Are you already tired of riding the subway and freezing inwaiting for public transport? Don't have enough money to buy a new car? Have you just recently graduated from driving school and don't have much driving experience? No problem. The most ideal option for you in this case is to buy a used car. How to choose a used car and not make a mistake?
What to do when choosing?
Price, model, specifications,age, mileage. Where to buy - online, from hands or through intermediaries? All these questions simply fall upon you and do not give you peace when you decide to buy a used car. Some, of course, turn to specialists, the so-called car brokers. They help to buy a high-quality and reliable "iron horse", reduce the risk of fraud, but their services are not cheap. So think about it and if you decide that you are not ready to give away extra, then there is an option to buy a used car yourself. In order to make the right choice, you need to know several nuances and take them into account when buying:
- The cost.
- Reliability and reputation of auto.
- Estimated costs of operation in the future.
- Availability of spare parts if necessary, as well as service centers when buying foreign cars.
- Stability of prices for the selected model.
Armed with knowledge of these five principles, you can confidently begin to choose. And the main thing here is not to rush. Be patient and self-controlled, and cold calculation will not allow you to make a mistake.
Decide on the purpose of the car
So, a used car.How to choose it so as not to be disappointed later? Choose based on its purpose. If you want to buy a car to improve your driving skills and are going to use it alone, then it is better not to look at luxury foreign cars. Why do you need them? In this case, the best option would be a domestic "Zhiguli". And in a year or two, having honed your skills and learned all the subtleties that an experienced car lady should know, you can change your old car for a newer foreign car with a calm soul. If you think that you know enough and you have nothing left to learn, then you need to look for a car not for one year, but at least for five years. And of course, it is better to take a foreign-made car, even if you pay more, but it will be more pleasant to drive such a car, and you will not need to drive it to the service every week.
Where can I buy?
How to choose and buy a used cara car and most importantly, where to buy it? Of course, the most ideal option is from friends, relatives, colleagues or acquaintances. Then it is easier with documents, and with payment, and with trust. But, let's say that you have already called all your acquaintances, and no one is going to become a pedestrian in the near future. Then you have four options:
- Order. You can order a foreign car from the drivers, that is, those who surpass them from abroad, then you can choose a model, color, configuration. In this case, as a rule, you need to prepay and you will need to wait a bit. But distillation minimizes getting a car with a secret history.
- The car market. Here, at least, it is necessary to come with friends who are well versed in cars, since all cars look very decent at first glance, but do not be lazy to look under the hood and carry out diagnostics at the seller's expense. On such a diagnosis all the car's past should come up, whether it was in an accident, whether there were hidden defects, whether it was floating in a quiet backwater and so on. But be wary of cars that are on the territory of the Russian Federation in transit, this may not be indicated in the documents.
- Motor shows specializing in salesused cars. There is often a service "to exchange an old car for a new one with a surcharge." A huge plus, we can say the advantage of the car dealership over other places, is a car check for hijacking, its full diagnostics, as well as an act of forensic inspection.
- Internet, newspapers, magazines. Of course, the Internet, where without it? Here the search for a used car takes time and patience, numerous calls to potential sellers and trips to the location of the car. Therefore, it would not be superfluous to identify for yourself the questions that you want to ask the seller. For example, what is the owner of the account is the seller, because he can just turn out to be a reseller, who wants to make a profit, and completely disinterested in the good technical condition of the car. Pay attention to the ad text itself and if you feel that what is described there just can not be true (for example, the Ford Focus accelerates in a second to 200 km per hour), then do not even waste time.
Technical diagnostics
If from all the above places you have chosennamely the auto market, you will face the question of how to choose a used car based on its technical characteristics and technical condition. After all, not every seller will tell the truth about his product. The main thing for him is to sell, and what happens next is not important. As already mentioned above, the best option is a paid diagnostics of the car. But if for some reason it is not possible to do it, get ready to inspect the "iron horse" yourself. And even if you do not understand at all about all these engines, bumpers and fenders, the advice given below will help you minimize a low-quality purchase. First, pay attention to such little things as inspection of serial numbers, comparing them with the data in the technical passport. Study if there are any strange scratches or deformations. Secondly, the body. If there are gaps between the parts, then there is a chance that the car has been in an accident. You can check for defects as follows. Move away from the car about two meters and sit down, facing it. Your eyes should be at the level of the car's headlights. In this position, carefully inspect the side for unevenness on the doors and fenders. Do the same with the roof - run your eyes over it so that your eyes are at the level of the roof. This way, you will definitely notice unevenness and waviness. If they are present, the car has definitely been in an accident, and they simply tried to hide the defects. Third - this is metal. As you know, any metal is subject to corrosion, which can be hidden with paint, so take a magnet and a clean sheet of paper with you. You can check the place that bothers you by putting paper to it and a magnet on top, if it holds, there is no corrosion, and if not, then the body is rotten. By the way, when going to inspect the car, do not forget to take a rag for your hands with you, because today your hands will have to get dirty more than once. And finally, the engine should run smoothly regardless of any weather conditions. You can get some information about the condition of the engine without special diagnostics. Just run your finger along the inner perimeter of the muffler, yes, you will get your hand dirty, but this dirt can tell a lot. If the soot on your finger is dry and not too dark - more of an ash shade, then the engine in this car has not worn out yet and will serve the new owner for many years. If the coating is a greasy resinous mass both in appearance and to the touch - you can stop here. This fact indicates that the piston system of the engine is completely worn out, and such a car will bring nothing but problems.
Documentation
And finally, questions related to documentsfor a car. The vehicle registration document and the seller's registration document must be compared to determine whether they are the legal owner of the car. If the seller offers you to make a deal with them while they are acting under a notarized power of attorney, it is better to refuse, as there are too many nuances associated with it, in which case you may soon cease to be a bona fide buyer. Also, be sure to check the vehicle in the traffic police database, this can be done for free. All the tips and recommendations given above are only a small part of what you need to know when asking yourself how to choose and buy a used car. Read forums and thematic articles. Analyze, involve your friends, consult and be extremely careful. And then very soon you will become the happy owner of the car of your dreams! We recommend reading:
