It's best to be thorough when buying a used vehicle

If you don’t have that one mate who knows everything about cars, keep reading to find out what to look for when buying a second-hand vehicle!

Confirm that the seller is the person who owns the car

You won’t be charged for unknowingly buying a stolen car, but the car may be repossessed and returned to its owner. You can confirm this with a Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) search (previously known as a VIN check). It costs just $2 and is well worth it for the peace of mind. You can compare the information that this check provides with the seller’s current registration papers.

Check for accident damage

First and foremost, you’ll want to find out whether the car has been in an accident and, if so, how severe it was. The above PPSR check won’t reveal every accident the car has been in, however it will tell you if the car has been previously written off. Some repairable write-offs are fixable, and are fixed. They are also then inspected and reregistered, but the standard of repairs may be poor, putting you at risk, so it is best to conduct through checks in this process.

Many road accidents are minor, and the damage repair is to a high standard, so don’t rule out all cars that have been involved in accidents. At the very least the seller should produce a valid road-worthy (safety) certificate.

Under the bonnet check

This may seem like something you shouldn’t have to check if the car has a valid road worthy certificate or if its PPSR check came back clean, however, any build-up of dirt and road grime that appears caked on is often a sign of fluid leaks. As well as the engine, check underneath the car as fluids tend to also leak beneath the car, which is another tell-tale sign!

Used car buyers should expect signs of wear and tear, which typically reflect the age of the vehicle. Excessive wear and tear may warrant a price decrease, assuming you don’t simply walk away because the wear and tear is too extreme.

Inspect the Panels and Paint

In an ideal world, body panels should be free of dents, dings, rust, chips and oxidation. However, like we said above, used car buyers should expect signs of wear and tear in second-hand vehicles. 

If you look closely at the car upon further inspection, you might be able to pick-up that the car has other/more previous damage than the seller is letting on. Maybe there are wider than normal gaps between body panels, or some slightly bubbled paint. The bubbled paint may suggest that it hasn’t had sufficient coverage from weather elements, and that unseen rust that the car might have, has spread from the inside panels. Another cause for this is that the car has not been washed regularly enough.

Another aspect of the car to check is that the doors are swinging properly, that they close with ease, and that the seals are still waterproof. If the door sags on its hinges when opened, there is a likely chance of poorly repaired accident damage.

Inside the Car

A quick inside checklist:

• Examine the upholstery, trim and carpets for any significant wear
• Make sure the seatbelts are in good condition
• Check all of the lights, equipment & accessories (air conditioning, windscreen wipers, automatic windows, side mirrors, spare tyre, jack and toolkit, central locking, car radio)
• Look for any possible signs of rust under the carpet, and underneath the boot carpet also

Examine the Tyres

The legal minimum tread for car wheels is 1.5mm across the face of the contact surface.

What to look out for:

Excessive Wear: this may indicate poor driving practices and potentially warrants another closer look at the other car’s components like mentioned above.

Uneven Wear on Front Tyres: may indicate that the wheels are misaligned.

Uneven Wear on Rear Tyres: may indicate irreparably bent or warped chassis.

Tread Crowning & Cupping: is not as common as other tyre wear and tear, but it is when the wear is heavier on the outside & inside edges of the tyres. This indicates that the wheels have been driven on in both under-inflated conditions and over-inflated conditions.

Many may hope that sellers are responsible enough to replace these tyres before selling their car to up its market value.

Testing the Transmission

If the transmission isn’t working, the car isn’t going anywhere! Here’s what to check:

Auto Vehicles

When checking for leaks under the bonnet and beneath the car, check for a reddish coloured fluid, this is your transmission fluid. Excessive dirty fluid may be caused by poor vehicle maintenance and can cause automatic vehicles especially to perform poorly.

Additionally, if there is a lapse between the shift of gears when moving the gear selector and the transmission engaging, there is a likely problem. When driving automatic, gears should change smoothly, and jerky shifts are a sign of a weakening transmission.

Manual Vehicles

In a manual vehicle, when you press down on the clutch, you should feel consistent pressure through the full length of the pedal. If it's a soft or ‘spongy’ feeling, this is due to potential damage or leaking fluid lines. To test the clutch, put the car in neutral with the handbrake on and press the clutch pedal down, holding it for a couple of seconds before releasing. You will want to do this two or three times. If there is any squeaking or similar sounds when you engage the clutch, you will want to inspect the transmission more carefully.

If you believe there are issues with the car’s transmission, and are still interested in the vehicle, getting a qualified mechanic to inspect it will minimise the likelihood you end up with a poorly working vehicle. 

What to look for when driving

When you are buying a second-hand car, it is most ideal if you can get the chance to test-drive it. Preferably you would want to test drive it on quieter roads so you concentrate more on the sounds of the car than the outside traffic noise. Take your time with this step, don’t just take it for one spin around the block; test the speeds, test the turning, accelerating and decelerating both on flat roads and uphill, and reversing… you might pick up on more than you realise. 

When driving, also look out for any warning lights and keep an eye on the temperature gauge. Listen for any rattling or other body noises - driving over speed bumps is a good check for this. On a straight road, ease your grip on the steering wheel and see if the car pulls to one side, which can indicate work suspension or misaligned steering.

The car is in another state... don't fret!

If your car is in another state, make sure you ask for as many photos as you need so you can make the best informed decision you can make. Check to see if you have any friends or family in the state where the car is located, see if they can go and make any further checks & test drive the car for you!

If everything ticks these boxes (at least for the most part), you’re ready to go!

And, if you need your car transported interstate, list your car on Truckit.net here: https://www.truckit.net/get-a-quote/cars