Top 5 tips to follow before purchasing a used car

1)    Don’t rush, take the time to research the vehicle you are considering purchasing

1- Research - The first thing you want to do is research the vehicle you are planning to purchase.

2 - Go online - Search for the vehicle you are interested in, this will lead you to pages where people discuss the problems they are having with the vehicle.

3 - Avoid Vehicles with issues -Some vehicles have certain issues and if they are serious enough you will want to avoid purchasing that vehicle. No one wants to buy a car and then have to spend thousands of dollars fixing it.    

4 -Search for Recalls - You can also search for recalls and always make sure those recalls have been completed before you purchase the vehicle.

5 - Search for quality vehicles – the 2007-2009 Toyota Yaris is a great car to consider it is cheap to operate and maintain plus very reliable. Plus it comes in a 2 and 4 door hatch back and as a sedan.   

2)  Make sure the vehicle suits your needs

1 - If you plan to travel – If you take a lot of trips either over a weekend or for just a day you will want to purchase a very reliable car, many used Toyota’s or even Honda’s are a great choice but just to be safe everyone should have some type of road side assistance service.

2 - If you have a lot of friends – You will want to avoid purchasing a 2 door car and focus your search on a 4 door vehicle which many times are cheaper to insure than a 2 door car.

3 - Is it capable of handling the winter season – If you live in an area that receives a lot of snow during the winter months you will want to avoid rear wheel drive car as they can be quite a challenge to drive on snow covered road, focus your search on front wheel drive cars only, and a good set of snow tires would be great to have, if you can find someone selling a car with a set of winter tire that would be best.

4 - Does it suit your future needs? – You have to make sure if you plan to own the car for a long period of time that if you get married or have children that it would still suit your needs.

3)  RED Flags - advertisements and the things to look out for.

1 - No price, No Mileage - If an ad doesn’t include the price or the mileage of the vehicle don’t even bother, when the price is not listed treat it as a red flag this usually means the vehicle is overpriced.

If the Mileage is also not listed it simply means that the vehicle has high mileage it’s just better to avoid these vehicles all together.

2 - As is – Unless you have a lot of money saved up or are good friends with a mechanic you will want to avoid any car listed as is, this means there may be many issues with that vehicle so you may just want to avoid them all together.

3 - Former daily renters – This is not necessarily a bad thing but you need to remember you never know how these car were treated, now some people have no problems with former rental car, but I have heard of a few horror stories so if you want to be safe you may avoid them or only purchase former daily renters from trusted dealership.

4 - What to look for while on a test drive – walk around the entire vehicle, first you want to look for rust and that’s everywhere on the vehicle, get on your hands and knees if necessary, if you see any signs of rust walk away. While driving the vehicle if the transmission doesn’t shift smoothly again walk away. At one point in the test drive stop a check this oil, bring paper towel with you in your pocket or purse, there has been many times when I have done this and the vehicle has been running with no oil. This is a sign that it hasn’t been well maintained and that would be a car to avoid. And no matter how much you love the car even if it is perfect have it inspected.   

4)  The benefits of a “Car Proof” or “CARFAX” report

1 - Car proof/Carfax report provides you with a brief history of the vehicle you are planning to purchase, insurance claims or any vehicle accident that were reported to the police will be found within this report, along with other useful information which can help you avoid making a bad purchase.

2 - Buying a “Car Proof” or “Carfax” report on your own – if the car you are interested doesn’t come with a Car Proof report you can purchase one online all you need is the vin number of the vehicle and it can cost you anywhere from $30 to $50.  

3 - The Vehicle Information Package (Ontario, Canada) – This package is to be provided to you by the seller, it is only required during private sales, it provides you with vital vehicle information such as outstanding debts such as liens, the proper odometer reading and Ontario vehicle registration history. It costs the seller $20 to purchase and you should review it before purchasing the vehicle.

5)  Know what it costs to insure

Know what it costs to insure – Before you purchase any vehicle no matter how much you may love it always find out how much it will cost you to insure it before buying it. You will be surprised at how much it can cost to insure some vehicles. So before you buy it is always best to find out. Because once you sign the papers and the financing is approved the vehicle is yours.

More Tips

A easy way to get free information on a used car – write down the vin number of the vehicle you are looking at, call the local brands dealership, speak with the service department tell them you have this car an you wanted to see if there are any recalls on the vehicle that need to be completed. Ask them if it shows it was a former daily renter, some dealership will actually give you a few details on the car, especially if they have serviced that vehicle before.