Looking for the right used car is an event people either love or hate. It can have you hyped up at the mere thought of finding the right car, or it can be a long, drawn-out agony where just nothing seems to measure up.
One thing's for sure though, there's the right and the wrong way to buy a car. Buying a car on a whim can end up costing you a lot of money. It's also easy to wind up with a car that's unsuited to your needs. The smart way is to select a group of potential cars and fully investigate them.
Here's how we at AutoSpeed go about buying a used car that we're almost sure to be happy with...
Criteria
The first step in finding a new car is to determine exactly what sort you're after. Everyone has different priorities when it comes to things like practicality, performance, economy and the like. You have to be honest with yourself about what's really the more important aspects. On top of this, you also need to consider the whole role of your car - will it be suitable for everyday driving or carting around luggage, for example? While it's easy to think performance, performance, performance, most people need their cars to fulfil a whole variety of tasks.
Car theft is quickly becoming a factor that you must also consider. Does the car that you're interested in have a reputation for being stolen, and if so, will you feel comfortable leaving it in suburban carparks or dark city streets? There's nothing worse than returning to a vacant parking space that's covered in glass from your side window...
Search the Classifieds
Bearing in mind what your criteria are, search through the local classifieds and the Trading Post to see what type of cars measure up. Using the Web to do this is quick, easy and comprehensive.
At this stage it's very important to be open-minded, because you don't want to exclude what might be the ideal car simply because, for example, you don't like its country of origin. Also, don't look for the cheapest prices and assume that's how much each car's worth - although it's very tempting to do that at the time! Take the middle ground when it comes to assuming the final price, although a lot will depend on your negotiation skills and how desperate the seller is. Browsing though the classifieds is also a good way of seeing how many people are selling each type of vehicle. If there's a heap of one type of car on the market, this can potentially be a useful bargaining tool further down the track.
A good idea is to write up a quick ranking table, to help you assess the cars that you've got on the preliminary list. You can add as many factors as you like, but such a table might look like this (with scores out of 10, and where higher numbers = better!):
| |
Alfa Romeo Alfa Sud |
Nissan Pulsar ET |
|
Fuel Economy |
6 |
8 |
|
Straight Line Performance |
5 |
7 |
|
Handling/Braking |
9 |
6 |
|
Interior Comfort |
7 |
7 |
|
Cheap Spare Parts and Availability |
4 |
8 |
|
Appearance |
8 |
6 |
|
TOTAL |
33 |
42 |
Remember, these are your scores - you don't have to justify liking the appearance of the Sud more than the ET to anyone! From this method of assessment, you can exclude cars that don't get a high score. But once again, it's important not to fudge the results so you end up with the car that you most like the look of...
Contemporary Road Tests
If you want to learn about the capabilities and features of each car on your new shortlist, take a visit to your nearest major library and search through the automotive magazine archives. Often as many as eight road tests can be found on any one type of vehicle, with tests from the UK, the US, Canada, South Africa and Australia. It's the best way to see how fast the cars are, their fuel consumption, and it also lets you see what buyer market they were pitched at.
One added bonus of going though the contemporary road tests is that you can find out what a car's competitors were when it was released. For example, if you are interested in purchasing a Subaru Liberty (Legacy) RS, the Australian magazine Motor had in 1992 a comparison between the RS, Galant VR-4 and Celica GT4 that reveals these cars to have quite similar dynamics. And if you didn't know about the existence of the Galant VR4 when you bought the RS, you might be wishing you had! Oh, and don't bother about having to read through all the tests in the library while on your best behavior. Just photocopy the tests while you're there, and you can take them home to absorb them as loudly as you want.
Talk to People in the Know...
Dealers/Service Centres
Whether you plan on buying a Ford, Honda or BMW, you can always call or drop in to ask the service manager of a specialist service centre what goes wrong with any given car. Quite often, you'll be told that nothing ever goes wrong, so you'll have dig deeper and get tricky with your wording. Ask for example, "What are some examples of some non-maintenance type work that you've seen done?" This will tell you what you want to know, because he/she might mention they've done a couple of clutch changes, etc.
Car Clubs and the Web
Both the Web and the local telephone directory pages are good avenues to explore when you want to speak to owners who have a genuine interest in the vehicle you're interested in buying. Some of the more detailed websites we've seen (for cars such as the Nissan 300ZX for example) give a comprehensive list of the manufacturer's specifications, extracts from road tests and other literature, and a listing of some of things to watch out for when buying. The forums of these websites are also a good place to look through to see what can go wrong with the car. And it's easy to stick in an email telling them you're an interested buyer and that you want to know what problems to look out for. Local car clubs are also a good source of information on particular makes and models. In Australia, CAMS lists all car clubs, while many clubs also have web site access.
