10 things you should ask when buying a used car

What questions to ask the seller of a used car

Before heading to the car dealer for inspection, you need to prepare in advance questions to the owner of the machine, recording them in your smartphone or notebook. Otherwise, during inspection of the vehicle because of the emotions (especially if you like the car) you can forget about what they wanted to ask the seller. And the worst thing, not getting answers to questions, you risk getting not quite what I was looking for. Here are the basic questions you need to ask the owner of the car. And remember: even if a car salesman seems honest and decent, don’t believe all his answers. It is possible that he, to convince you in buying a car, is not telling and even exaggerating. Always check the exercises and compare his answers with what I see during the inspection.

1) Check how many miles mileage

During the inspection ask unexpectedly and by chance, what is the mileage of the car. The owner of the car 99% of the time remembers its run. After all, the odometer on the instrument panel located directly in front of the driver. Sometimes (this happens especially with inexperienced sellers of machinery, which, for example, sell the car for the first time), after the twisting of the mileage the seller in response to your question accidentally calls the actual mileage of the car, oblivious to the fact that earlier the machine was adjusted mileage in order to mislead prospective buyers.

In the end, inexperienced sellers often simply slip up on these unexpected issues. If during the inspection of the machines you will be able to bring the seller to clean water, run from this car. After all, he, most likely, mileage. And pay attention to the fact that the mileage is usually twisted by at least 50 000-100 000 km. Less twist is not profitable, because of the adjustment of the odometer have to pay. In the end, to recapture the cost of twisting run, you need to adjust mileage by at least 50 thousand miles, to get the benefit from the sale of cars with low mileage.

If you have not noticed that the seller is not telling, and I think that the owner of the car is decent, you still must unload the car in service for a comprehensive diagnosis. Including electronic diagnostics, which must verify that the mileage on the odometer readings of various sensors, many of which are stored in the memory of the history of the race. Also the mileage needs to match with the hours, which also considers the computer of any modern car. By the way, often it is the hours and forget to fix during adjustment of the odometer. They will help you to identify cars with twisted mileage. However, please note that if the machine, for example, were mainly exploited in the Northern regions of the country, where in winter there are very low negative temperature, high engine hours could mean that the car is almost not stifled, to avoid problems with the morning start the engine. More about this below.

2) Ask operated a car with extreme temperatures

Of course, it is unlikely that you will answer truthfully. But sometimes there are sellers who still reveal the information that the car was operated in extreme weather conditions. For example, the most dangerous cars that came in the middle or southern part of Russia from the Northern regions, where in winter the temperature on average is kept not higher than -30 degrees. As a result, in such regions, many car owners often prefer not to turn off the engine, then not to meet a problem starting a cold engine. Although someone uses a Webasto night for pre-heating the engine. But again, this heating system without starting the engine not all cars.

In the end of the cars from the North at odds and then in other regions of the country. Because people from the North know that the local machines huge accumulated operating time, which is why they prefer such machines to contact. But in other regions many motorists are unaware that a lot of hours also do not carry anything good. Because the engine with large accumulated hours also significantly reduced, just as with a lot of miles on the odometer.

That’s why when inspecting a used car you must be very attentive to cars that are mainly exploited in the Northern regions of the country with low negative temperatures in winter. Remember that northerners tend not to take the local car, knowing that many drivers in the winter are not jammed by the day the engine in my car.

As a result, these cars with big engine hours travel to other regions for sale to unsuspecting motorists whose main goal is mileage. And what’s worse, these and the cars do have small runs. But, taking a car, you will be very disappointed with the low resource engine.

3) Ask the owner what fuel he ran the car

During the inspection of the car you have to ask, what kind of fuel the owner of the car refueled her. Of course, before the meeting you will need to figure out what fuel recommends to fill the automaker of the car you are going to watch.

Yes, of course, many sellers you most likely will not tell the truth if they had filled the tank the fuel is lower quality than recommended by the automaker. But perhaps you will understand that the owner of the car in response to your question about the fuel’s hiding something or downright lying.

In this case, I advise you not to mess with such a machine. After all, if it is fueled with low quality fuel, then it is possible that it has already caused irreparable harm to the engine.

4) Can the car see your car mechanic?

During a meeting with the car salesman will ask the owner if you can diagnose the technical condition of the car from his friend the mechanic. If you receive a rejection, specify the reasons. If the seller is afraid to go to your mechanic, where possible, in the car specifically to find flaws with the goal to bring down the price, ask if the owner of the car to go to make a diagnosis to the dealer.

