If you plan to buy a car at a used car lot, a car auction, or through an individual, it is unlikely that you will get completely honest answers to all your questions. So, what can you do? Well, certainly, don’t despair!! The following weapons help you a lot when buying a used car against the automobile industry.
- Get A Paint Meter
With one of these paint meters, you can detect paintwork or factory original tape. It will also show bondo-body puddy or replaced metal. And very few car salesmen will even know what you have!! At the very least, the salesman’s eyes will bug out when you ask him why the car you are interested in was painted. Was it because of an accident or just repainted to make it look good.Why do I suggest that you get a paint meter? Because repainting a car is a very prolific practice in the auto business.
- Determine The Warranty Time
You have to determine the correct warranty time and can do this by checking the drive side door and seeing when the car was manufactured.
- Open the Oil Cap
This is good for everyone, but especially for those of you buying an older car. Open the oil cap and look at the cap carefully. If there is sludge (thick black goop) on the back of the oil cap, it means the oil never got changed—or not often enough!! Do NOT buy the car!!
- Ask For a Cold Start
When coming to look at any car, request to be able to start the car cold. This means that the engine has been at rest for a minimum of 12 hours, but preferably 24 hours.Why? When starting cold, a lot of problems with the motor can be seen and heard. If you hear any sounds that are not “normal, like loud clanking or scraping noises, that go away when the car gets warmed up, do NOT buy it without a thorough check by YOUR mechanic.