Warning Signs to Look Out for When Buying Used

Buying cars used is a good strategy. After all, buying brand new cars is both expensive and environmentally unsound. Why buy a brand new vehicle when there are perfectly good used cars out there? That said, there are some stinkers out there being sold used. Here are some of the warning signs to look out for when buying used.

Warning Signs to Look Out for When Buying Used

The Obvious Stuff

The big, obvious signs of abuse should be red flags. If a car is dinged, scuffed, smelly and generally nasty it’s a good indicator that they probably didn’t take great care of it. That goes for both the body and engine of the car. If the person selling the car hasn’t been taking care of the mechanical aspect of the car, you could be looking at a lemon.

In short: if they can’t be bothered to wash the car and keep the interior clean, what makes you think they’d be taking care of the engine?

No Records

If the seller doesn’t have a detailed record of repairs and service the car’s engine has received then it’s time to take a big step back. Without accurate records it’s very difficult to tell whether the car was properly maintained. If you’ve got no way to verify when the engine has been properly maintained, you can’t say the vehicle is reliable.

On the reverse of this issue, a seller with a detailed repair record should earn some trust from you. If you know what’s happened to the car and how it’s been maintained then you can make better calls about whether you should buy it.

Consider the Type of Vehicle

When you’re buying a used vehicle you should consider what kind of car it is. If it’s something like an SUV or minivan it’s a bit more likely it was well maintained. Conversely, a sports car or some other performance vehicle may be a bit riskier of a purchase.

After all, if someone is enough of a thrill-seeker to buy a performance car, they’re also likely to treat the car a bit more harshly. That’s not true in all cases, of course. Some people actually take better care of their vehicles when the car is faster and more powerful. However, this is a general rule of thumb, and it pays to be cautious.

No Smoking

Don’t buy a car from a smoker, former smoker or vaper. If someone is reckless enough to smoke cigarettes then you need to think about how reckless they would be with their car. The kind of person who would heedlessly put their health on the line certainly doesn’t have any issue with putting their car’s maintenance on the line.

That’s not even getting into that awful smell that gets into everything and never goes away. Tobacco smoke stains everything it touches and leaves a powerful smell behind. If you’ve ever owned a car someone used to smoke in you know what we’re talking about. It’s nearly impossible to get that terrible smell out of your things.

Accident Damage

A normal fender bender or dents and dings from bang-ups is to be expected. If you’ve ever owned a car for a few years you know that it’s a matter of when, not if, you get in an accident. These scraps alone aren’t worth passing on a car. Major accident damage, however, is a different story.

A major accident could do some weird stuff to a car. For instance, if the car’s wiring has been pinched or some electrical work was pulled out of place then you could have weird issues with the headlights or radio. If the frame was bent, or if an axel is misaligned, it could result in uneven wear and tear on the vehicle.

The Seller

If the seller is a relatively easy-going, laid back type of person it might be hard to get a read on them. However, if they give you the vibe of someone who could care less about the car or its maintenance, that’s the biggest red flag you can come across. A good seller is someone who clearly takes care of their things and cares about the condition their car is in.

People to avoid buying from are those who are clearly trying to hustle you. If the person dodges questions and won’t give straight answers about the car’s history then you know it’s probably not a vehicle you want to spend your money on. Don’t get ripped off out there!