10 Things To Ask When Buying a Used Car From Private Seller

Make sure you are prepared when buying a used car from a stranger’s driveway. We’ve found 10 of the best and most essential questions to ask a private seller when looking to buy a used car:

1.       Ask for a description of the vehicle over the phone. Don’t describe the vehicle you are after, wait for them to describe it. In other words, don’t ring up and say “You have a Ford Mondeo for sale, can you describe its condition?” wait for the seller’s response. If the seller asks “which one?” straight away you should be on your guard. What you have here is a con artist who sells multiple vehicles while posing as a private seller. There’s no point rewarding criminal behaviour – our advice? End the call.

2.       Ask the mileage of the car. Normally the average car will rack up about 12,000 miles per year – the distance manufacturers use to determine standard warranty coverage. As a guideline, a seven-year-old model should have between 40,000 -60,000 miles on the odometer. If it has travelled considerably more than this, than this is your ideal opportunity to negotiate with the seller to lower the price for high mileage.

3.       Is the private seller the original owner? It is always a good idea to find out how many people have owned the car previously. If the car has been passed around from owner to owner it could be that the car is troublesome and is expensive to upkeep – bear this in mind. If the car has only had one owner this is your ideal opportunity to quiz the seller on any recent maintenance undertaken, oil-change intervals and any other maintenance habits. One-owner cars fetch a premium for this reason, so expect to pay slightly more. If the car has had a few owners, ask if the car has had previous owner’s history documents, this should allow you to see any maintenance or repairs to the vehicle. This moves us on to our next point.

4.       Ask for all service and maintenance records. Every legitimate seller should have at least some repair receipts. Take note of expensive repairs involving engine or transmission. Beware of the seller who has no records. They may well be selling a vehicle purchased from someone else and they don’t want you to discover its chequered past.  

5.       Ask the seller if it would be okay for you to take the car for a test drive, even if you don’t want to test it (although we strongly recommend that you do). Anybody who can’t surrender the vehicle for a quick drive is probably hiding something (it may not be plated properly). And demand more than just a spin around the block. Drive the vehicle on a motorway as this will give you an inclination of the cars mechanical fitness and speed. Make sure if the seller drives with you that they do not put the radio on – to mask out any unusual noises or sounds. Anything that sounds like a suspension knocking or a whining transmission or something that just does not sound right – quiz the seller on the noise.

6.       Ask if it would be alright for your mechanic to check it over, again, even if you aren’t planning on using a mechanic to check it first (although, again, we recommend that you do!). If the seller has anything to hide about costly repairs or maintenance they will become reluctant to cooperate, they might try and make it awkward for you to book an appointment – perhaps saying they are going on holiday or another excuse. To be fair, don’t spring this one until you are nearly certain that you’ve settled on this particular vehicle. It does take time to arrange a garage visit and the seller may not want to be without the car for a day. The best advice is to make arrangements ahead of time with your mechanic, especially if he or she is available on a weekend.

7.       Don’t be afraid to ask the seller why they are selling the vehicle. If the answer is they’ve ordered a new car, they are obviously trying to get a higher price than the low figure the new-car dealer offered. Do a price comparison of the vehicle you are enquiring about to ensure you are getting the best price possible for the vehicle, there is a website called http://www.priceanycar.com which will help you find cost comparisons. If they’re selling a family member’s car, i.e. “My elderly father can’t drive anymore” check the ownership slip against the history records of the car to verify this first. If they are lying about this what else could they be lying about?

8.       Ask if the vehicle has been involved in any accidents since ownership. Of course the seller here could lie about any damages incurred on the vehicle, however a quick examination for paint overspray will reveal the lie. Inspect window and door seals, wheel wells and mufflers. Typically, the seller will under-report the collision damage. The best advice would be to get a trusted mechanic to check the vehicle over before committing to a purchase.

9.       If there is no way that you are able to see the car in person, i.e. you are buying a car at auction online -  ask for photographs of everything including the interior, exterior and under the bonnet. Be wary of any signs of rust or damage as this could lead to a pricey repair job. Also it would be an idea to pay by escrow just in case the car gets to you in thousands of little pieces, if at all. - We have heard the horror stories.

10 .  And lastly, don’t forget to haggle. The seller will have a price in mind that they are willing to drop down to, especially if they know that the vehicle might need repairs soon or if they know that the mileage is particularly high in comparison to other vehicles of its age. Some people might take a lower offer just to guarantee a quick sale so they might be prepared to reduce the price to ensure a quick sale. 

Used Car Prices In USA Highest In 16 Years

Used car prices in the USA are the highest they have been in the last 16 years according to USA today. Since 2008 alone, prices have gone up close to 30% and dealers are paying well over $10,000 in average for a used vehicle.

So why the sudden price increase? Well there are a number of factors and contributors to the change in pricing. One of the main factors is the recession. According to sources, studies show that people in the USA are keeping their cars for a longer period of time than before the recession hit. There are reports that cars are on the road about a year longer than in 2007. Since people aren’t selling their used vehicles, the used car inventory has gotten much lighter.

