Auto

Buying a Used Car? Do These Checks Before

People prefer buying used cars rather than purchasing a brand new one now more than ever for multiple valid reasons actually, some are related to the fact that buying a used car is echo-friendly, (because you will be reducing carbon footprint), and some because it is budget-friendly, and many other reasons.

However, don’t get so excited when you finally find the car that you’ve been looking for, and always wanted, because some work has to be done here before, and that’s to ensure you are not buying junk.

Purchasing a used car can save you a fortune, but still, you can not deny that there are some risks and imperfections that will come to you later, so to cut down sudden surprises as possible as you can, you should watch out for some red flags in the car.

Today we are going to spot the light on how you can do some necessary checks on this second-hand car so you can buy it rest assured!

First of all, don’t you ever buy a car at night, especially that this one is a used car because you will be missing many flaws in the night light –unless you have what it takes to sell any car in Dubai, so you don’t care about taking such risks, otherwise, make sure you make the deal in the morning and do check: exterior, under the hood, interior, and do a test drive.

Exterior

Body Panels/Edges: Make a quick visual check on the panels, compare all of them, are they misaligned? Make sure they all match and look the same and that they are in a good condition. Do the doors close properly or not? Check them too. Do the edges have any wavy dents or are they all good and happy?

Coating/Painting: You really want to examine the paint very carefully to spot any scratches that might indicate potential collision damage & the car has been in an accident, or that it was not carefully taken care of. It has to be all one color.

Tires, wheels, and brakes: These are very important because they’re going to cost you an arm and a leg if you discover that there is something wrong with them after making the deal.

So, turn the tires all the way out so you can see them clearly, then run your hands over them to make sure they are smooth, aligned well, and no place is worn more than the rest.

Under The Hood

Transmission Fluid: Turn on the car, then check it, it has to have a nice red color, not dark or back. Smell it too to make sure it is not burned, also it has to be at the right level.

Engine Oil: Check its level, it shouldn’t be low nor smells bad. Also, it has to have the right color, not too dark, or dirty.

Brakes Fluid: See how much fluid is left in the reservoir, if it’s full then it’s a sign that your brakes are good and happy, if the fluid is low, it means that the brakes are worn and you have to replace them.

Belts: Are they in a good condition? Give them a quick twist, they shouldn’t be loose.

Antifreeze: It has to be green or pink.

Coolant: Did the owner put water instead of the coolant? Is there any rust there that indicates that the owner really filled it with water? The coolant must be clean and clear.

Interior

Weird Smells or Sounds: Turn off the radio, fans, and anything that produces a sound, including the car owner, because they sometimes tend to sit next to you and start talking and chatting when you are checking the car from inside, so you can not hear any weird sounds. Ask them politely to stay quiet, and listen carefully for any knocks, ticks, squawks, or squeaks.

Windows: Can they go up and down easily? Any obvious scratches?

Steering Wheel: It must not be too worn, because it’s a sign that the car was driven hard.

Spare Wheel: Open the trunk and take off the carpet to check if there is a spare wheel in there.

Test Drive

Make sure to drive alone so you can hear if any unwanted noises are coming out of the car. Try all gears, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, to test the car’s performance at all speeds.

Use an application, there are tons of applications out there that are connected to the car by an adapter that can check many things in the car, like lights, engine intake temperature, battery, and more.

The last thing you can do before making up your mind is to call a part store and ask them if there were many parts ordered for this specific car, so you can know what could be wrong with it… A bad transmission, brakes, wheels, etc.

Finally, give it an online check to test the value of your car, it’s free and does not take much time. If everything is good, and the price is right, buy it.