Things You Need to Know Before Buying a Used Car
You decide it’s time for a new car, but you don’t want the payments.
The first thing you will need to know is where you will be buying your used car. Dollar-wise, your best bet is to buy from an independent person. You can also buy from a used car dealer, but you will pay more for the same car, plus interest. You will aslo need to find a good used car dealership. At most buy here pay here dealers, you will pay much more than the car is worth, plus get charged interest. You are also buying “as is.”( If you are living in Greater Toronto area, tried the Toronto Ford dearlership and the Scarborough Chrylser dealership, those are two very good dealerships)
As you are checking your car, you will want to take notes as you go through the next steps.
You will need to check your prospective car for safety issues before you test drive. Walk around the car, checking for any dents, scratches, and loose parts. Once you are satisfied that the car looks like it will not fall apart when you sit in it, you will need to check for other safety issues.
Walk over to each fender and try to bounce the car up and down by pushing down on the fenders. Listen for any clucks or bangs. If you hear them, there is a potential suspension problem.
Push the brake pedal. How far to the floor does it go? If it goes more than half way to the floor, you have brake issues that will need to be checked by your mechanic. Check the blinkers, brake lights, wipers and horn, and check to see how far the steering wheel moves before the tires start turning.
Look at the interior for wear and tear. The following will give you a hint as to the true mileage of the car: wear and tear on the steering wheel, gas pedal, brake pedal and clutch (if a stick shift); headliner, wear marks on the door panels, torn seats, worn out carpeting.
Check brake fluid, transmission fluid (only on automatics), power steering fluid, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid and oil.
Be sure you have a spare tire and the jack that comes with the car is with the tire. If not, you may be able to get a bit knocked off the price of the car.
Once you have checked it out - test drive to your mechanic!
August 24th, 2008 at 6:00 am
anybody here know of a good site to find more info on used car sale ads? I\’ve got this site bookmarked and im gonna keep checking it out, but i still would like to find a site that covers used car sale ads a little more thoroughly..thanks