Used Car Inspection

Used vehicle inspections are essential before you buy, and today there are a number of sound guidelines to help you through the process. Anyone who has ever gone searching to buy a car knows there are often more question marks in this journey than there are sound assurances. The good news is that most responsible sellers nowadays will gladly let you take the car inspection by a mechanic you trust.

What is the car's history?

Although auto dealers often claim they carry nothing but fully secure vehicles, the truth is that the history and provenance of each vehicle in that lot may not be immediately clear. It's not unusual to find wrecks, lemons and other problems hiding among all those shiny rows, which is why the good car dealerships and honest private sellers are willing to accommodate your peace of mind.

Get under the hood

Experienced mechanics can usually tell you if there's a problem with the brakes, transmission or anything else central to proper operation. After safety rating, countless other considerations enter the picture, including the suspension, carburetor and wiring, the electronics, integrity of the frame and more. Your mechanic will have a routine checklist to assess all of this. Use his assessment to either reject the car or bargain with the seller.

Cosmetic check

If everything under the hood checks out, you will want to conduct an exhaustive cosmetic inspection before you bring the car back to the dealership. Dents, dings, and other repairable cosmetic flaws are much less serious than rust. Do all the doors and windows close with a tight, flush seal? Do all the latches and locks open and close the way they should? Test everything and make note of the flaws you feel you can live with since they will give you some bargaining power. If you find flaws you can't live with, are they repairable? If so, how much would that cost? That's another bargaining chip.

Mileage

Too many people treat mileage as a sort of catchall for the car's condition, and most mechanics will tell you that this number can be misleading. Far more important to the car's overall health is its make, model, history and particularly how prior owners have treated it. The truth is that reckless drivers tend to shorten the life span of their vehicles in dramatic ways, even if they put fewer miles on them so it pays to find out if the car you're considering was driven by a 22 year old who took it to the street races or a 40 year old soccer mom. And if the car has just had an engine replacement or new transmission or other significant replacements, it's not really as "old" as its mileage would indicate.

If you want to learn more about the best way to inspect any used car, find a good mechanic that offers helpful advice throughout the process. Buying a used car shouldn't have to be a blind gamble, and the best way to hedge your bets is by having that potential purchase examined in fine detail under the eye of a true expert in the industry.

Car Inspections Sydney

Vehicle Inspection Sydney