How To Avoid Buying a Bad Used Car
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For most people, a used car is the only viable solution to be able to have a vehicle and it is a great solution most of the time. There are some amazing deals out there and you can grab a second-hand car that will last for years and cost far less than a new one.
Even leasing cars and PCP deals can be costly, they also involve credit checks and taking on monthly payments which aren’t always ideal. However, there is no doubt the used car market is a bit of a minefield and making an uninformed purchase can leave you with a car that costs more to run and fix than a brand-new lease would. To help you avoid some of the common pitfalls here are a few top tips on how to avoid buying a bad used car!
How To Avoid Buying a Bad Used Car
Do Your Research
There really is no way to overstate this. People who search by price or walk onto a used car dealers yard and buy whatever looks nice are playing a very risky game.
Work out what you need in terms of size, performance, number of doors, safety kit and everything else…then start looking for models that meet that list. Once you have a handful of cars you like start searching for “common faults”. You may well find a car you really fancied is prone to massive running costs.
You can then remove that and go back to your search. Be prepared to spend a few weeks reading up and checking on model variations and types.
It may seem like a big process and one that is very boring but it will make the difference between buying a nightmare and having a wonderfully smug feeling that your car hardly ever breaks and costs you very little to run. Get on What Car, Honest John and more and do some digging!
Use a Car Checker
When you have got it right down to some cars you want to see get them checked out before you make the trip. The Car Guide does a very comprehensive car checker but there are lots of others out there too.
These checks will show if the car was stolen, has money owing on it that you would be liable for, has been scrapped and even what it failed on during recent MOTs. The info you get from a check may mean you can scratch one “really good deal” off your list and save a wasted journey.
You may also have saved yourself a whole lot of trouble; if you bought a stolen car the police could simply take it from you, and you would get nothing.
Don’t View a Car at Night or in the Rain
This may seem a little odd, but this is very old and very sound advice. These days rust isn’t as much of an issue as it once was, but you can still accidentally buy a car covered in knocks and bumps or even have different colour panels where it has been repaired.
When you view a car make sure it’s daylight as a top priority. Seeing a car in the dark makes it very hard to see scratches, dents, damaged wheels and more. Rain also hides all manner of ills. Wet paintwork can look much nicer, when it dries you may find things are considerably tattier. It’s hard to avoid the rain but if you see a heavy rain day forecast it’s worth not choosing to see cars then. Darkness is a lot more predictable so avoid whenever you can.
Avoid Bargains
This one may seem even more odd, but it is an important thing to think about. Once you get an idea of what car you are looking for you should also get a good idea of the average cost.
Obviously higher mileage cars will be less and lower will be more but generally, you should have a feel for the going rate. If a car turns up £1000 cheaper than you would expect then be wary and try to find the reason.
It may be that it’s a bad colour (which you may be OK with) but it may be something the seller is not willing to divulge. Sometimes people really do need to get a car sold quickly, or you may have found someone who just doesn’t know what it’s worth.
So be on guard and do some checks. You do not want to buy a car the seller knew full well was about to cost a lot of money! Parkers offer a good basis for checking average prices but you should be able to get a good idea using used car sites.
There are some great cars for great prices out there, be savvy and get yourself something brilliant!
