How to choose a second-hand car that won’t let you down
Chances are that if you’re buying a used car rather than a new car, budgets might be a little tighter than the average and there will be little money going spare to fix the car you buy, should it go wrong all too quickly after you buy it. There are many things to think of when buying a used car and here’s our guide of what to look for.
Buying your next used car for cash can stretch the smaller budget to breaking point, so why not look into getting HP on a used car to get you motoring? This way, if the worst should happen and your new car breaks down expensively, you will have some budget left over to fix it. However, if a cash purchase is your plan, then here are some guidelines of what to keep an eye out for when buying a used car.
Mileage is obviously the key to the price and condition of your new used car, so check the MOT certificates to see if the indicated mileage looks genuine. If you do feel suspicious, it’s worth checking the mileage further with a company like HPI. This does cost around £25, but can bring a car’s dubious history to your attention and save you thousands in the long run.
The higher the car’s real mileage, the more servicing it will likely need in your ownership. Saying that, high-miles cars can also be worth looking at if the condition is good and they have been regularly looked after and serviced by the current owner. Some cars – generally from the German manufacturers – also last a very long time due to high build quality standards, so while a German car may be more expensive to buy initially, it may cost less to service and maintain over the years of your ownership.
Another way to verify a potential new car’s history and condition is to speak to the previous owners. You can find their names listed on the vehicle logbook, or V5, so a couple of quick phone calls to the previous owners could be a good idea if you’re not entirely sure that the car is everything the seller is trying to convince you that it is.
The previous owners can tell you how often they serviced the car, and if they can remember, at what mileage intervals. Also, if they are feeling honest and helpful, you might even fid out if the car has been in an accident – something that an HPI check can also do for you – and if the car has been crashed heavily it might be wise to walk away from it. A light accident is understandable, but an HPI check will also reveal if the car has been written off by the insurance companies that covered it previously – either because it was too expensive to repair, or because the car was too damaged to be safely repaired and put back on the roads.
These basic checks on any potential new car’s paperwork could save you a great deal of money in the long run, and most of these checks are very quick, cheap and easy to do, and must be done, if you have just fallen in love with the car!
