It's important to know what to check when buying a used car so that you get the best car for you, and that you're happy with your decision, knowing you got a good deal on a good car. The way to be a Clever Customer for used cars is to know what the important elements of a used car purchase are so that you can address each one during your purchase process. When researching best practices for buying a used car, Clever Consumer found seven factors that are repeated by various authorities in the industry. We've read all the articles, taken notes, and summarized them here for you. We've even used the process through a used car purchasing process to make sure it makes sense. Having a process in hand, you can be sure you won't forget to ask certain questions or to check on important things during your car-buying journey.
You have a reason driving your decision to buy a car (pun intended). Maybe you need a vehicle simply to get you to work and back, or maybe you need a car to take the all the kids to all of their activities. You know what your needs are, which will help you prioritize certain types of cars over others. Pickups to haul, SUV's, cross-overs, and minivans to carry lots of folks, or maybe small fuel-efficient coupes for your commute. Once you've narrowed your choices down to particular types of cars, research which particular models of that type of car have a better reputation than others. Yes, it has to get the job done. Part of getting the job done is not being in the shop all the time, and not draining your wallet in maintenance and repair bills. And part of the getting the job done is being safe, protecting you and your family in the event of a crash. In each vehicle category, some models have better reputations than others in these areas. Pick a few models in the category you're shopping for and do some research on them. Our article What is the Most Reliable Car details the types of things to research, and suggests some resources for doing that research.
Some consumers believe that they're protected from being stuck with unreliable car by what's known as the “Lemon Law”. The truth of the matter is that the Lemon Law should be your absolute last resort when trying remedy the financial loss of purchasing an unreliable vehicle. The law provides protection for a very narrow and specific set of circumstances. Even then, it's laborious, time-consuming, and expensive to get any relief using these laws. Know what to check when buying a used car. Do everything you can to avoid getting into a scenario where legal action starts to look like a reasonable option. For information on the Lemon Law for used cars, read our article What is the Lemon Law?
Performing an inspection of the car you are considering is one of the crucial things you can do to save yourself a lot of money. Doing a personal inspection will let you quickly rule a car out of consideration, or keep it in your list of candidates. Even if you're not a mechanic or mechanically inclined, our Used Car Inspection Checklist will explain what to check when buying a used car and help you feel confident you've checked critical areas that would be red flags. Doing your own inspection also allows you to rule out any cars you might have taken to a mechanic for their inspection before you incur even that minor expense. Don't buy a car sight unseen. Clever Customers do their own inspections of used cars before they buy them.
Taking the car for a test drive is another crucial element of your used car buying process. Know what you are looking for before you start the test drive, though. Know what it takes for the car to pass the test, and what disqualifies a car from further consideration. Different people have different tolerances and appetites for different deficiencies in a used car. Being a Clever Customer means knowing what is a minor issue, and what could be an indication of very serious needed repairs. Become an expert by reading our advice on How to Test Drive a Used Car.
In a list of what to check when buying a used car, a Vehicle History Report is key. Getting a vehicle history report is common sense. Sellers are often times unaware of discrepancies or black marks in a vehicle's history. Some sellers may even knowingly omit negative information in an effort to eke out every last dollar in selling the vehicle. Don't come to the final bargaining table without all the facts you can get. You don't want to find out the car was a rental car, or the odometer was rolled back, or that the car was claimed an insurance loss for flooding after you buy it. You need to know this going in. We've found a very well-priced option for vehicle history reports, using the same data sources as the more expensive report providers. In the best case, nothing negative shows up on the report. If anything does, it gives you leverage in negotiations. Worst case, the report fee is a small price to pay for a tip to walk away from the deal. To find out more, read What is a Vehicle History Report.
Every car manufacturer has issued recalls. It's not uncommon at all. Few are covered in the evening news. Most people aren't aware of the majority of them. Some recalls are for seemingly minor issues, but they're all related to your safety. When a certain type of vehicle is recalled, the manufacturer must provide a remedy for the issue, normally in the form of a repair for the vehicle. If a vehicle has been recalled, the repair will be provided at no cost to the owner, no matter how long ago the vehicle was recalled. For example, if you are considering buying a 10 year old vehicle which has outstanding (unrepaired) recalls that are 9 years old, the manufacturer must still make those repairs at the owner's request. It's free, and it's about safety. There's no reason not to have recall work completed for your vehicle.
You may have seen expose journalism on TV or in print about dealers who try to sell used cars which have open recalls on them, without first doing the repairs. The dealers are trying to save time by selling the car more quickly than they could if they did the repair. A Clever Customer knows what recalls exist for a car they considering purchasing, and can ensure the repairs are made.
When considering a particular make and model of vehicle, you can perform a recall lookup by year, Make, and Model of the car, you'll also get any NHTSA 5-Star Crash Ratings, and you can email the results to yourself for later reference. When looking at specific cars, do a vehicle recall lookup by VIN to get not only the recalls, but NHTSA 5-Star Crash Ratings, and specifications for the vehicle. You'll find several ways to look up recalls on our site. Be a Clever Customer and know what recalls exist for a used car before you negotiate the final deal.
Have a mechanic look at the car for you in what's called a pre-purchase inspection. You may be great at doing your own inspection, but mechanics are experts. They give an expert look through the areas you inspected yourself. Also, they know what quirky things to look for in certain years of certain models with certain engines or certain transmissions. These are things you may have no way of knowing aside from spending years in an auto shop. Here's the real advantage of having an independent inspection, though. They can give you a list of issues they discovered, the severity of each to prioritize repairs, and a written estimate for each needed repair. These written, independent estimates are valuable to you as a potential buyer in negotiating a deal with the seller. If you are buying from a dealer, you still should take the car to a third-party for inspection. The dealer's mechanics have a different motivation for the inspection than you do. You need an unbiased opinion.
Negotiation is a skill, a bit science and a bit art. Even you aren't a clever negotiator, you can be a Clever Customer by having as many facts as you can gather with you before you start to negotiate. We'll show you how to negotiate a used car price. By knowing what the real value of the vehicle is, the history of the vehicle, what work needs to be done on the vehicle, what recalls exist on the vehicle, how well the vehicle fits your specific needs and desires, and having pre-approved financing when buying from a dealer, you can establish a target price for the vehicle which is reasonable for you.
The Proven Used Car Buying Process for Clever Customers - Follow our detailed steps, and you'll be confident in your used car purchase. Avoid that sinking feeling of buyer's remorse. You'll know exactly what you bought, and that it was the best option for you.
