Used Car Buying Tips

By purchasing pre-owned car, there is so much of a money saving. A car even if it new one gets its value depreciated pretty soon; and if you see its value after three years, it would be about 70% or worse case 60$ of the original price.

As a matter of fact, the moment you drive out of the dealer in the new car, your brand new car will be Rs. 25000 less, I am not being rude here.

When you are buying new car it's like you are going to pay for the paint aroma and also the warranty. Still, a new car may not give 100% satisfying feeling to the buyer.

It's for these circumstances you can look at buying a pre-owned car. But its kind of a gamble; as it may not have been properly maintained or there's little guarantee that it is accident free, gives great mileage.



Used cars may come with latent issues from worn out auto trany, to engine tunes which might not be apparent during test drive. But you could eliminate risk of these potential problems by doing good research, checking car accident history records, service schedule records, by checking the car in real and taking a mechanic to the car.

It is recommended that the best used car buy would be to go and buy one that's very well maintained and never had met with accident or engine break down issues.

You would be able to find a car sold by individual original owner of the car. It is advised you avoid buying used cars from curbsiders. Best method is to look at "second hand car" portals and then narrow down the search to city and then to model and then to the price range you are most willing to offer. In case you do not find any models you can run your own listing at some of the "best used cars for sale" portals.

Through either of the ways make sure you have a choice of 8-10 models that suits your requirement you can then start talking to the owners and narrow the figure to 3 or 4 cars. Following is the list of questions you should ask the seller:

When was the car brought? How many owners it has had in all?
The current mileage car is giving
If the car has met with any accidents previously?
If the car had undergone any major repairs?
Does the car warrant any repair/s now?
What is the condition of the car with respect to mechanics now?
General interior and exterior condition of the car as of the date?
Does the car show any rust or scratches? Are there any other visible damages on the car?
Where was the car receiving service/s with service records?
Finally, the reason for selling of the car and any liens?

Then upon further verification of models by visiting and looking into other details such as car history, maintenance and service records by the owners you can narrow the list even further to 1 or 2. But these are the checks you may need to perform on the models without any compromise after you are kind of okay and satisfied with the history and service schedules followed by the car owner.

Check exterior of the car
to ensure that the car has been maintained well and the blemishes present were considered by the owner while presenting his price.

to see if there are more dents, blemishes and scratches on the car than mentioned by the owner.

to ensure that the car hasn't undergone painting and for rusting signs.

to ensure tyres are good (if not the best). Try to find reason for wears on tyres (the owner should be able to explain). You can even look for DOM on tyres and check if it matches with the date of purchase. If the dates have huge gap ask for an explanation from the owner.
to see there isn't any oil leak at the parked place.

to ensure bonnet is fine, look for paint jobs on it and ask for explanation if you note one.

Check interior of the car
to see and ensure engine condition was as indicated/described in the documents.

to see if the steering wheel quality and that of brake pedal are good.

if dashboard and instrumentation are working.

to ensure of the quality of car electricals/electronics and interiors.

to ensure the upholstery is good and as was indicated in the documents.

After all the time involving checks you may still find that car is priced than it is really worthy or you are willing to pay for it. Start making your negotiations. Be confident and smart. Often times, proper negotiation tactics could bring down the price. Here are some tips that always work:

Negotiate on the total price.
Start from lower offers. Don't be shied to do lower offers. If you can impress upon the seller that you are really serious buyer they will surely come down in price, especially if they are looking to sell soon.
Do not hesitate to leave if you should feel pressure/s or if you should have doubts about the car.
Whatever promised by the seller, ask him/her to confirm the same in a writing with all details of the deal.

Discuss what payment the seller expects and be clear and firm in abiding by it. For many reasons paying in cash is not a strong recommendation. Before signing the deal take time to read the legal papers and documents, remember once they are signed you cannot claim or ask for anything.
Ensure that the legal formalities are complete and the car had been transferred to desired name before payment has been made.

Enjoy driving your car for a long time to come.