There are many used car problems that you will see when you know how to look for them. If you want to buy a second hand car, it is better to be equipped with a checklist on what you will check when the visit to the owner of the car is made. Here are some or the important things you have to consider when buying used cars.
Blow by engine
The reason why most car owners want to sell their car is because the engine is already in blow by condition. It costs a lot of money to have the car top overhauled nowadays. IN most cases, a full overhaul is also needed to make sure that all the pistons and cylinder head gaskets are working properly. As a buyer, you should avoid buying a car with blow by problems or if you must, make sure the price for the full engine overhaul as well as the time it would take to finish are factored in the price.
Cheap paint wash-over
There are also used car dealers that give the car a paint wash-over to make it look pristine. Most of the time it is a rush job that they finish in just one or two days. To make sure that you are not buying a used car with poor paint job, check out the corners or edges and from there you will see if it was given a wash-over. The color is normally different between the under hood color so it can also be the basis for you to know that the car had a paint job.
It is important that you know the used car had a paint job because it could mean that the car had an accident and had to be repainted. Paint bubbles may not e apparent especially when the paint is new but a closer look at the hood can give you an idea. If there are like needle-point dots on the paint, expect it to bubble in a few months time.
Under chassis defects
Not all buyers really look at the underchassis of the car. It is important to see how the underchassis looks like and to know if there are oil leaks from both the engine and the transmission. As for the body defects, look at the portion nearest the tires as it is the spot where rust easily accumulates and destroys the metal. Check also the shock absorber if there are oil leaks. The tail pipe must not have holes in it. Some sellers deliberately make a small hole in the middle of the exhaust pipe to minimize the flow of smoke in the tail pipe.
Interior damage
The interior of the used car is the most used portion of the car so check if the seats are working properly including the seat belts. After several years of use, the seat belt becomes worn out and no longer functions as it should be. If the seats are no longer adjustable or you are having difficulty adjusting it, it could mean that the car had a crash accident before so take this into consideration. It is also in the interior that you will see the instrument panel and from there determine whether they all function accordingly.
Other under the hood defects
Under the hood is the most visited portion of a car when it is being sold. While it is also important that you should know what to look for and the signs that can tell you if the car is in good running condition or not, you have to anticipate that the seller has already made adjustments or improvements to the car like giving it a car wash and a tune up among other.
To make sure that the engine and everything under the hood are working properly, give it a test drive. Bring the car to the highway and there give it a test drive for 10 to 30 minutes. Engine blow by defects in particular will start to show when the speed reaches 60 to 70mph (100kph). Other defects that may show is overheating especially if the air-con is turned on while test driving as well as swerving when braking. When buying second hand, anticipate that it has used car problems and deduct all the defects you see from the price that you have in mind.
