Buying a used car is for many the only chance to move into the category of active motorists. But the secondary market presents many surprises, often unpleasant ones, which are revealed after the conclusion of the transaction. Therefore, you need to know how to choose a used car correctly, not to waste money.
What is important for the buyer to know
The predominant number of cars in the secondary market is trash with varying degrees of destruction. The owner will not sell a good car. There are exceptions when the owner goes to improve or has enough money to change vehicles frequently.
Before you choose a used car, you need to take off your “rose-colored glasses”, get ready for a long search. All sellers should be treated as potential scammers. Even friends and good acquaintances can slip a "pig", hiding serious shortcomings. You can't trust anyone just by word of mouth. You have to check every detail. Do not rush to the first proposed option.
Car check: basic nuances
Experts know exactly how to choose a used car. But their services are paid. A comprehensive check can cost a pretty penny, which is not beneficial for budget buyers. Therefore, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the secrets of selection and verification.
The first task of the future owner is to detect defects in appearance, and the current one is to hide them. Practice shows that finding a car that has never been beaten is almost impossible. Minor dents and even frontal impacts, resulting in deformation of the radiator, are not terrible. In this case, you can safely ask for a discount. It’s worth it to turn out of the purchase if the body geometry is broken. This is fraught with a decrease in the level of security.
Before choosing a used car, you need to pay attention to the mileage it has traveled. Very often, owners wind up indicators that it is impossible to detect. There are indirect signs pointing to deception. This is the condition of the upholstery, seats, steering wheel. If they are in a critical situation, and the mileage is indicated no more than 50, then the owner is not honest. You can check it with special technical means. The wound kilometers are recorded not only on the dashboard, but also in other systems - in the engine and gearbox control units. This will require access to telemetry records.
Internal serious damage is also carefully hidden. For those who are unfamiliar with the structural features of the car, technical nuances, it is almost impossible to identify them. To check the performance, you need to involve a professional. This step is advisable to perform if the visual characteristics meet individual requirements. Malfunctions are easy to suspect if:
- the car does not start the first time;
- the dashboard fixes violations;
- suspicious sounds are observed;
- while driving, something knocks, creaks, etc.
It is important to understand that agreeing to buy a car with serious defects only because of its low cost, you can be left in huge disadvantages. Repair and restoration will require huge additional investments.
Legal clarity: what you need to know
It is not difficult to learn how to choose the right used car for visual and technical characteristics. But this is not enough. There is another important nuance - legal purity. Fraudsters are constantly operating in the secondary market. Using cunning schemes, they manage to sell cars that are listed as stolen, belonging to third parties, under arrest.
Before buying, it is necessary to check the vehicle against special bases. The cost of such a service can be several hundred rubles. But these costs are small compared to the amount that there is a risk of losing after removing the car. To obtain detailed information on a specific car, you will need a VIN code and a state registration number. The results of the check are generated in a few minutes, include information about:
- recorded accidents;
- mileage established during the technical inspection;
- unpaid fines;
- judicial arrests;
- open credit agreements;
- duplicates of TCP;
- the presence of several owners;
- change of owners;
- facts of theft.
By checking the legal purity before choosing a used car, the buyer saves himself from problems in the future. He will not risk losing money and the purchased car.
How to choose your first car
As a rule, the first machine plays the role of a simulator. It is bought to practice driving skills, gain experience, confidence. In this regard, it is advisable to give preference to an inexpensive model. But it is desirable that the car was not older than five years. In this case, it will be possible to avoid frequent breakdowns, costly repairs.
It is important to know how to choose the first car for someone who has only recently issued a license. In this case, the emphasis should be placed on the level of security. A good solution would be a car with 4-6 airbags, electronic parking assistants, etc. If the new owner plans to sell this car soon, then you need to pay attention to its liquidity. Not the best choice would be discontinued options that have a large number of negative reviews from experienced motorists. It is important to take into account the purpose and operating conditions: for city driving and for fishing trips, you will need completely different cars.