Buying any car is an act of trust. Buying a used car is especially so as you are not receiving a brand-new product. There are many benefits to buying a used car: it is environmentally friendlier than buying a new car; it can work out cheaper for you when it comes to purchase price as well as with regards insurance and taxes; and it can offer you more choice than your budget would otherwise allow – but how can you be sure of getting a good deal for a reliable motor? Let us take a look.
Get an Independent Inspection
If you are dealing with a car vendor who is independent and otherwise unknown to you, it is always best to get an impartial independent inspection. Don’t worry if you don’t have any mechanic friends who can do the job for you: many garages will allow you to ‘buy’ an hour or two of their employee’s time so that a mechanic can peep under the hood and make sure everything that is meant to be there is there and in the right place too! Be wary about vendor’s offering their mechanic’s input on the matter – you have no idea if they are partners, working together to create the impression of trustworthiness or not. But if you are thinking of getting yourself a pre loved car? Why not visit KAP Used Cars Brighton Dealership and get yourself a decent grab with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are working with a trusted car dealer?
Take a Test Drive
No matter who you are buying from, always give your used car a test drive before you commit any money to the matter. A test drive allows you to get a feel for the car, test the brakes and generally test out all the moving parts in a realistic manner. It is surprising quite how much you can pick up from a test drive: from the slushiness of poor suspension to the squeal of inadequate brakes – there are many, seemingly trivial but actually important things about a car that can be determined even during a relatively short test drive. The two things to remember are to insist on driving the vehicle yourself and to ignore any patter from the sales associate as you undertake the drive, especially if they seem to be minimising your concerns about a certain noise or something similar.
Check the Vehicle History
Finally check the vehicle history carefully. Look for gaps in ownership and look up the registration online – some databases used by insurers for vehicles that are recommended to be written off are freely accessible and contain details of accidents or damage that might well turn out to be the basis of a write-off order – the order having been ignored by someone with an eye to making a quick sale.
While there is an element of risk in buying a used car, it is a relatively low one, and even these risks can be mitigated by using a reliable dealer and following the above steps.
