The Honeypot: Getting Sucked Into A Bad Deal
When buying a car, it’s easy to make mistakes. There are so many options, and too many of them are bad. It’s easy to turn to the salesperson for advice. But, unfortunately, they will always be motivated to make a sale. This makes it very hard to know if you’re getting a car that will serve you well. And, with the poor reliability found in so many cars, buying the wrong one could leave you with not much more than a hunk of scrap on your drive. To help you out, this post will go through some of the things that need to be considered to avoid being landed with a crumby motor.
Of course, when buying a car, a key consideration to make is the car’s value. In part, this will be dictated by the car’s make and model. So, you can get a rough estimate by looking at the value of other cars. Unfortunately, there are a lot of other aspects of a car’s value, though. And, you really have to think about all of them.
As a car gets older, it will always lose some of its reliability. Naturally, metals and plastics will degrade over time. This means that older cars are much more prone to failure than newer ones. Getting a very old car could be a big mistake, if it hasn’t been looked after properly. Some old cars have been looked after very well, though. So, you have to consider some of the other aspects of the vehicle, as well.
Over age, mileage is a great indicator of a car’s value and likelihood to survive. For example, if you have two cars. One car is ten years old but has only done forty thousand miles. The other is five years old, but it’s done over one hundred thousand miles. The second car, although newer, is more likely to be in bad shape. This is because a car will degrade more with use than it will sitting on a drive. Mileage will play very heavily into a car’s value. But, it’s also a reason that cars are often sold for less than they are truly worth. Different cars have different levels of reliability. So, high mileage for one car could be considered low for a much higher quality one.
Obviously, the condition of the car is incredibly important. If parts are already failing or not working already, you’ll have to repair them to get on the road. This could end up costing a fortune, depending on the car. So, it’s condition is worth thinking about. It can be hard to judge a car, though; if you’re not a mechanic. This means that it’s best to take someone a little more knowledgeable with you when you buy the car. Having a test drive in a car is a great way to see if anything seems wrong.
Salespeople may hide problems with a car from you. This is very often the case when cars are sold privately, as well. So, it’s very important to make sure that it’s in good condition. In most places, garages are required by law to inform you of any problems with the car. But, only if you ask. Always ask if the car has any problems you should know about. And, never buy a car without a full service history. Having the service history will allow you to see if any repairs have been made, or if any advisories have been given.
Some companies make better cars than other. So, when buying a car, you should always look for the best brands. German and Japanese cars are often some of the best. But, you really need to look at the individual make and model of the car. There are loads of reviews out there to help you. So, this isn’t a difficult task. When you find a car that you like, look for reviews of that car. Read as many as you can, to find the key problems with the car. Now, when you see the service history, you’ll be able to judge whether or not you’ll be likely to have problems. For example, if you’re looking at a car with a cam belt that’s prone to fail after a forty thousand miles. But, it was changed ten thousand miles ago, you’re unlikely to have to change it for a long time.
Buying cars can be a dangerous game, even when it comes to the law. When buying privately, you’re at risk of buying a stolen car. Of course, the level of risk will depend on the crime rate in your area. This makes it very important to consider that the car may not be legal. It’s not worth assuming that it wouldn’t happen to you, because the result of buying stolen car can be severe. You could lose the car and get no money back, or even find yourself facing charges. Thankfully, in most places, you can find out if a car is stolen with a simple HPI check. You send a text containing the car’s numberplate, and you will get a result in minutes. This can even be done on the forecourt.
If you ignore this advice and buy into a bad deal, you might end up in a bad position. At the very worst, you may lose the car or have to hire car towing services to get the car off of the drive. This can be an expensive error to make, as most garages won’t take back a faulty car. If you fail to ask the right questions, it’s your fault. And, the law won’t be able to help you very much. So, always make sure that you follow this advice in a strict manner when you’re buying a new motor.
Hopefully, this will help you with the next car you decide to buy. Cars can be the key to your life. They help you get to work, and they are very hard to live without. So, by spending time doing research and looking up, you could save a lot in the future. This sort of activity is important to anyone, regardless of what they use the car for.