Avoid a Banger (General Comments / Tips Concerning Your Car)

Name: tonybone

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Product:	General Comments / Tips Concerning Your Car
Date:	04/01/02 (63 review reads)
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There’s nothing nicer than having a brand new car. The bodywork is perfect, the interior smells new, the odometer is virtually at zero and you are the envy of your neighbours and friends. The catch? Well, a lot of people can’t really afford a brand new car and of course, there is the small matter of it devaluing by a few thousand pounds as soon as it’s driven off the forecourt. The alternative to many people, is to buy a second hand car. However, there are certain pitfalls with this. The car becomes an unknown quantity - we don’t know how well it has been treated, what is wrong with it, or if it has ever been in an accident. However, with a bit of time and care it is possible to get a good deal without losing out.

So, how do you go about buying a second hand car? Assuming you know what kind of car you are looking for, you then have to decide where you are going to buy it from. There are three main ways to buy a second hand car and each of them have their advantages and disadvantages. It really is down to the individual to choose the best way for them.

++ Buying from a private seller

This is one of the most common ways to buy a car in the UK. The advantages of buying privately are that you can get a much better price because there is no dealer trying to make a profit out of the car. Another advantage is that you get to see the current owner of the car to possibly get an idea of how they may have treated it - although this is not guaranteed, you would probably feel happier buying a car from a middle aged housewife than from a 18 year old lad. There are various ways that private cars are advertised, which include local newspapers and regional magazines such as the Exchange & Mart and Auto Trader.

On the downside, there are a few dangers of buying privately. Firstly that you have virtually no comeback on the seller. It is important to be sure that the car is not stolen - a HPI check should ensure this, as w
ell as checking if there is any money outstanding on it. You should also beware of traders posing as private sellers so that buyers have no comeback. This phenomenon can be spotted by people advertising with mobile phone numbers or by advertising a barrage of vehicles in a magazine. The first thing my dad taught me when phoning for a car, is to make your first question "I’m phoning about the vehicle for sale". This will then force a "dealer" to say "which one?"

On this subject, it is worth finding about as much as you possibly can about the car whilst on the phone. This will give you a better idea of whether it will suit you and can save you a wasted journey. You should ask questions such as the colour, the mileage, how many owners it has had, whether it has ever been in an accident, if it has MoT and tax, and although it may seem rude, the most important question is "why are you selling it?" If the reason is genuine, then the owner will not mind telling you.

++ A dealer

There are various types of dealers out there, ranging from the small forecourt on the outskirts of a town, up to a franchised dealer. The thing that they all have in common is that you are more protected when you buy a car. They must all follow legal guidelines and you do have comeback on them if things go wrong - although the comeback may vary! Generally, the car should not have anything mechanically wrong with it and if it does, the dealer must disclose it. It must also reflect the description in any advert that is placed. Another advantage that you get from a dealer is that quite often the cars are already HPI checked, serviced and valeted before sale. Some even pay for independent checks to be done on them which can save you paying out! On the downside the prices you pay from dealers are usually well over the odds as they are trying to make a profit.

++ An auction

This is an area that I’m not th
at experienced in as I have only been to one. The emphasis here is that you can pick up real bargains but the risk factor is increased. You will see a variety of vehicles here, varying from ex-fleet cars, dealer part exchanges and finance repossessions. You can view the cars before they go for auction but cannot test drive them and to this end, they are sold as seen. The other point to make is that some people are auction experts and to an amateur it can seem daunting. You should be careful of owners who have put their car for auction, bidding themselves (or getting someone they know to bid) to try to push the value of the car up - never continue bidding if you are unsure that the car is worth that much.

++ What to look for

Now that you have decided where you are going to buy your car from, it is time to inspect the car itself. By far the safest bet is to pay a third party to inspect the car for you. I believe that such companies as the AA and RAC perform these inspections for you. I am not too sure of the cost but I’m sure it is in 3 figures. Although offsetting that against the cost of replacing a car that turns out to be faulty, it can be money well spent! If you cannot afford to pay for one of these inspections, or don’t feel that the value of the vehicle warrants it, then it still pays to take someone with you (preferably someone who knows their way around a car!)

So what do we look for? There are many checks that you can do, and I’m not going to tediously recite every one that I can think of, but here are a few essentials:

First of all check all the documents that come with the car - this includes the V5 registration document, service book and the MoT. Check that the chassis number of the car matches what is on the V5 and MoT. You can also see the description of the car and how many owners it has had - you don’t want to be buying a 1.2 in blue when the V5 says a red 1.6!! Likewise, check that the
current owner (if private) is listed on the V5.

Check that all the tyres on the car have a reasonable amount of tread left, including the spare. More important than this is to check if the wear is even across each tyre and side. If not, it could mean that there is something wrong with the tracking or worse!

Next it is best to check the suspension by pushing down on each corner of the car and seeing how much the car bounces - I believe that it shouldn’t really bounce more than once or twice if the shock absorbers are OK.

Check all around the bodywork on the car. Look down the side for any dents that are not immediately apparent. Take a look at where the panels meet, firstly for any misalignment and secondly to check if the colours match - if they don’t, it hints at the car having panels replaced or re-sprayed at some point. Finally, check that all the doors close easily and don’t leave uneven gaps with the body of the car - this goes for the boot and bonnet as well.

Look for evidence of rust, especially on older cars, and cars that are prone to it. Remember that rust usually first appears in places that are out of sight, so it’s best to get yourself a bit dirty looking under the wheel arches. The other place that it often appears is around the petrol cap. Having a bodykit may look nice but it an ideal place to hide rust (I dread to think what is under mine!) so check if the bodykit seems to be "puffing out" in places which could indicate rust underneath.

It really is best to drive the car yourself to firstly get a feel for whether you like it, and secondly whether it drives "right". Remember that not all insurance policies cover you to drive any other car, so you may have to let the seller drive you in it, or perhaps get your friend to drive if they have appropriate cover. I don’t profess to be an expert by ANY means, but I’ve test driven a few cars and here are
the things to check for.

Firstly, check that the car is cold (some people run it for a while to hide any starting problems). It should start easily and if you look in the rear view mirror, there should be no blue smoke coming out of the back. Check that the car is idling properly and then move off. I won’t bore anyone by going through everything to look for, but essentially, make sure that the engine is responsive and not too noisy. Make sure that the gear changes are smooth and that the biting point on the clutch isn’t too high. Check that the brakes work sufficiently and that the suspension feels OK. Check the car’s interior for defects and look at the odometer for signs of scratching, which would indicate that the car has been clocked.

The above is not an exhaustive list and there are many other things that you can check on a car. As I said before, it is best to get it inspected by a professional for peace of mind. In summary, buying a second hand car can save you a lot of money, and most of the time you can get a perfectly respectable car with no problems. However it just pays to invest a little time and money to ensure that you avoid the potential pitfalls of second hand buying. Happy motoring! ***

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