Tips to Stay Safe When Buying a Used Car

Buying yourself a new car, used or not, is one of the most exciting things about driving. Without a doubt, there’s nothing quite like it. Whether you love it or loath it, getting a new car is always a big deal. The thing is, you need to make sure that you’re making a smart move with used cars, and above all else, you need tips to stay safe while you do it.

Staying safe when you buy a new car sounds like something that’s obvious. There are a load of warning signs you probably already know about after all, but there’s more to it than what you might think. In a bid to try and make buying and driving used cars a safer ordeal overall, CarExamer is here to help.

We’re here to run you through the 5 sacred tips and rules of used car buying to make sure that you’re as a safe as safe can be.  Let’s take a look

Check out the Seller

First and foremost, without a doubt, is to check out the seller that you’re buying the car from. There are tonnes of different ways to buy a used car, and we already know that. The key to keeping safe when actually buying said used car, however, is different. You need to seriously look at the seller. Asking yourself a few basic questions is always wise.

• Are they private? A Dealer? Is it an auction?
• Do they have a business?
• Do they have more than one Ad/Car
• Why are they Selling?
• Do they have reviews?

All of these questions are a great way to look at a car seller and think about whether they’re the real deal or if there is something fishy afoot. Despite all that though, there are always new sellers, one-off seller or even just people looking to get rid in a hurry. Not everything is bad news, but you do need to keep your wits about you. Don’t get too excited or swayed.

Check out the Car

Checking out the seller is only the tip of the iceberg if you want the best tips to stay safe when you’re buying a used car. You need to of course also do the hard part, and that’s to check out the car itself. There’s only so much an online ad can tell you about the car after all.

Sadly, there’s no easy checklist you can use for this one aside from looking for the usual suspects. Check for bodywork issues, engine issues, mechanical issues, electrical issues… check just about everything that you can do to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Even the colour of the exhaust fumes can be a big indicator if you know what to look for (blue smoke means oil leak… top tip).

Check out the History

This one can be a real goldmine of information if you know to check in the right places, so it’s always a good one to do in your own time. Checking the history of a vehicle can sometimes give you all of the information you could ever need. Check the service history, MOT history, previous owners, HPI, the works. Check everything that you possibly can do. Vehicle history check.

Used cars go through a huge amount of experiences in their lives and making sure you’re buying one that’s safe can often rely on it. Check to make sure that it has been looked after, put right, used enough (but not too much) and just about everything else that you could be looking for. It’s always worth it in the long run.

Think About Payment Choices

Next up comes the scary part, and this is where you have more control than most people care to think about. You need to make sure that you know exactly what is going to be the best payment option for you. We say for you, because everyone is totally different when it comes to payment options, and you need to remember that.

We already have a big article on what a used car costs, but the thing is, a lot of the time, it also depends on how you choose to pay for the vehicle you’re buying. There are different things to keep in mind to help you get an understanding of that.

Cash

Paying with your own money means you have a lot more of the buying power. You’ll likely get a better deal as people are happy to drop the price for a quick and easy sale. It’s all on you, and you can pick and choose. You will lay out a lot of money though. The responsibility is totally yours though in case anything happens. It’s entirely your property after all.

Finance

If you don’t have a lot of money to lay out, or more so, you just don’t want to do that, then this is a good call car buying tip too. Financing a car lets you pay in small manageable chunks every month, and there are even different ways to do that. It gets you a load of other perks too, but you do pay interest on the finance. If anything happens to the car though, you don’t have to pay for It in most cases if it’s not your fault.

Loans

These are the middle ground between the two above. You get the extra buying power and the manageable instalments without as much interest in most situations. It depends on how much you borrow though, so take note of that. It’s not always a good call.

Part Exchange

It’s also worth noting that part exchange is a good way to get more for your money too, although you’ll likely get less than your car is worth. That’s all a part of the ins and outs of part exchange.

Remember your rights

Our last (but not least) tip for making sure that you’re always safe buying a used car or anything in life really is to know your rights. They are there for a reason. Learn and know them in case you need to use them. It might sound like a lot of effort, but it’s a huge resource that exists just to make your life easier if you need it.

There are things like cooling-off periods if you buy online and change your mind right the way through to being able to make your seller take responsibility for issues you didn’t know about (unless you missed them yourself). It’s a complicated system but knowing about it really will keep you as safe as you can be. It teaches you what to look out for too, and even technicalities you should watch for.

Remember

Even with the best tips, staying safe when you buy a new used car ultimately always comes down to one thing, and one thing only; you. Make sure you do everything you can like by reading articles like this to keep yourself covered from as much as you can do.

We’re only saying this part because we care (and it’s our expertise kicking in), but at the end of the day, get as much help as you can do. Get an inspection if you’re not sure what to look for or even if you are. There’s nothing worse than getting stung and left without a car or worse still with an accident waiting to happen.

For more info on this whole thing, don’t forget to check in the Citizens Advice either.

Check other options Autotrader, Check Gumtree, CarGuru, Ebay, Motors, Facebook marketplace, online buying guide.

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