Buying a car, first-hand or second-hand is a pretty big deal. At any given price point, investing in a car is one of the larger investments you can make for your own personal uses. Add to that the fact that the car buying process can have varying degrees of complications regarding many different regulations and state mandated things you need to ensure, working with a good trusty dealer becomes imperative- especially for those who are not particularly inclined into cars.
Authenticity
The first quality you must look out for is authenticity. When buying a car you will be working with large sums of money and it is easy to get scammed- which is why you need to be vigilante in your dealer selection. Also, a bad dealer can and most of the times will sell you a poorly taken care of car that will have many reliability issues. Reasons like this are why you always want to work with a dealer who has proper credibility. Most dealers nowadays have websites. Take a look at their website and read through a few of the testimonials left by previous customers. These testimonials reveal a lot about the dealer’s operations and can help be make the best decision based on previous experiences other people have had.
Large selection list
When buying a second-hand car, you are already putting yourself out of the top-most bracket. This means that you will most likely, not be getting the latest features and improvements by default. And caring about these features is pretty important. Newer cars have a lot of safety features that at first glance only seem like nifty little tricks but in reality, can be really important in saving you from a potential accident. Features like pedestrian detection systems and many other driver aids have been added over the past model years- cars from just 6 or 7 short years ago do not have features like adaptive cruise control which is now considered a basic feature in most new cars- and you would preferably want these. Buying from a dealer who can give you a vast array to select from can help you get as close as you can to the latest equipment range within your budget.
Financing
Although most people will associate buying a second-hand car to getting something really cheap, that is actually not the case always. Good, reliable cars hold their value pretty well and even though these cars sure cost less than new, they can still be expensive enough to require financing. A good dealer is one that can walk a customer through the financing process, arranging all the requisites of financing for the customer and make sure you do not have to talk any headache. For the most seamless purchasing process, look for a dealer who has a reputation of being able to help customers with financing their cars.
The car’s past
One of the biggest issues with buying a second-hand car is that you do not know what that car has been treated like. This is a legitimate fear because the way a car has been treated in its past life will determine how reliable it is for you. It is important for you to know whether or not the previous owner was diligent and took good care of the car- did all the regular servicing, replaced brake pads, took care of the oil levels and the oil filter etc. Only buy from a dealer who is able to, and willing to, show you the servicing history of a car. Also, it is important for you to know if the car has had any major incidents i.e. was it ever involved in a crash or has it been modified. These details determine the value of the car in monetary terms and also the value of the car to you as something you own and use.
Test drive
Test driving a car is a more basic idea/ quality to look for but, it is important. Now, obviously if you are buying online or the car is far away from you, you cannot test drive it. But if it is a situation where you are walking into a dealership and there is the logical option for you to test drive the car, then you should be able to. That is where the problem actually lies. Bad dealers treat second-hand buyers with less care and often do not allow for test drives. If this is the case, then do not buy from them. A car is a car and costs a lot of money. Second-hand or not, you need to drive a car and like it before you buy it.
Conclusion
Buying a car second-hand comes with a much bigger checklist which you need to take care of as the buyer. Because the car has had a previous life, a lot of different factors start to play in. Working with a dealer who is reliable and actively helps you through the process is a must if you want to reduce the amount of unnecessary stress in your life.
