Before starting a “test drive” of the selected car, it is necessary to carry out not only an external inspection of the car, but also to ask a few questions to the seller. If you buy a used car from an ad, call and ask the seller about the car.
The preliminary conversation will help you a lot. This will help you, without leaving your home, reduce the list of cars - potential applicants for purchase, will give you an idea of the car even before you see it and, possibly, save you from unpleasant surprises. You will have the opportunity to compare the salesperson's responses on the phone with what they tell you if you decide to take a look at the car and do a test drive. Inconsistency of information will force you to be more careful and cautious when considering a particular vehicle.
So what do you need to learn from used car dealers?
Firstly, the more documents the seller has for the car, the better, ask the phone number of the previous owner, if the seller does not have a lot of information (watch the reaction to this request).
Ask why he sells the car. If the seller answers that he is tired of this pile of rubbish, you should consider whether you need a pile of rubbish. But, most likely, they will answer you something different, but the manner of the answer suggests that the seller is hiding something from you or not.
Find out what is the mileage of the car. The mileage of a used car helps determine its price, which can play an important role in bidding. If, when inspecting / driving a car, you see that the odometer shows a different mileage or the numbers do not change while driving, this should alert you.
Ask the seller about the condition of the car. This is a fairly neutral question, but again, pay attention to how the seller responds. Ask about the technical and general condition of the car. If, when inspecting the car, you understand that the seller did not sufficiently monitor the condition of the car than it should be, take this into account.
Ask about the presence of any features in this car. The equipment of a car can significantly affect its price. It is important to know whether or not the car has a leather interior, a player (CD / DVD / MP3) ... whether the car is equipped with air conditioning.
Find out if this car was still owned. buying a car from the first owner is preferable. If the seller is not the first owner of the car, ask who owned this car before him. The saying “the less you know, the better you sleep” is not for this situation - the more you know about your future car, the calmer you will be in the future.
Ask if the car was involved in an accident. This is very important because a car after an accident is usually more of a hassle. If the seller answered “no” on the phone, but upon examination it turned out the opposite, this means one of two things: either the seller is not trustworthy, or he is not familiar enough with the car for sale.
Ask if the seller has a list of service calls. If the owner kept it, this indicates his attentiveness and meticulousness, which probably also manifested itself in handling the car.
And if everything suits you, ask the last question "how much are you asking for it?" - when buying a used car, it will never be superfluous to bargain.
