Buying a Used Car

July 17, 2023
DD Planet

Buying a used core has its own plus and minus. While it saves us money, buying the wrong product can land us in big trouble.

Here are the tips and advice to help you buy the right used car:

1. Research the market thoroughly for all the available brands and models within your budget unless you’ve already something in mind.
2. Shortlist the car you wish to buy – the brand, the model and the manufacturing year you’re looking for.
3. Prefer the cars that are driven not more than ten years unless you know the seller directly and also that the car has been gently used. This will save you from unexpected maintenance costs.
4. Prefer a single-hand driven car.
5. Arrange the money. If a loan is required, process the papers in advance.
6. Find a trusted seller. You may explore sellers through second-hand car providers or online sources if none is available to you directly.
7. The advantage with purchasing from direct sellers is that you know the person more and you can trust him or her more on the miles that have been driven in the car and other things. But still, you need to inspect it yourself with the help of a professional if need be.
8. When purchasing from second-hand car dealers, prefer the ones who go extra mile to check the vehicle thoroughly and get it in a good condition before making a sale, i.e., they certify the used cars they sell.
9. Check the condition of the car thoroughly under sunlight and take a test drive for at least 3-5 kilometres on a traffic road as well as a highway.
10. List the available accessories and their market price.
11. Check the tyres’ condition, suspension, AC, battery, lights, the whole body for any dents or scratches et cetera and find out if any repairs or maintenance is needed.
12. You may even seek the help of a professional to get the car checked outright and find out the true mileage driven.
13. Negotiate the best price. Spend time doing a bit of search to find the market price of the car and model you’ve finalised.
14. Make sure all the documents related to the car (mainly registration certificate, PUC, insurance) are proper and unique vehicle details such as engine number, chassis number and vehicle identification number printed inside the car match the ones in the document.
15. Check the insurance and see if it can be transferred to you.
16. If the vehicle is or was on loan, seek the details and find out if the loan has been paid and a no objection certificate has been received from the financier. You may even seek the loan transfer if you’ve plans to take a loan.
17. You may seek the service records if the car is still under warranty.
18. Never buy if you’ve noticed a hitch in the deal even if it is small. Get convinced thoroughly before investing money.
19. Get the vehicle transferred in your name immediately after the purchase by filling the relevant forms; take signature of the seller at the time of payment and signing the relevant transfer agreement.
20. Do not forget to take the original papers of the car.