How to choose a user car before buying it? Which points are important to buy used cars? In United States, every around 45 million used cars exchange hands. This is an enormous number. If you don’t know how to choose your new but used car, have a look at these important tips.
Here are 12 important tips to buy used cars:
12. How much money do you have?
There are millions of car out there, ranging from one thousand to one million dollars .Keep in mind that a used car is not a new car. Let’s assume that you’ll pay ten thousand dollars to a used car. You have to consider extra money for additional costs such as tires, maintenance and so on. Also there will be a different insurance cost. In addition to that, your used car may spend more gas because simply it is old.
11. Narrow your potential candidate list
There are lots of brands and hundreds of different models. So what car are you looking for? What is your target? We know that in United States, especially Honda and Toyota used cars have more appeal. But this also means, they are more expensive than other used cars. So it is a good idea first to make a shortlist of at least 3 brands and maybe 6 models of these brands as a starting point.
10. Compare prices by using different options
You can buy a used by simply using websites such as cars.com, truecar.com or carmax.com. You can used car sections of any new car dealers. You can find used cars in the independent used car lots or if you can find a used car from its owner. Probably, the lowest price will belong to private parties. So before making your decision, it is a good idea to match the prices from different sources.
9. Try to find used cars near your area
Today used car websites provide many options such as car’s odometer, features, price and location of course. It will help you save money and time if you look for cars which are closer to you. Maybe you can find a cheaper car in another state but probably it is not a good idea to travel between states just to buy a used car.
8. Check the vehicle history
A car’s history is important. The downside of buy used cars is you’ll never 100 percent sure about what happened to a used car since it hit the road first. Even if you buy the car from a close friend or a family member, the vehicle might have an ugly past. So as an early step, it is good to check vehicle’s history by using Carfax or AutoCheck. You can learn whether the odometer has been rolled back or car had a salvage title before. You can use car’s vehicle identification number AKA VIN and/or license plate to check car’s history. If you are lucky enough, you can talk to car’s previous owners or mechanic who checked the car before.
7. Talk to seller first
Before seeing the car, you can have a nice conversation with the owner or seller of the used car to understand why they sell the car. Sometimes dealers do not put every detail on their ads, so you can get more information beforehand. So it is better to make the negotiation later on even it is sometimes tempting do the negotiation in early stages.
6. No rush, first test the car
Test drive is a good way to understand car’s condition. Sometimes your dream car may have issues like not enough space for passengers or for kids. Or even you can bang your head while getting out of the car. Sometimes the odometer may show less numbers but the car’s interior may look old. You can understand whether the ex-owners of the car treated this car badly or in a good way by looking at the leather, fabric, the condition of windows, mirrors etc. It is also good to make an eye-check to understand the conditions of tires, air-condition system, headlights, brakes and so on.
5. Take an opinion of a third party
Ideally, it is good to have a mechanic inspect before buy used cars. Also if you have a friend, who is good at inspecting, you can have him or her to check the car or make the test-drive. A second eye always an added value. An inspection will not cost you much but probably it will protect you from future losses. Also if it is a CPO car, there’s already been an inspection and a warranty is in place, so there is little reason to take it to a mechanic.
4. Negotiate the price
Negotiation might be a burden for some people. But don’t forget that maybe the other party hates negotiation as well. So if you are not too rich, it is better to negotiate. You can first check all the price points that you get from internet and you can decide an average point. So you can use this as your target price point. If the seller price sounds good, you can go for it and buy the car.
3. Complete the paperwork
If you are at a dealership, you’ll sign the contract in the finance and insurance office. There, you will likely be offered additional items, such as a warranty, anti-theft devices, prepaid service plans or fabric protection. Review the dealership sales contract thoroughly. In most states, it lists the cost of the vehicle, a documentation fee, possibly a small charge for a smog certificate, sales tax and license fees.
If you are buying a car from an individual owner, make sure the seller properly transfers the title and registration to you. Before money changes hands, ask for the title (the pink slip) and have the seller sign it over to you. Rules governing vehicle registration and licensing vary from state to state.
2. Check due registration fees before buying
Your car might have some past-due registration fees. So if possible, check with your DMV to make sure there are no past-due registration fees you’d be responsible for should you buy the car.
1. Don’t forget the insurance
Whether you buy from a dealer or a private party, make sure you have insurance for the car before you drive it away. You can check other tips to buy used cars. You can take your friend’s opinions or check the used car websites or forums, read more about your desired cars before buying it. It is important to have different opinions before coming to conclusion.
