Buying a pre-owned car is a great way to get a new, reliable car without breaking your budget. However, finding a used vehicle isn’t always as easy as simply logging onto a website and ordering a car. In many cases, you’ll need to ask some important questions to find out if the car is the right fit for you. If you’re interested in buying a pre-owned car, asking the following questions will be the best way to figure out if you’re actually getting a good deal.
Why Are You Selling It?
If you’re buying the car anywhere but at a lot, you need to ask why the car is being sold. The answers are going to range from the obvious (the car’s old and the owner wants to trade up) to the emotional (the car belonged to a recently deceased relative). However, no matter what the answer is, it’s going to give you a chance to talk to the owner and to figure out if anything seems suspicious about the car in question.
What Are the Little Problems?
Every pre-owned car has a little problem from basic wear and tear. This is true even if the car has been well cared for. One of the windows might stick, the radio might buzz if it is on a certain station, the AC might take a while to kick in, or the trunk might stick a little when you try to open it. What’s important is that you find out these issues are before you make a deal.
A couple small issues don’t have to stop you from buying a good car, especially if you think you or your mechanic can fix them. However, finding out about these problems is a good way to find out about how well the car has been taken care of and any maintenance issues it might have. The biggest sign that something is really wrong with the car is that the owner won’t admit to even one of these little issues.
What Is the Ownership History?
Who has owned the car? Ideally, you’re going to get a car from the first person to drive the vehicle. If not, you’re going to follow this question up by asking if you can see any kind of maintenance history. The more people who have owned the car, the more of a chance there is that someone has covered up or forgotten about a problem in the past. Again, this doesn’t have to stop you from choosing the car entirely, it just means you need to be a little more careful.
Can I Get an Inspection for Pre-Owned Vehicles?
Finally, ask to get an inspection before you make a deal. If the seller is honest, they aren’t going to have a problem with this. If the seller refuses, it’s time for you to walk away. While the seller may have many arguments about why they would prefer to make a deal now, the truth is that anyone who has a problem with the car getting inspected assumes that there is something major wrong with the car.
Used cars are less of an investment than a new car, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your research. No matter what kind of car, you need to know what you’re getting and how reliable it will be. Whether you’re checking out pre-owned Ford vehicles or other cars, talk to the owners or dealers until you understand all the details.
These questions are all designed to help you to make a fair deal when purchasing a pre-owned car. They’ll give you a chance to use your best judgment when talking to the car’s owner and finding out about the car’s history. At the end of the day, these questions are what will help you to figure out if the car is worth your time and money.