If the seller disclaims any diagnostics and examinations in service, then most likely he has something to hide about the car. In this case, do not mess with this car.

5) When was vehicle purchased? The owner if a car salesman?

Also one of the first questions you should ask the seller of the car should be the issues to make sure that it is the real owner. To do this, ask the seller whether he is legally the owner of the machine (whether it is inscribed in the passport of the vehicle |PTS|).

Including check with him when he bought the car, from whom, and how much time you owned the car.

If you are not the real owner, and his authorized representative, inform him that the transaction you and him to sign will not. Even if the owner’s representative a notarized power of attorney. Declare the seller to sign a contract for the sale of the car you will only be with the owner. Why not contact the mediator?

This is dangerous because the power of attorney of the representative at the time of the transaction may be withdrawn by the owner, and the car can be wanted. In this case, you are giving money to the intermediary, the risk of subsequent even lose the car, as his real owner can pick it up legally.

Therefore, we strongly recommend you to contact agents and outbid who are trying to sell cars, not appearing anywhere in the contract of sale. Usually they just sell other people’s cars and get paid for a resale Commission. Unfortunately, the market is also a lot of outright scams.

6) if the vehicle has Been broken?

Also during the inspection, ask the seller, whether got car in an accident? If Yes, then be sure to check the character of vehicle damage and its recovery process. Ask if the seller archival documents about the accident and assess the damage received by the car in the accident.

So you roughly know how badly damaged the car. Naturally, to find on the market, honest sellers are not so easy. Therefore, most likely, about the accident you either nothing at all or about something silent. So you will have to find out, fighting is the vehicle by measuring the thickness of the paint with a gauge, looking at the size of the factory body gaps, comparing them to each other, and to look for indirect signs that the car struggled and painted. Including you have to break through a variety of online databases history of car for the accident.

For example, on the website of the traffic police and on the website a Nd you can get free information about vehicle history. If the accident happened over the past few years, it is likely the data base will give you information about the accident and even about the nature of the impact.

7) is it Possible to test-drive the car during the inspection?

So it wound up that when inspecting a used car to potential buyers ask owners to ride, sitting behind the wheel to test the car on the move. For example, during the test drive on the move you can listen to how does the suspension of the machine to understand what it is in the state. Also during the test drive you will determine the condition of the brake system, cooling system, etc.

If the car seller refuses you a test drive, this car is not worth taking. Otherwise you will buy a pig in a poke.

8) if the vehicle new parts and components?

Ask the seller what parts in the process of operation were installed on the car. Also ask what in the course of repair and maintenance components have been installed – the original or not.

This is important. Indeed, sometimes before the sale, many sellers are becoming unreliable Chinese parts to bring the machine to its normal condition.

Unfortunately, these spare parts have very low resource. In the end if you buy such a machine, you don’t want then to get out of the service, removing the old Chinese counterfeit and changing it for expensive original parts. Remember, not all sellers will tell you the truth about installed spare parts and components. Therefore, the inspection mechanic pre-purchase required.

9) Ask the owner of the car average fuel consumption for the last time

Before heading to a meeting with the seller of the car, learn the various forums online that are devoted to the vehicle you intend to inspect and possibly buy. Your task is to figure out how much on average owners of such vehicles the fuel consumption.

Remember all the averages. Then at the meeting ask the seller about the fuel consumption. It is advisable to do in the beginning of the meeting before you sit behind the wheel. Then again ask the seller about the average consumption of fuel when you are going to conduct a test drive. Perhaps the seller will forget what was said the first time, and again, a question will yield a more truthful figure.

Including pay attention when inspecting the car, what is the average fuel consumption shows the on-Board computer. If you find or know of the owner of the car, fuel consumption is significantly higher than the average, which tell people on the forums, then you should not mess with this car since may, it has a serious malfunction, which led to increased fuel consumption.

10) Ask not heated if the engine

During the communication with the seller be sure to ask about the engine operating temperature. Your task is to find out whether the previously overheated engine. Naturally, most sellers will not tell because of the cars which overheated the engine, you need to escape as soon as possible. Nevertheless, to ask about this is your responsibility. During the test drive, note the arrow to the coolant temperature. Especially at a time when the car is standing still with the engine running at idle.

If you find that hand the temperature is gradually creeping up, and the included engine cooling fan fails, then in any case do not mess with this machine because there is a risk that the engine in the car overheat.