Wreckers
A quick ring around to wreckers that specialise in the type of car you're interested in can yield some interesting information. More often than not, these guys or gals will be happy to tell you what they know about the car's weaknesses, and correspondingly how much these replacement parts sell for. Used parts prices can vary hugely, depending on the local market. For example, in Australia, the price for a used gearbox for a Porsche 928 might nearly be enough on its own to put you off these cars. Especially if you're already stretching your finances.
Insurance
Once you've got the list of potential cars narrowed down to a handful, it's a good idea to check out insurance premiums. If you're aged under 25 years, you might be very surprised when you get a comprehensive insurance quote on a turbocharged car, for example! This often-overlooked cost can be the killer if you're already stretching your budget to the limit, so it makes sense to shop around for the best value. In AutoSpeed's experience, you can ring the same company for a premium quote on consecutive days and get figures that vary by around 30%! Be forewarned - it is not uncommon for annual premiums to cost nearly on-third the price of the vehicle. And sometimes more...
At the end of the day though, the big question is "can you afford to lose the car and the financial package that it represents?" Cars can be "lost" either through fire, theft or accident damage.
It may turn out that you can get just fire and theft coverage at a fraction of the cost of full comprehensive, so this can be a good middle ground when it comes to insurance expenditure. It really depends on you budget and how badly you want to protect your investment. And in case you didn't already know, third party property insurance is a must-have, no matter what.
Initial Inspection
When you've got all the research and phone calls behind you, you can go along to inspect a vehicle with confidence. You know what to look for, and you know what the car's really worth.
It's always a good idea to take along a quick checklist to follow when you're going over the car. It doesn't need to be over-the-top in detail, it just needs to help you remember some key points. And remember, try not to let the seller see you giving it a tick in every box! Go to the end of the article for a simple checklist that applies to the majority of cars.
Independent Mechanical Inspection
To buy with confidence, it is very important to get a used car checked out by an independent qualified mechanic. If the car is a little different to the run of the mill, this should be carried out by a workshop specialising in that make. A thorough inspection might cost anywhere up to around A$100 for an average car, but it's sure worth it in the long run. Another bonus is that if something does need attention, this gives you a good bargaining tool to knock some money off the asking price.
A good inspection will include such things as an engine compression test, thorough under-car once over, the operation of all lights and accessories, and possibly an engine diagnostic check.
Service Records
Further to a thorough inspection, it can be possible to access the car's service records if it's been well maintained at a high-grade service centre. One-owner vehicles usually fall into this category, with the owner following the recommended service schedule that comes with a new car. This is a good way to see if the car has had any on-going problems or has suddenly struck an expensive one - which might be why the owner is selling.
Vehicle Security
Once you've checked out a vehicle that's in A1 condition and you're seriously interested in it, it's cheap peace-of-mind to get a report from the Vehicles Security Register (or equivalent authority in your jurisdiction). This costs only around ten dollars, but that small piece of paper you receive will ensure that the vehicle isn't stolen or still belonging to someone else. Remember, if this is the case, you can stand to lose a lot of money when the legal system takes the car away from you...
Now it's time to buy, buy, buy!
Bye bye.
AutoSpeed's Used Car Checklist
CAR:
Seller's Name:
Seller's contact details:
Price:
Kilometres:
General Condition:
ENGINE
| Engine noises |
|
| Oil/fuel/water leaks |
|
| Exhaust smoke |
|
| Oil breathing out of oil filler cap |
|
| Running smoothness |
|
| General comments | |
DRIVETRAIN
| Clutch slippage |
|
| Bearing/gear noise |
|
| Gearbox leaks |
|
| Auto transmission slippage |
|
| General comments |
|
BRAKES & SUSPENSION
| Brake feel |
|
| Brake noise |
|
| Suspension feel |
|
| Leaking shocks |
|
| Condition of rubbers & bushes |
|
| General comments |
|
BODY
| Rust |
|
| Paint condition |
|
| Panel fit |
|
| Dents |
|
| General comments |
|
INTERIOR
| Condition of fabrics |
|
| Sound system |
|
| Everything works |
|
| General comments |
|
GENERAL
| Service records |
|
| Tyres - wear and type |
|
| Reason for sale |
|
| Completeness - spare wheel, toolkit, etc |
|
| Condition of underside - exhaust dents, etc |
|
| Accessories eg towbar |
|
