ALT-1 Five Things you need to know when Buying a used Car
Buying a used vehicle should be treated like buying a used gem. You have to know the difference between quality, consistency, and plain old hunk of junk. All this determines the cost of buying whats called a lemon, to buying a priceless piece of art. Those shouldn't be the only concerns, for there are other hindrances pertaining to buying a used vehicle.
Like most common used car buyers, most people tend to stay away from the less attractive used car outlets. It's not because of their extravagant persona like what you would see in the movies that retains its' stereotype, but its' rumored long term value is what's in question. The reputation of these car lots goes quite a ways in regards to quality, sustainability, cleanliness, manipulative sales pitch, and most important of all, cost.
Quality is usually what first counts in everyday car purchasing. It's considered the eye candy at first speculation. No "one" buyer will approach a dented vehicle and make a follow through purchase, due to it being "human in nature" to say that it is visibly appealing. The next usual approach would be to look for sustainability in a vehicle, which is one that you probably have considered; known for reliability(ex. Grand Am, Caprice, Accord, etc.). Once you have found your preferred "make", cleanliness would be the first personal resource you would look for. For what is meant by clean, is not necessarily the interior nor the exterior, but the car's personal history. The step aforementioned is neither time consuming nor costly, it can save you from buying a vehicle that has been written off, therefore getting an MVR(Motor Vehicle Report) done would actually pay for itself.
To think that cost would be the next obstacle in a purchase agreement, it is actually the salesman that would likely be your roadblock. To prevent a salesperson's stranglehold on your future of driving, you should always look up the price of pre-used vehicles on-line, or buy what's known as a "Blue book"(in Canada it's "Red Book", and the "Black Book" is an authorized dealer's book). These car buying price guides will definitively have you ranting about your used car purchase whilst avoiding the usual over-priced price tags via sales pitch.
Other handily references that a buyer should acknowledge is, knowing what works and what is worn; like knowing the quality of the brakes, to the operation of the clutch which applies to standard transmissions. To look for leaks and wierd noises should be of buyers practicality, while adding common sense should be of procedure. And Last but not least, to avoid lemons of all lemons, a safe bet would be to buy pre-owned at a new dealership.
