Buying a Used Car - Do's & Checks - Part 3

Another set of checks, starts with the interiors of the car. Make sure the interiors are clean and not torn/ stained. Many people slap on a set of cheap seat covers to cover tears/burns/stains and you don’t want to have a nasty surprise once you've bought the car. Cars with their original seats are the best. Also the seat wear is another way to determine the use of the car. Overly used seats and a low mileage is another sign of odometer tampering.

While you are looking at the engine bay, here are a few other things to take a look at:

Oil stains - It could mean that a gasket is busted which could entail some expensive repairs.

Soft/cracked hose pipes, Rust are all bad signs.

Check the engine oil. It shouldn't be black and smell burnt. Especially if the car looks really great on the outside, this is another sign of the car being cosmetically done up for sale while hiding bigger problems which will surface later in your ownership.

Now take the car for the test drive. Check for weird sounds. And when you brake, there shouldn't be a grinding sound as feedback from the brakes. This means the brake pads are worn out and again, another repair is required.

If the car is spewing any smoke even just at start-up, it means there is a problem with the combustion and is usually expensive to repair. Walk away for such a car.

A trick I have noticed that car salesmen do is they turn on the music and AC immediately once you get into the car. The music covers the sounds and with the AC on, you are preoccupied by checking the cooling and almost NEVER turn it off during the test drive, (because let’s face it – it’s always so hot, why would you!!??) this helps in concealing the weird sounds. Do a couple of U-turns, at slow speeds, any sounds from the suspension is a sign of wear or worse still – repair required)

Once the car has passed these series of tests and you are satisfied with the car, it’s time to try and negotiate on the price, and that is another article altogether.

Once you've settled on the price. It’s time to pay up and take home your new car.

Finding a car that passes all these checks is or course an ordeal, and well begun is half done, and choosing the right website is just the right kind of start. Check out JaanCar, and start looking for your dream car.

Part 3 of 3.