| When it comes to buying a used car, nothing could be more important than doing your homework. Everyone's great fear is buying a used or pre-owned car and it breaking down the next day. Living in
the are of Nashville TN presents in itself a unique situation. Being in an
area where the weather is how it is in TN, people in these areas own cars that may or may not have been exposed to
high wind weather, flooding and or other weather related circumstances under which vehicles need to be carefully inspected. Checking the engine compartment is another area that will give you a good indication of the vehicle's service history and or potential issues. While engine compartments tend to get cleaned up before being sold, if you look closely and inspect a used cars engine compartment in the corners and cracks, you may see patterns of large amount of oil residue mixed with dirt. Such things are good indicators for past oil leak issues or other problems that may have existed. Certainly driving the vehicle, inspecting the way the transmission shifts are standard operating procedures when checking out a used car. Also check the transmission fluid. After you have test driven the vehicle, while the car is running, put it in neutral, apply the parking break and head for the engine compartment. Pull the dipstick for the automatic transmission. This will tell you the level of the fluid as well as the condition. While fluid level is extremely important, look at the color of the fluid. Smell it. If it smells burnt or appears like varnish, these are indicators the transmission fluid needs to be changed. Automatic transmissions don't last very long unless they are serviced in a timely fashion.
Other areas to check are the fuse box, both under the hood and in the vehicle.
Inspect for fuses out of place or the wrong amperage for what is called for (i.e. finding a 20amp fuse in a 10 amp fuse block, etc.).
Look under the seats and under the dash for sand or other kinds of dirt, an indicator for flood issues.
Inspect the preowned vehicle's underside, looking for dents, damage, or other indicators that the vehicle would have run over something.
Inspect for cleanliness under the vehicle, keeping an eye out for oil and other types of fluids.
Inspect the radiator fluid (before starting). Notice color and type and compare to fresh looking fluid of the same kind.
Obviously when purchasing a preowned or used car everyone wants to know if the vehicle has been wrecked. While Carfax or AutoCheck are good places to start, if you really want to know what has been done, take the vehicle for an extended test drive, stop by a body shop that you may know and ask them to look it. A well trained body shop mechanic would be able to spot imperfections rather easily. Ultimately a paint meter is the best way to go as it measures the thickness of the paint, which is the best indicator. Try the paint meter on various panels of the car. Ask the dealership to use a paint meter. If they have one that's usually a good indicator and their willingness to let you use it puts faith in the place you are buying from.
Most dealers make an honest effort to buy good clean preowned cars or trade for the right ones. Mistakes do happen and vehicles do come through that aren't worthy. Check with the dealers sales manager and ask them about their policies and procedures. Knowing what to ask and to expect can certainly help.
Vehicle records are good indicators and overall cleanliness can certainly be good indicators. Be sure to inspect tires, and not just tread depth but also tire pattern wear. On the test drive be sure to check for alignment issues and other factors that would create potential tire wear problems. These are inexpensive maintenance items but are necessary to maintain tire life. Brakes need to be inspect for pad life and other issues.
There are certainly other items that can and should be inspected but we have discussed alot here.
At Victory Nissan South in Shelbyville, TN, we want you to be as informed about buying a preowned vehicle as possible. We take great pride in making sure our vehicles are first class in quality and price. Email or Call us today. |
Used Car Maintenance Tips
Visit our Maintenance page to find out what commonly maintenance items you should look to complete on a regular basis. |
