This page is about car shopping, car care and car business.
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How to look at a used car. |
1. Look around the car. First, see if it is repaint. Repaint is not good since the car could be involved in accident then was repainted. If the car is original paint, then watch if the color of all parts are exactly match. Sometimes the car was involved in accident, then some parts were changed to a new one. In this case, it is difficult to find the part with exactly color match. This is why some cars get a new paint. Sometimes you even can find that some parts are older than others. All of this indicate that the car was in an accident.
2. Look at inside. The most important thing is that the car is well maintained and in a good condition. Some people don't treat their car good. A good car should have a very clean inside. There is no holes in the seats. Check if all the buttons works well.
3. Look at the back trunk. Open the back trunk, then you can see if the back panel was damaged. Look at the cloth of back trunk. A well maintained car should have a clean cloth and spear tire in back trunk. If the cloth is very dirty or you can take off the cloth, the car was hit on back for the probability of 80%.
4. Look at the front trunk. Open the front trunk. Watch if the color of outside and inside are exaclty match. See if there is some damage of the parts in the trunk. See if the front trunk is clean. Check all kind of oil and fluid. Low level indicate leaking.
5. Start the engine. Pay attention to the sound when the car start. Good engine sounds not heavy. Push the gas, listen the sounds. Good engine should be very smooth and stable. Watch if the muffler smoking. Close all trunks. Get in the car. Check if the A/C is cold. Is there some special noise when you turn on the A/C? If something is power, check all of them. Don't forget the radio.
6. Drive the car. If possible, drive the car on highway. Listen the sounds of wind and the engine. Listen if there is some uncommon sounds. Do you feel the car very comfortable, smooth, stable? Make a sharp turn. Listen if there is some problem with the C/V joint. Take your hands off the stering on a flat road. Is the call pulling to one side? Push the brake to see if the car is pulling one side when you push the brake.
How many owners before you drove this car? Do you have all of the service record? Has the car been involved in accidend? Is there something wrong with the car right now? Is the milage read on the oddmeter real? Does the title have a clean history? Sometitle is rebuilt. This means the car had been damaged before. And something of the car is rebuilt. If you buy a car from the owner, ask him how long he/she drove the car and why he/she want to sell it. If you buy from dealer, ask if there will be some charges such as dealership. They will charge you additional money.
2. Read the newspaper
Read the price they asking for the cars you want. Then minus $ 500 from the lowest price in the newspaper. This is the price you will offer. This is not the real value of the car. But this price will be a good deal for you to get the car.
Usually the new car will have no problem on performance. What you need to do is discussing the price.
1. Ask some of your friends that how much would a new car you are looking for cost. If they bought a car recently, ask how much they bought it.
2. The day you discussing the price with a salesman, the first price you give must be $ 2000 lower than the price you want to pay. The salesman can not take your first offer. You have to go up a little bit to get the car. Then try $ 1000 more. If you can not get the car, the best things you can do is leave. Sometimes you will get it by leaving. If you didn't get it by doing so, don't be dissappointed. Then go to the second dealer. Using the same process but don't leave so early this time. If you can not get the car, then go up another $ 500. Then if you can not get it, you can leave. If you can not get the car by twice, then go the third dealer. Then go up until the price your friends paid. You will get the car. Now that your friends can get it by the price, why can't you?
3. If you buy the car by financing. Always pay attention to the APR. Different APR means different price.
Start to look for the car two month before you really need the car. The most important thing to buy a used car is to buy a car in good condition. The second important thing is to save money. If you want to buy a car in one week, you highly risk your money. I can buy a car in 2 minutes but I don't think you can do like that. You will get reward by your patient.
1. Never bid at first time.
The first time you are at auction, you still don't have any experence. You don't know what is a good deal. Maybe it is a good deal outside, but it is not a good deal at the auction. Some items are announced for some defects. You have to listen carefully. If you fail to do so, you bid at the item with the idea that it have no defects. You will lost your money by doing so. The best thing you can do at the first time is watch. Watch what is the auction price for the car.
2. Always go there early.
Some auction allow you drive the car at the parking lot. Go there early. Then you can drive the cars. Write down the information of the car and the price you want to bid. Never bid higher than the price you wrote.
3. Wait for your chance.
The chance will come when no people notice a car. If only one or two people want to bid at the car, the price of the car won't get higher. This is your chance to save money.