Coming home with a brand new car from the dealership can be amazing. Your new car will be up to date with all of the latest automobile technology since it is a current model and since it’s brand new, there won’t be a thing wrong with it. However. If you don’t have the budget for a brand new car yet, you can always settle for a used one. There’s really no shame in owning a used car. In fact, if you can pick out a used car that’s in great condition, you get more bragging rights than someone with a brand new car.
Finding a used car that’s as good as new can be quite the challenge, but only if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Some European cars such as BMWs can have way too many features to check and it’s because of this that they aren’t the best choice when buying used. You’ll have better luck with vehicles from Japanese manufacturers in this regard. However, this is just our two cents on the matter. Here’s what you should look out for while buying a used car.
Bodily Damage
This should be the easiest thing to inspect with a car but you’ll be surprised at how good these used car dealerships are at hiding damage. You can hire a mechanic from an auto body shop to check out a vehicle you’re interested in with you to see if it’s ever been totaled. These kinds of cars have permanent alignment issues.
Mechanical Failures
Unless you’re very good with cars, you won’t be able to spot mechanical flaws in the drive train with a single test drive. For good measure, have a car mechanic from an auto body shop come with you to give you a full report on the car’s mechanical health.