How to Buy an Used Car Essay

First of all, when you find a car that you are interested in, you can ask a dealer or an owner about the VIN to learn more about it. The VIN, vehicle identification number, is a unique serial number for every modern car. Basically, it includes a car’s brand, model, years of car, engine type, and many other things. The first digit of the VIN shows the country number and the tenth digit is the year of the car. For example, if the tenth digit is 9, that car is made in 2009. You can also check the vehicle history report with the VIN. This shows how many people have owned a certain vehicle, accident records, and how many times that car has been maintained. This could be the most important for your decision making process, giving you complete peace of mind about the vehicle you are buying or saving you thousands of dollars in unexpected repair costs down the road. It is a good idea to look for another car if those cars have been transferred to others too many times or have been involved in major accidents. KBB (Kelley Blue Book) or CarFax are online companies that offer the most reliable information in the U. S. for checking the VIN. Another thing that you might look at before you buy a used car is the car’s body. It is wise to check out both the interior and exterior in detail. For instance, you can examine the windshield wipers, if the body panel colors match, if there are any scratches or dents, and many other things you can see. Sometimes you can’t find any records of accidents with the VIN if the owner fixed his or her car by himself or herself. When you have a chance to look at a used car, it’s a lot easier to do if the car is clean and dry. If it is dirty, you have to ask the owner to clean it, or you will probably miss something. If the vehicle is clean, you can look at the vehicle from different angles to check if everything looks smooth, straight, and if the paint texture of different panels match. You want to pay a lot of attention to the paint job. Repainting is usually done to remove minor scratches and small areas of cracked paint. It may be found a repair job after a bad accident involving damage. If you are unsure whether or not the car has been repainted, you can simply ask the seller about this problem. If the previous owner or dealer doesn’t give you the answer clearly, you can look for signs such as paint overspray inside door jambs, inside the gas filler cap, on exterior moldings, inside the wheel, on the bumpers, and any other place near the painting spot. However, repainting is not always a sign of previous damage. Some people have their cars repainted for cosmetic reasons, especially if it is an older model. You should not miss that the interior is just as important as the exterior. Take a look at the overall condition of the car. Usually, people will wash the car and vacuum inside of it before they sell it. Even if it is clean, you need to focus on every part that you can see. You might check if there is any water or if there are any oil stains inside. That means there must have been water leaking from the windows, sunroof, or anywhere on the car that is cracked due to rain. It doesn’t look like a big deal, but over time, it will harm a driver’s breathing due to exposure to mold. You also have to be sure all gauges are in the right place and are in working condition. If you notice any part missing, ask what was there and why it was removed. Then, you can turn the ignition to â€Å"ON† to inspect if all gauges and warning lights are operating properly. After inspecting the dashboard, you can check the accessories; the radio, speakers, tape deck or CD player, air conditioner, defroster, horn, mirror adjustment buttons, washer and wiper, all door and window locks, and any other functions you can see. Pay more attention when examining the windows. It is important to check if the windows slide all the way up and down easily because they do not work properly if there is damage inside the door. Finally, mechanical problems are the most important to check up on before you purchase a used vehicle. There are hundreds of things you have to look at, but it is not possible to check every detail within a short period of time and when you are lacking tools. Not every person has the technical capacity of a mechanic. So it is highly recommended to have a used car inspected by a mechanic before purchasing, but it would be costly to do this for every car you are interested in. If you don’t want to bother your mechanic or don’t want to spend money for vehicle inspection, you can do it yourself. The most important thing you have to know about inspecting mechanical issues is finding leaks. Leaking fluid or oil is the most common and worst problem for older models of cars. You can use a flash light to see under the hood and try to find any leak spots. Engine oil, coolant, refrigerant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid are some examples of fluids that may leak. You would also want to look at any other parts connected either rubber or metal hoses. Buying a used car is stressful. It’s like walking through a mine field. Some people are lucky to buy used cars for a good price without any problems and others have serious problems with their cars as soon as they get them. There are so many things to observe when you’re looking for used vehicles. It is hard to know where to begin.