Can you Trust your Dealer Safeguards to consider
Can you trust your car dealer? I would say no.All car dealer's are legitimate crook's.
On thing you must do when you first start talking to the dealer. Is make it clear, that your not at all interested in buying his/her car. For example just say
"I'm looking at this car for my dad or girlfriend"
Car dealer's are very confident people & some time's they take that for granted.There bully's with smile's & can somtime's push people into buying a white coffee, when you wanted black.You have to understand the reality of what they can get away with, & nobody's none the wiser.Including a Car Fax Report. Saying this simple line from the start will totaly change the dealer's enthusiasm toward's you. He/she may think you could be just a test pilot. In his/her's mind, the real buyer is'nt there. This also ease's the line of rubbish dealer's tend to talk. They always act like there your brother & they'll take a bullet for you..
At the end of the day, your looking at a car you like..
"THE CAR SELL'S IT SELF"
(www.carfax.com)
In order to obtain a Car Fax Report, you'll need the VIN number of the vehicle.It's normally located on the dash board against the windshield. On older model's it's usually found under the hood. The report will inform you that it may off been:
1, involved in a recorded auto wreck
2, where the vehicle was first sold/located
3, part of a fleet
4, whether the vehicle has ever been recalled
DON'T BE FOOLED BY THIS & THINK THIS IS ALL YOU REQUIRE FOR PEACE OF MIND
By all mean's do it to find out these fact's. However This report will not state out the true mileage of the vehicle. Also the vehicle may of been involved in a un-recorded wreck. Meaning the vehicle could of been in a lone wreck, where no police or insurance company was informed.A car with FULL MAIN DEALER SERVICE HISTORY is also very usefull. The service record will be on the manufacture's computer system.Always make sure there's a telephone number so you can check up on the service record if it is'nt main dealer history.
EASY RESEARCH ON ANY INTERNET SEARCH ENGINE :
Every vehicle made & sold is never fault free. All make's & model have common fault's as they get older. Fault's which usually overtime become "design error".
This is where one pictular model will have a common same fault..for example " there re-nooned for it ".. Some vehicle's are re-nooned for electrical fault's, alarm or engine management system(ECU)for instance. Which can cost as mush as the car is worth..Some vehicle could suffer from water trap's. This where rain water can become trapped in tight spot's & gap's, unrecognizable to eye. Leading to structural rust.Other make's & model's, like turbo charged or super charged vehicle's tend to suffer from engine block/cylinder head cracking. Again something the human eye cant see & nor can the CAR FAX REPORT.
All these question's can easily be found out on the internet. I find Google to be very helpfull indeed. You can word your question in any manner & there's always a positive response in term's of research.For example
" is the so & so 2001 model reliable ? "
" is there common electrical fault's on the so & so model 1999 ? "
It is very easy to make a poor condition car, look pristine. It's all craftsmanship that hold's a vehicle together. First impression of seeing a low mileage vehicle.
1, Stone chip's or colour difference on the Front bumper & hood(high driven vehicle's)
2, Check how frim the suspension is (the vechicle shoud'nt bounce more then 2 time's)
3, Pat your hand against the interior(driver's seat for example) Just feel to make sure the leather/material is firm & tight with no sagging(like you've bought a new pair of jean's)
4, Look at the steering wheel,gear knob & pedal's. See if there's much wear on these item's plus other commonly used plastic part's in the interior(cigarette lighter,switch's,radio etc)
5, Keep your eye on the temperature gauge when you first start the engine. A cold running car is always a great sign. Meaning it doesn't instantly warm up. This will state out that the fluid's & water level's have been regularly changed.
6, When the car is idling on stand still, make sure it's not misfiring(even ever so slightly) If it is, that could be a possible sign of soon to be engine fault.
7, When the car has run warm after a test drive.Pop the hood open & open the oil & water cap on engine. Make sure you don't see any white/creamy substance.. Make sure all you see is OIL & WATER. That is a clear sign that water is mixing with the oil, meaning a major internal engine fault.
If you still dont feel confident, find your self a experinced mechanic to come & inspect the vehicle. Make sure your using somebody reliable & educated in the motor industry. Again like car dealer's after a fast buck, there's cowboy mechanic's out there aswell.
WARRENTY
if the dealer offer's you expended warrenty? Ask he/she to give you written detail of the term's & condition's.Go home & read them through & make sure it's worth the money.Find out if there's any hidden extra cost in different situation's.There is so many type's of warrenty these day's, just make sure you know what your siging for.
OVERALL
Give the dealer the impression your buying a house - not a vehicle!Just dont make the sale easy for the dealer.At the end of the day, there's more car's for then there on the road - so there's more fish in the sea!You have to be negative all the time, with the dealer & the car.
Never forget the psychology behind a car dealer. If the dealer is selling something for $5000. You have to ask youeself, how much is he making-how much did he buy it for? I'f he/she is making $3000 profit, there's got to be a story behind it.. But thats one of many thing's you have to work out for yourself- Because we'll never know.
Goodluck