Another reason is that people are unwilling to sell their vehicles because they can’t get another car to replace their old one at a reasonable rate or can’t seem to get one at all. The devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan is also a large factor in the used car price surge. Parts and vehicles that were once easy enough to get hold of are now becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, so car dealerships all across the USA are holding on tightly to vehicles that are typically made and imported from Japan, thus the demand has risen for these cars and so naturally the prices also rise.

Johnathan Banks, executive auto analyst for the National Automobile Dealers Association Used Car Pricing Guide says “You’re not going to find a situation like this very often. It does seem a bit odd that you can get a better deal on a new car than a used one. Lease or finance, a new car will, in many cases, cost about the same or less monthly.” But the increase in prices is not going to last much longer according to David Whiston, an auto analyst for Morningstar, he says that prices are at or near a peak. This indicates that it will soon be turning back around.

Manheim auction houses’ chief economist Tom Webb predicts that the price increase will only be around for another couple of months before levelling off. Numbers are also rising for the amount of vehicles being leased. Considering most leases are three year leases, the returns should put a good amount of used cars back on the market around 2014. Leases may have become more popular again due to more lenient terms from auto companies and lenders. With the used car shortage and better lending options, the marketing is certainly in favour of anyone looking to sell a used car and get a new one.

Source: USA Today, http://www.egmcartech.com/2011/05/28/used-car-prices-hit-highest-since-the-last-16-years/

Storing Your Car For A Long Time? Here Are Some Hints and Tips

Are you going to be storing your car any time soon? If so, here are some hints and tips to help keep your car in the best possible shape for when you need to use it again.

1. Wash your car, inside and out. Nothing worse than a musty car smell when you come to use it again! Car air fresheners are a good call!

2. After washing your car and ensuring it is dry, apply wax. This will act as a seal on your car from any dust or dirt. 

3. Avoid corrosion of the engine by removing the spark plugs and spraying oil into each cylinder. It is also recommended that you run the engine for a short burst with the spark plugs removed to prevent combustion.

4. Lay a plastic sheet on the ground to prevent rising damp.

5. Put a cloth or sheet in the exhaust to prevent rodents from nesting. Exhausts are a popular nesting place for little critters. Some even recommend using traps around the vehicle, although if you are a little squeamish this is probably not the best idea, especially if the car is being stored for a long time...

6. Wiper blades can stick to the glass if left for a long time, so put a rag or cloth under them.

7. After a while, the handbrake may bind so leave the car in gear and secure the wheels with a chock.

8. Remove the battery, car alarm, clock, radio/CD player and any other items that may drain the battery over time.

9. Remove any valuable possessions from the vehicle.

10. Investing in seat covers may be a good idea to prevent the car's interior from getting damp and damaged. 

May Photo Competition Winner

Mondeo Spares Ltd are club sponsors of Mondeo ST Owners Club forum and have been helping to choose winners for the photo competition that the forum runs on a monthly basis.

In May, the competition was to send in a photograph of your Mondeo with the theme 'water' in mind. 

Thanks to everyone who entered this month!

We'd like to congratulate Stuart Davy who won this months competition. 

Here is the winning photo:

The picture was taken at Stuart's home in SE London, with the help of his mrs being ordered to chuck buckets of water at the car until he was happy with the picture!

Some specifications about Stuart's Mondeo:

ST220 with Blueflame exhaust system, 

Pipercross induction kit, 

Bluefin Remap, 

approx 250 bhp.

Painted and polished engine bay with Roose Motorsport hoses.

Uprated EBC discs & pads all round.

Refurbed alloys.

Facelift front grills, 

fog light surrounds, 

door handles and rear light lenses. 

As the winner, Stuart receives a t-shirt from Mondeo Spares and gets to choose June's photo competition theme which he has chosen derelict buildings/wasteland or churches. 

If you'd like to enter the photo competition for June, the closing date is 24th June 2011.

To Enter:

June's theme is "derelict buildings/wasteland or churches" so your car must be in the photograph with this in the background.

You must be a registered user on the Mondeo ST OC forum.

Only 2 photographs per member can be submitted.

No photoshopped images allowed (lighting and contrast adjustments are OK)

Obviously must be a picture of a Mondeo ST.

Register at the forum here:

www.mondeostoc.com 

Ford Use Robot To Simulate Human Perceptions

Ford Motor Company have developed a robot machine that combines a computer's eye for detail with human perceptions of quality through touch and feeling. The purpose of using the robot is to minimise costs for Ford as it will help to avoid numerous iterations of testing needed under actual human interaction of interiors. 

Ford's Robot 'RUTH'

The robot has been aptly named 'RUTH', which stands for Robotized Unit for Tactility & Haptics. RUTH utilizes a number of parameters including friction, force, softness, roughness and temperature to measure how the interior of the car would 'feel' to a human. RUTH is able to mimic most complex actions that a driver would perform with interiors of the car, for example - pushing buttons, turning knobs, adjusting air vents and feeling surfaces. Although RUTH has been in action for about 4 years now, the robot is only just being reflected in Ford's production models which include European versions of Ford's Mondeo, Galaxy, S-Max and C-Max.