How do you inspect a car when buying a car? When you buy a used car, you need to check it before writing a check. Well-you don’t have to, you can throw away your money at any time. In this guide to buying a car, you’ll learn how to inspect a car.
What indicators to check when buying a car: why it’s important
When you buy a used car, you don’t know what the car has gone through. Dealers and private sellers are a little hesitant to tell you all the problems with the car. You first have to wonder why they’re selling it.
Checking is a way to get some answers and see if the car is really worth it. It’s also a way to tell if you’re going to throw a chunk of money away on a lemon.
In almost every purchase, it’s a matter of “buyer beware”. If you find a huge flaw after writing a check and driving home, you won’t be able to get your money back. This means that you need to do a full check before completing the transaction.
Should you bring a professional?
If you’re new to cars, you should definitely bring a professional. You can hire different mechanics or inspectors to inspect the car and tell you what they think. In some cases, they may inspect the car without you being present and will give you a full description and their recommendations.
There is always a risk in conducting your own examinations. Once you’ve bought and driven enough cars, you’ll know what to look for and what the problem is. If you’d like to try it out for yourself, keep reading our guide to a convenient car check.
How to inspect a car when buying a car
During the inspection, you need to look at different parts of the car and review the checklist.
Listed below are some of the things I recommend knowing before buying a vehicle.
Mileage
The average person will drive between 10,000 and 17,000 miles per year in a car. With that in mind, take a look at the odometer to see how many miles the car has. A brand new car with a lot of mileage is as rough as a really old car with very little mileage.
If the body has a lot of wear and tear and signs of aging, but the odometer doesn’t read a lot of mileage, the owner may have reset the odometer. If this is the case, ask to see some service records and see how many miles were recorded as well as the date of service.
What indicators to check when buying a car: accident history
Ask the owner if the car has been involved in any accidents. Whatever they answer, there are a few things to check:
- Every part of the car should have the same paint color
- Gaps where parts should fit together neatly (doors, trunks, panels)
- See if the color under the carpet is the same as the car’s appearance
- Looking around the hood and trunk, do you see any welds?
You can run CarFAX reports on them and view the car’s history. If a car is involved in an accident, you may encounter many different problems. A lot of questions will cost you a lot of money in the long run.
Check the engine compartment
Documentation
How do you inspect a car when buying a car? The car’s documentation will ensure that you don’t buy a stolen car. If you buy a stolen vehicle, you won’t be able to get your money back and it will most likely be confiscated. You’ll be the prime suspect, which means you’ll have legal problems until you prove the sale. Make sure to avoid transactions that look strange because of mismatched documents.
The seller should be able to show you the ownership and registration information of the car. More so, the name on these documents should be the seller’s name. If the names don’t match, the car can be stolen, so ask who the owner is and why the seller is selling the car on their behalf.
Make sure the document is legitimate, has the correct watermark, and doesn’t have any spelling mistakes anywhere.
Check the VIN label on your car. If it’s scratched or tampered with, don’t buy that car. This is another tactic used by car thieves. The VIN license plates are official, and they all look the same. You may find it on the driver’s side of the dashboard, near the windshield.
External parts
There are not a large number of external parts to inspect. Make sure all doors, trunks, and hoods are closed and open. Check the fuel tank cap and make sure the tank has a cover.
Look at the wheels and make sure they have enough tread and are uneven. You may also want to check the trunk to see if there is a spare tire and jack.
Before jumping into the driver’s seat, check all seat belt and seat functions in the rear and passenger seats.
Check button
Now you’re ready to start the test drive process. Don’t start driving just now – just start the car and sit in the driver’s seat.
- Check that all windows are up and down
- Make sure to lock and unlock all doors using the buttons
- The windshield wipers and fluids work properly
- Check the warning lights, especially the airbags. When you start the car for the first time, all the lights should be on
- Check every button on the center console – air conditioning, radio, and anything else
What indicators to check when buying a car? Drive
When you’re happy with what you’ve seen and heard, it’s time to buckle up and go for a ride. While driving, you’ll need to try braking and accelerating hard to see what happens.
Pay attention to the feel of the steering and whether the car is leaning to one side or the other. If there is a noticeable vibration, that’s a problem.
Are the brakes spongy or creaky? Make sure the parking brake is working as well.
What indicators to check when buying a car: check the precautions
There are a few things to keep in mind during this process: there will be problems with used cars. As long as you know that the problem and the price apply to the car, then you can ignore a lot.
When you see a car with a high price tag, you may overlook seat features and locks that don’t work automatically. However, engine and transmission failures can cost thousands of dollars to correct.
A good mechanic should be able to estimate how much it will cost to fix the different faults they see in their car. If it’s still worth it, buy a car! Don’t let some questions stop you from achieving the journey of your dreams.
Conclusion
How do you inspect a car when buying a car? Inspections can point out problems with used cars, saving you money. You can either follow the steps highlighted in this article or ask a professional to help you. Either way, don’t neglect the checking process before writing a big check.
