Help ! Things to look out for when buying a 2nd hand car...
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Dear all,
Forgive my ignorance here...
I'm currently looking into buying a 2nd hand car for transport purposes. So would like to ask for advise on wad are e more impt parts to look out for esp. 2nd hand vehicles... Or are there webbies i can refer to w.r.t this topic?
Thanks... -
It might be good to do research on the model itself and to know about the driver's driving habits, dont let what he/she says guide you, verify it when u check the car.
If the driver is willing to provide a STA or Vicom report, it would be good, but even so, do a thorough check on it.
Check that engine is original and car body paintwork(if there are obvious mends, it means that car has been involved in accidents) and if its repainted, ask why and check.
Then get on the car and test, hear the revving sound and hear it.
You can actually pay experienced garage guys(under 50$ or slightly more) to make a trip with u to examine car and they can tell u if there's anything wrong. However, dont intro the garage guy as garage guy, say ur uncle or fren or father or whatsoever.
Just my 2cents worth
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Hi Bro. I have had bad experience before, though it was only a small problem, but it doesn't feel good to be taken for a ride by the dealer.
First of all, I think you must find a reliable dealer. If you are unsure, ask around on the forums to see if anyone has had bad experiences with this dealer before. Ask the dealers questions about the car, how many owners, got any accidents, why the owner wanted to sell etc. Of course, don't take their word for it, but at least if u see the dealer is hesitant and not very upfront, it might be an indication that the dealer is hiding something.
Next, try to find someone who knows about cars to go with you. This person should be able to check the engine for you. Basically, check the state of the engine, is it rusty or dirty etc. Then check the fluids like engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid etc. If the car has been left for some time, and it has leaks, the fluids will be low. And low levels of fluids might show that the car wasn't well maintained by the previous owner. Check the engine compartment for any signs of welding, which might indicate a serious accident.
Then, check the body and paint for signs of rust, or repainting and repair. Most repaint jobs, no matter how good, will be slightly different in colour, unless they re-sprayed the whole car. The surface of the new paint well also be slightly different from the old paint. Make sure u check the boot as well, as the last car I bought had a rear end collision, and a poor repair job was done, so water was seeping into the boot.
Note that just because a car has been in an accident doesn't mean it is not worth buying. As long as it is well repaired, and at least u know about it, I think it's fine.
Make sure u go for a test drive, and check for any sounds or knocking coming from the engine, tires or elsewhere. U might not be able to diagnose the problem, but if any funny sounds are there, it might mean problems. Make sure the transmission of the car is ok, brakes etc are working, there are no warning lights on the dashboard.
Finally, make sure that u check the tires and the servicing records of the car. Generally cars need to do a major servicing at around 40k, change timing belt etc. This differs from model to model, so tat's y u need the expert. What happened to me then was that I din know about all these, that's y my first servicing after I bought the car cost me in excess of $1k because i had to change the tires, timing belt, etc. Not tat I expect the dealer to do all these for me, but I think this kind of thing can bring up and try to cut a bit off the price.
I think getting a friend to go with u is very important, as two people can resist the hardsell tactic of the dealer better. Try not to agree on the spot unless u are very sure that the car is for u. N right after u get the car, bring it to a workshop u trust to go thru everything properly.
All this is from my own experience, so might not be the most accurate. If any experts out there can share more, we can all learn. -
By the way, is it worth to get a 2nd hand car now as compared to a new one? i think loan interest for 2nd hand cars are higher right? i feel like getting 1 but unsure on 1st or 2nd hand
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Thx for sharing your experience bro...
I was juz thinking of gettin a mean of transport due to constant travelling from workplace to study part-time and hectic work schedule... So won't be lookin at high-end cars thou... Just my 2 cents of thought... -
Actually I think it depends on what u want out of a car. Both my cars I got last were 2nd hand, because first of all, I just got my license, so I didn't want to get a new car and then heartpain when I bump pillar here and there
And I didn't need a nice car, just a set of wheel so I can get from point A to point B.
Another reason is because the price of 2nd hand car is lower, so the depreciation is lower and the break even point is faster. Of course, this depends on the type of car and the price you bought at.
The interest rate flunctates... My first car's interest rate was almost 1% higher than for a new car, but my second car's interest rate was just .2% higher. For a loan of 7 years, I believe that the higher interest rate is more than covered by the discount in price u get.. for example, a one year old car can be more than 10k cheaper than a brand new one.
So if 2nd hand cars r so good, how come not everyone is going to buy 2nd hand car? Well, it's because new cars now are so cheap, almost everyone wants to buy first hand. This means that the 2nd hand car market is not doing very well, so if u got time to shop around, I believe u can get a good deal somewhere.
And the biggest drawback is that for 2nd hand cars, sometimes u don't know what u r going to get. I have been quite lucky, no prob with my first car n only minor prob with my second. I have had friends who spents thousands of $$ just handling the engine probs of their 2nd hand cars. This plus the other horror stories that u hear, prob scares off other buyer.
Once again, this is just my opinion, might not be entirely correct. -
Turtle bro, wad kind of interest are ya getting presently?
I got something like 3.75% to 4 %... -
Send the car u intend to buy to vicom for full checkup. Save u from alot of worry!
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wow? nowadays interest so high liao? My first car was I think about 3.7 interest in 03. But it was only for 2 years as my car was 7.5 yrs old. My second car was about 3% interest back in 05.
Goodness.. I was thinking about getting my 3rd car liao.. but looks like I have to save more $$ first.. haha -
Why don't consider buying a new car since the COE at a all time low...
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I'd love to... however my target is to clear the debts in 2 - 3 yrs time... so gotta take care of my Vitamin M very carefully... 2nd hand car sales also not as good as before, so wanna try my luck to find something worthwhile thr... Juz my 2 cents of thought...
Anyone out thr got car dealers to recommend? -
Hi brother.
You can see lots of advice about "buying a used car" from sgcarmart. Here's the link http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/advice_cat_listing.php?CID=2