What should you know if buying a used car for the first time?

We have already discussed the benefits of buying a used car over a new car in our blog, which you can read here, but what should you know if you are buying a used car for the first time?

This post will help you answer questions like, what things should I ask?What should I look for in a used car? What are the warning signs?

Firstly it is always better to know what model(s) you are interested in before you show up at a car dealership. If you have done your homework beforehand you will be empowered to negotiate a price that you know is reasonable if you have already researched prices online of the model you are interested in. Unfortunately many car dealers will try and get the best price out of you, this could mean you paying more than what the car is worth. Empower yourself with knowledge!

Make sure before you show up at the car dealership you know the answers to the following questions:

• What model am I interested in?
• What price can I afford? (have a maximum amount already in your mind)
• Would the car suit my lifestyle? (Do you live in a city? suburbs? countryside?)
• How often do you plan on using the car? (daily, every other day, weekly)
• How readily available are the spare parts for the car? Are they reasonably priced?

While at the car dealership make sure to ask the following questions about the car you are interested in  buying:

• What is the engine size?
• How much Tax/MOT does the car have left on it?
• How much is the Tax/MOT normally?
• Has the car had any modifications to it? (please note that this question might affect your insurance if the car has undergone any form of modification - another thing to consider).
• What parts have already been replaced?

General Do's and Don'ts

Don'ts

• Never admit that the deal is a good one, otherwise you will find it hard to negotiate when it comes to negotiating prices.
• Don't rush into a decision and don't let the salesman pressurise you into making your decision if you are unsure, they are called salesmen after all because they know how to make customers make impulse decisions. They may try and tempt you with things like "If you buy it today I will knock 20% off". Be sure before you buy and make sure you do all the necessary checks, we fully recommend a car walk around. 

Do's

• Check the car fully, inside and out - doing a full car walk around will help you with this.
• Ask to see any documentation about the car - including receipts of maintenance, the dealer may also have a history of the car available for you to view. This is important because it lets you know of any accidents the car might have undergone since being owned.
• Ask what mileage the car has done. It is better to buy a car that is less than 8 years old and that has done less than 60,000 miles (Less miles doesn't always necessarily mean better quality of your car - click here to find out why).
• Ask for a test drive, if they say no, walk away (find out what things to test for, here).
• Check all standards of the car, including gears which should feel smooth when changing gear (if manual), the tread on tyres, brakes, interior quality, how the car sounds (does it sound 'unhealthy'?).

What are the warning signs

What are the warning signs that should make you walk away from buying a car? These are ones that we have picked out, but feel free to add your own in the comments section. If any of the below happens to you then red flags should be going off in your mind! Be safe and walk away! You are not obligated to buy anything.

• Blue smoke coming from the car = this signifies burning oil, it is generally not a good sign and will mean more money involved than probably the car is worth. Its a sure fire way to know that your car engine is on its way out.
• White residue/moisture around the oil cap. The engine is on its way out indefinately.
• Engine leaks - make sure the engine isn't leaking - beware of gravel, if the car is parked on gravel it makes it harder to see any leakages.
• Make sure the car alignment is perpendicular to the road  - This could be an inclination that the car was in an accident that affected the frame of the car  - this would be very costly to repair. 
• Check all seams of the car for leaks, including the car boot, doors and the hood.
• Check for rust, if there are large patches of rust on the car this could be causing a worse problem than initially thought. Get your local garage to check it out for you if needs be, it is better to be safe than sorry, you don't want to be out of pocket for a car that you will have difficulty trying to re-sell!
• Check the wheel alignment and steering alignment (they are both two different things, google it to read more about it).

We hope you have found our advice useful! Good luck in your car search!