When it comes to buying a 2nd hand or used car, many of us don’t know what to look out for. If you don’t know what the red flags are, chances are you will end up purchasing a car that will make you suffer in the long run.
Many times you will see a car parked in the street having the sign “For Sale” on it. When you come across such a car there are actually a couple of things that you can inspect.
The first one is the sale sign. With the sale sign, you will see a couple of basic information about the car. The sale sign normally provides the model number, the mileage, the pricing, and some other basic information that the owner thought you should know.
No matter what the pricing says, always keep in mind that you can negotiate and reduce it even more. Because at the end of the day, someone is trying to sell his car and you’re the one trying to buy a car. So the power is at your hand.
You should thoroughly check the car’s body. You should check if there are any scratches and dents on the car’s body. Scratches and dents can be easy to fix depending on how severe they are.
If scratches and dents are a big deal for you then inspect thoroughly. You don’t want to miss a big dent and only find it later after your purchase. Better safe than sorry.
Also, don’t inspect the car’s body when it’s wet. Water tends to hide scratches and dents pretty easily.
Check the headlights of the car. Normally the headlights seem dirty, but you can easily fix that. Unless it’s broken or damaged you have nothing to worry about.
Check all the glasses in the car. Check whether it has any cracks or not. Check the inspection sticker. Also, check the brake rotors to know whether it’s recently driven or not.
Now that the top portion is done, check all the tires and wheels. Make sure all 4 tires are of the same brand. You don’t want a car that has 4 different tires.
Also, check the rims of 4 wheels. If the rims are damaged then it’s an expensive fix that you don’t want to have.
Every tire has a life cycle. So you need to figure out how long these tires will last. You can keep a coin in the tire tread and depending on how much the coin goes inside you can get an idea of when to change those tires next.
When you’re inspecting a car in some parking lot, chances are you won’t get the owner nearby therefore you can’t get inside the car.
But you can still see some major things from outside unless it’s tinted.
You can check whether it’s an automatic or manual car. Look at the seat cover condition. Also don’t forget the steering wheel.
Now that everything on top is inspected, it’s time you give the bottom part some attention.
Check for any leaks or any liquid falling from the car. Check the structure underneath and try to see if it’s in good condition or has any rust.
Check the exhaust, the rear suspension, and the extra tire chamber.
So that’s basically the areas that you should inspect when you see a car with a For Sale sign.
Next time you see a car like this you won’t be at a loss thinking what to check.
