Buying a Used Vehicle

• Decide on how much you want to spend. Remember extra costs for title, tax and registration. Used vehicles usually need some maintenance or minor repairs that you will need to pay for.
  
  
• Arrange financing with your local bank or work with the dealership's financing department for the lowest interest rate.
  
  
• Be selective. Narrow your search down to two or three different models. It is easier to judge the pros and cons of the vehicle when your prospect list is small.
  
  
• If purchasing from a private party, ask the following questions:
  
  
• Why are they selling the vehicle?
  
  • What was the vehicle used for mainly?
    
  • Do they have receipts on upkeep and mechanical work?
    
  • Any objections to having the vehicle inspected by a third party?
    
  • Is the registration up to date? (This can be costly to reinstate)
    
  • Ask to see a copy of the title. If they cannot produce a title, you may have difficulty transferring the title if you purchase the vehicle.
    
    
• Before contacting a third party inspection company, inspect the vehicle as best you can:
• Are all the body parts the same color
• Check the tires for uneven wear and mismatched sizes.
• Place a refrigerator magnet gently on any part of the vehicle's body panels. If the magnet does not stay in place, the vehicle may have been involved in an accident and a body panel may have been replaced with plastic or may have body filler in the panel.
• Open trunk, hood and doors. If you see overspray or tape lines, this may indicate the vehicle was repaired.
• Look at condition of items inside of vehicle. If the pedals and steering show more wear than mileage indicates, odometer may have been tampered with.
• Call the manufacturer and ask about possible warranties that may still exist on a late model vehicle or any recalls and Technical Service Bulletins (TSB's).
• Test-drive the vehicle on the highway and in the city at multiple speeds. Allow ample time during the test drive for the vehicle to reach operating temperature.
• Don't test drive with the radio on. You won't be able to hear any noise that indicate potential problems if you are distracted by the radio.
• Check for noises like grinding transmissions, clicking or tapping when the engine is turned over. These are all signs of possible problems that need to be fixed.
• Test the brakes (ABS pulsates when pushed down hard).
• Verbal agreements are non-binding; get everything in writing.