty to tell you about the car. Be wary of brand-new tires on a car that has less than five thousand miles. If the tires are brand new, you might as well want to ask why the tires have been changed.
The same rules are applied to a truck if you visit a truck dealership for a used truck. The conditions of the tires and the mileage that has been covered in the vehicle can tell you a lot about the condition of the truck.