Media post: What to look for when buying a used car

So you’ve decided that you need a car. Where to start your search? From the place where cars are sold! Most Americans buy their cars at car auctions, where they are sold like hotcakes. Remarkably, the organizers of these events show the real mileage of the cars and even give a one-month repair warranty.

Of course, the owner of the used car will have a lot of hassle associated with its maintenance. The modern market of car accessories offers lots of different products intended to personalize the car according to the owner’s needs and desires. Such accessories, like a badge, stickers, a logo can have not only aesthetic but also informative function. One of them is Ford emblems and stickers. Car stickers are very easy to apply on/remove from the paintwork.

You can buy the used car at a car dealership, where all products are checked and certified. There are special dealerships that sell only used cars. However, if you buy the car there, you won’t get any warranty, so you need to inspect the purchase very carefully. Another option is to look through the private ads on Craigslist or similar sites (such as Cars.com, TrueCar, CarForSale, etc.)

Take a look at the technical history of the car

Even if you really liked a car and it lookув almost as good as a new one, don’t rush to buy it. Study the technical history of the car and ask the seller about the car’s mileage, accidents, repairs, etc. If for some reason you turned to a dubious company, you can use special resources to check the history of the car you want to purchase. For example, CarFax or AutoCheck. Just type the car’s vehicle identification number into the search bar and you will get the following information: 

• date of purchase; 
• number of owners; 
• accidents and damages (if any).

However, dishonest dealers somehow manage to edit the data in these directories, so you should still be careful.

Let your mechanic inspect the car

You’d think that spending money on maintenance is a waste. But trust me, it’s better to pay the mechanic once than to become his regular customer. If you can check the car on your own, that’s even better. Actually, Americans rarely inspect the used cars before buying them, which is a big mistake. Better make sure that the car is checked by the specialist.

Questions to ask a car seller

Feel free to ask questions to the seller. His/her answers and information received can be of great help to you. Of course, each car requires a specific set of questions. However, we have compiled the list of the most important questions to ask the car seller: 

• Why did the previous owner decide to sell his/her car?
• Has the car been involved in an accident?
• What is the mileage?
• What’s its VIN?
• How does the seller characterize the general problems with the car?
• What documents can the seller provide to prove that he/she is the owner of this car or has the right to sell it?