Have you managed to save enough money to buy a used car? Well, congratulations! This is some great news. With adequate funding in your hand, are you feeling more anxious than excited? This is because you are not sure how to buy your first used car. If that is so, then this guide is going to offer you some practical piece of advice regarding your purchase of a used car. Are you ready? Let us start.
Before purchasing your car, you should have a look a deeper look at, both the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Here is a checklist to make your analysis process easier.
First things first, you must start with your budget planning. Several cars would be way too expensive for you even when you are buying the second-hand ones. So first, you should cumulate all the savings that you want to use for the car purchase and know your budget.
After calculating your budget, you will be in a better position to find the best used car. You can make a list of your favorite brands and cars and start finding their average prices online. This practice would help you prioritize a few models that would fit in your budget.
Now, you can look in the online resale market to see if you have a used car available for sale. If you find one, then you can continue with the following steps.
The next important thing to buy the used car or getting the right car service quote is the complete analysis of the vehicle. You should go for the following major car checks:
While checking, you should not forget the spare wheel. Make sure that there are no bents in the tyre or dents in the rim. However, minor grazes are common and would not require any of your efforts.
To find the best car service quote you should be sure about the condition of your car lights. Uneven beams of your car indicate a major issue, and you should inquire about it from the car owner. Similarly, fogged lenses could be an issue too. Make sure you do not let it go unattended.
You might not have this radiator coolant and fluid check in mind, but believe us it is one of the most important ones and can indicate much about the car condition and the way it has been used up till now. You will find the leakages of the coolant or other fluids (if any) when you will open the bonnet.
If you see the brown liquid coming out that indicates the oil leakage, green/pink/yellow is for coolant leakage, gearbox and power steering liquid are reddish-brown.
To get the best car detailing services, you will have to check the exhaust and the fumes emitting from the car too. Emission of smoke on starting engine is normal but looks for a bit longer; if the smoke persists, then the oil is entering the cylinder. In case, the smoke is white; then you should look for head gasket failures or coolant entering the cylinder.
Emission of black smoke can be translated to the excessive burning of the fuel. If you are confused with all these colours, then better to get it to check from a professional car detailing service.
This is a physical inspection of the car where you would specifically be looking for any damages, dents, or paint mismatches. A vehicle detailing service would concentrate on the doors and signs of rust to get into a deeper inspection.
You can get help from a professional detailing service in Singapore if you do not think that you can manage it on your own.
A professional car upholstery repair company would use the interior of the car to assess the originality of the details shared by the actual owner. The ripped cloth on the seat and sagging of the roof lining can provide you with enough evidence about the actual mileage of the car.
Your car engine might not be designed to run on certain types of fuel. So despite how much oil companies claim to have high-quality mileage, power, and efficiency, you should only use the recommended fuels and lubricants.
The engine is the most crucial part of the car. You need to check it thoroughly before you reach the final purchase decision. Engine repair experts can help you with proper analysis. This isn't something that we can do effectively without the help of the mechanics.
Car serving requires you to check for the mileage and warning lights. What you need to is to turn in the ignition and review for the warning lights. Additionally, you should your judgment to find if the mileage on the meter is right or has been tampered with. For that, the wear and tear of the pedals, inconsistency in the odometer and gearstick readings or any other signs would show that the actual mileage is more than the one shown on the screen should ring a bell in your ears.
What could be better than a test drive to find the areas where car serving in Singapore should be put in place? Make sure that you analyze the acceleration, and look for any extra sounds. Similarly, checking the brakes, power steering feature, and the overall ride experience would allow you to make a rational decision. So, don't let this opportunity.
Another check that you should not forget to perform is checking the car history. Multiple VIN lookup tools can provide you with the complete details of your car within minutes. You should get a report from such a tool to find everything, including the actual mileage, accidents, place cases, loan assortments etc. Besides, the vehicle identification check would also make sure that you find the current market value of a particular vehicle.
Analyzing all these aspects would help you in making the right choice. If you can't choose one car, then you might want to perform all these checks on the vehicles in your list to find the best value.
We would recommend that you must not rush this decision and take the time to spend your money. However, keep that in mind that there are multiple buyers out there so if you'll take a lot of time for decision-making, then you might lose it.
So, have a balanced approach and use this checklist for used cars to make the entire process easier. Good luck with your choice!