~Tips to buy secondhand car...

Everything could be so easy: The used car auto dealer has your dream car ready, the price and conditions are correct also. But caution: The history of an auto second hand is an important factor during the purchase decision. Therefore the buyer itself should get to know more about the previous car owner and for which purposes the cars was used. Either it was the second car in the family, or the first car for the owner, was the car used for business, mostly driven around the city, or on highways? With the purchase of a used car a multiplicity of things have to be considered, to avoid bad surprises later. Better make a cheap car search first, many people sell a car online now, so you have a better overwiew for second hand cars and can locate cars more easily. Also check the internet for car reviews and ratings, you can find useful help in the car forum with many useful car comments too. Good advice, make yourself a buying car checklist or print Vehicle checklist for your next pre purchase inspection, note everything important and take some pictures of the used car. TEST DRIVE A CAR TO GET A GENERAL IMPRESSION The test run of a second hand car is essential with an inspection. Before starting the car, check the car engine, it has to be cold and not warmed up already, to cover up eventually problems of the engine. One should make sure that all switches and buttons work, when the engine is started. Look out for lighting up warning lamps in the instrument panel. So far, if everything is problem-free, one must make certain that the car radio is switched off and all windows are closed, to avoid all unnecessary sources of noise, now check about unusual noises. Next take your attention to the brakes and check the 2nd hand cars for there condition. Do they work properly, are there strange noises, when stepping the brakes, or is the brake pedal play too large. Likewise the gear change should function perfectly and without resistance, and the steering should not have to much play. Further the behavior of the car at higher speed must be tested, a trip on the highway belongs to a car test run. Since some used cars reveal their weaknesses only here, in which they begin to swim, because the chassis and the absorbers are in need of an exchange or econditioning. ODOMETERS The odometer reading of a used car is often crucial for the purchase, for or against the used car. Therefore the mileage of a car is maybe manipulated, by digital mileage correction in some cases, or odometer roll back of the analog one, in order to increase the value. Unfortunately these manipulations are not visible at first. In order to recognize a manipulation, there are three possible reference points: with large manipulations of the mileage, the conditions apply as wear marks at the steering wheel, shift levers, the pedals and upholstery. Check the dates and mileage on the stickers for oil and cooling water change, maybe you should check with the responsible service center or previous owners of the private vehicle. TRANSMISSION Automatic vs manual, both has it´s vantages, do you like relax driving, or you may prefer the sporty style? In order to examine an automatic transmission from a used car, check it with the transmission oil dipstick and see how the oil looks like, it should be transparent and clear. If it is dirty and black, metal chips from the transmission are solved. If the oil has a burnt smell additionally, then an gearbox trouble is to be expected soon. To test the automatic transmisson while driving, do the following: when starting the car, the gear shift has to be on “P” position. After starting the engine, wait till the engine speed settled down at approx. 650-850 revolutions, go to “D” for drive now and step on the brake, next choose “R” for reverse, still step on the brake. Within one second the car should make a gentle jerk backwards. Now change to “N” for neutral, still with your foot on the brake and go to “D”, the car should make a gentle jerk forward within one second too. Do the same procedure with “1”, “2” and if necessary “3”. If these changes are too jerky, you notice strange noises, or it needs more than 3 seconds for the change to be done, then it points to a massive wearout, or the damage of the clutch. While doing a test drive up to 60 km/h, two smooth shifting processes had to take place, from “1” to “2” and “2” to “3”. With younger used cars this is more difficult to sense. Other problems can show up also, either with a cold engine, or warm engine you might have problems to change the gears, this can point to an expensive repair. Try the “kick-down”, drive with approximately 40-50 km/h, than push the accelerator strongly, a switching operation towards a lower shifting course should take place automatically. If you notice this to happen very jerky, or it happens nothing at, than the used car is not a good choice. With the purchase of a handswitched used car, there are two ways to check the transmission. First check for oil stains on the transmission, the transmission has to be dry. The Motor should run without any background noises. Examine the clutch of the used car as follows: with the engine running, stepp on the brake, go to 2. gear and let go of the clutch pedal. The car should make a jerk forward and the engine should stop. In case the engine should not stop working, the clutch is worn out to much. A similar test can be done to examine the function of the cluch: drive with a speed of approx. 30 km/h than switch into the 3. course and depress the accelerotor pedal, if you notice that only the engine speed rises, but not the speed of the car itself, it shows that the clutch is worn out and is in need of repair. While driving the car, all courses should be used easily and without further noises. PROOF OF RUSTING CAR PAINT AND LATERAL LINE LOOK “The first impression is the most important” - this saying is used very often, with a used car, it can be however a fatal mistake. A car analysis of the body is very important. Because many people only look at the appearance of used car when buying it, there are many tricks to avoid. Sometimes the car body is bumped out provisional and to remove rust from the body, it is sanded away and simply overpainted.


(credit to mysat)