What should we pay attention to when buying a used car and how to avoid being conned? Here are three things to pay attention to.
For automatic cars check this article
External and internal inspection
- Check the car in the morning for better light.
- Go around, look from a close angle, look from far away, and check the car from all directions.
- Check the paint. Is it a unified colour or are there darker or lighter patches. This could be an indication of a paint job to cover a bump or a scratch.
- Check the hood, trunk, and roof of the car for dents.
- Look at the doors (are there obvious spaces between them?), the chassis, the bumper and underneath the car for damage.
- Check the integrity of the seats and if there are tears or stains.
- Check all the amenities in the car including the radio, lighter, AC, electric windows, side mirrors, etc. Turn them on and off. Be careful if the AC needs to be recharged as its maintenance fees costs a lot.
- Check the tyres.
- Check the mileage.
Check the mechanical parts
- Turn on the car engine but don’t press the gas pedal and try to hear if the motor sounds OK or not. Are there any odd noises?
- Turn on the AC while the car is running. Check whether the sound of the motor changes.
- Check the exhaust system or tailpipe for damage. What colour is the exhaust smoke?
- Block the tailpipe with a rag to check for leaks.
- Check the motor is not leaking oil. Are there oil traces on the motor itself or underneath the car?
- Check the radiator for leaks or damage. Inspect the water for rust or oil traces. If there is any don’t buy the car.
- Check the oil level and its condition if there is water present don’t buy the car.
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The manual transmission
- Press the clutch all the way and check if the engine’s sound changes. Are there any odd noises? If yes do not buy the car.
- Press the clutch again and shift to all the different gears while the car is parked. Does it shift smoothly or not?
- Try the hand brakes. Shift to 4th and press the gas pedal. If the car stalls then that’s great if it doesn’t then the gearbox is damaged.
Check out our article on how to buy a used car here