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(#12) Only Buy From Reputable Dealers
From Quora user Martin Sparks
A car dealer that is authorized generally has a good reputation and must answer to manufacturers. Never buy from a dealer that is not reputable, you may live to regret it.
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(#5) Carry Out Basic Tests
From Quora user Sudhakar Gaitonde:
You can do some basic checks.
Pull out the engine oil stick. Feel the oil. If it's grainy, then the piston rings are bad. If the oil is black it means exhaust gas is leaking into it. Oil can get "spoiled." So Smell it. If it smells awful then the car has not been used [in] a long time.
Check the coolant. It should be a clear green. If it's curdled, it means the engine is getting overheated regularly.
Lift all mats. Raise the inner carpets. It is normally a press button type fit. Check for rust.
Remove the door lining rubbers. The ones on the door, not the car body. Especially the rear ones. You'll find hidden rust over here. Even the current owner won't be aware of it.
If it's a rear drive car, unplug the differential. Check if it's filled with oil.
A lemon would be packed with grease. This grease make the transmission noiseless. You'll be surprised how many used cars are sold this way.
If it's a front wheel drive, check that the drive shaft rubber bellows are in good condition.
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(#13) Listen To The Engine
From Redditor /u/edge_basics:
Crank up the car, open the hood, and just take a few moments to listed to the engine. Some sounds are normal, but listen for loud tapping or clunking sounds.
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(#6) Check The Brand Of Tires
From Redditor /u/SerPuissance:
Cheap weird brand tires. It means that they've spent the bare minimum on the rest of the car and there's probably shoddy workmanship and missing service items from sh*t auto shops. Even if it has service history.
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(#8) Look Up The History Of The Vehicle
From Quora user Jeremy Nutt:
Get the Carfax. Just get it. It sucks paying the fee, and I hate doing it too, but that's just how life is sometimes. If you have a friend that works [at] a car dealership, maybe they can get you one for free. It's a nice excuse to talk to a friend that you haven't seen in a while. Okay... although it is great when Carfax announces to you in red font that the car has been smashed, you aren't JUST looking for accidents on the Carfax. That is just one small piece of this automotive puzzle.
The ideal situation (for most humans) is a maintained vehicle with a steady history of registrations, inspections, and consistently increasing mileage. Having many owners, being a "Fleet" vehicle (rental), salvage title, or having long time frames without mileage increases and registrations are all tell-tale signs that the vehicle may be questionable. If the Carfax looks weird, ask the owner of the vehicle the hard-hitting questions. If you don't trust the answers you receive, don't buy the car. Simple as that.
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(#9) Make Sure The Car Hasn’t Been Warmed Up
From Redditor /u/ace_deuceee:
If the engine is warmed up when you go to test drive the car. There are a lot of issues that only affect cold start or cold driving, especially on older cars. The seller would warm the car up right before you get there to remedy this. It's important to observe the car warming up on your test drive.
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About This Tool
Why do more and more people choose to buy used cars? Cheap price is the biggest selling point for used cars. With the same money for buying a new car, you can buy a higher-grade used car. Therefore, from the perspective of reducing the cost of buying a car, it is a wiser choice for the general public to buy used cars. Some beginner drivers have just obtained a driver’s license but their skills are not strong, so they might as well buy a second-hand car to practice. As an ordinary consumer, how to buy second-hand cars and how to prevent "accident cars"?
This random tool collates 13 items from some advice from mechanics, which can help you to choose a better car.
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