A Little Introduction To Used Cars

Cars are great. Or at least, they can be. Cars are a bit of a curse as well as a blessing. But like with anything else in life, it's mostly up to you whether cars will make your life more easy or more difficult.

A car is a great thing to have. Most people enjoy driving a good car. I know I do. I'm the proud owner of a black Seat Ibiza with a mean Diesel engine myself. I love that thing and I hope it will last me many more years. But I've also owned some pretty bad cars in the past. Did not like that experience much.

Let's face it. Cars are overpriced. At least, new ones are. You would do well to buy cheap old cars for sale instead. Used cars are so much cheaper than new ones. The big problem with new cars is that they lose half their value as soon as you drive them out of the seller's car lot.

The problem with used cars, however, is that their warranty has expired and you have a higher risk of complications. However, there is much you can do to prevent yourself from buying a crummy used car. If you know what you're doing, then it's much easier to get bang for your buck buying second hand cars than with buying new ones.

Before I tell you how to buy a second hand car, let me tell you...

How Not To Buy A Used Car!

The first time I bought a car, I didn't really buy a car. It actually bought a lemon. You've probably heard of the expression. To 'buy a lemon' means to buy a car that either had all sorts of things wrong with it, or it ended up on the scrapheap in less than a year.

In my case, it was the latter. The car I bought was a Suzuki Swift from 1992. This was back in 2005. The car was already pretty old at the time, but the seller advertised a low mileage count on the counter. When I arrived at his place to have a look at the car, the car looked totally beat up.

The mileage counter had only 50.000 miles on the counter alright. But judging by the looks of the car, the counter had gone over the top more than once. In retrospect, I estimate the car had seen at least 300.000 miles already.

Also in retrospect, I can't believe I was stupid enough to buy the car anyway. It coughed up almost $1,000 for it. The reason I bought the car... it was a combination of inexperience in the noble art of car buying and the pressing need to own a car right now.

You see, I just got a new job and I needed to get my hands on a car really quickly.

Within a few months, the brakes were broken. I had to pay for new ones, which cost me a few hundred bucks. Less than a year later, the car went to the scrapheap. What a lousy piece of scrappage that turned out to be.

It was a very useful lesson that I had learned. Such a waste of money is not quickly forgotten. I wasn't going to be beat by one bad experience. I brushed it off and set out to buy a new car. I was pretty determined to learn more about cars so I would be able to make better buying decisions.

When it comes to cars, there is nothing worse than buyer's remorse. Buyer's remorse is something you'll want to avoid like the black plague!

Now we're getting to the meat of this post. I know exactly how to prevent buyer's remorse. So with further ado, here's...

How To Buy A Used Car!

Like I said... second hand cars are, by definition, older than new cars. They've got some mileage on them and most used cars come with at least a few nicks and scratches. This is alright though, because when buying second hand vehicles, you're out to get as much bang for your buck as possible.

The most important thing about a used car is that its innards are well maintained and in working order. The most important car parts to watch for are the:

1. Engine
2. Brakes
3. Gear box / shift
4. Steering wheel
5. Tires

These are the parts which are most expensive as well as the easiest to check.

In order to be able to judge a second hand car that you are about to take for a spin, you have to pay attention to all of these things. If you do and you're able to comfortably tell yourself that they are all in working order... then it's probably safe to buy this second hand car.

Provided that the seller is asking a reasonable price for it ofcourse. So before purchasing any used car at all, make sure that you have searched for similar used vehicles on the Internet. Look for cars of the same brand, year and mileage. Compare those car's prices to the car that you are looking to buy!

How To Judge A Used Car's Engine?

The engine is the most expensive part in most cars. You do not want to buy a car with a bad engine, because you'll regretting it soon enough. Contrary to what you may think, you do not need to pop open the hood in order to be able to judge the engine's quality and remaining lifespan.

As a matter of fact, most people have no experience with car parts whatsoever. So looking under the hood will tell most people precisely nothing. I check my car's hood all the time and after all these years... even I can't judge a book by its cover.

I suggest you have a good listen to the car engine when you test drive it. If the car's engine fires up quickly, then this is already a good sign. But many good car engines sometimes take a second or two to fire up when it's cold. A slow start up does not necessarily mean that the engine is about to die on you.

What's most important about the engine, is the sound it makes. Listen to the engine roar when you are driving it. Pay attention to how well the car accelerates? Is it having trouble getting up to speed, or does it feel like it's got some pulling power left in it?

You don't need to be a car expert in order to tell a bad engine from a good engine. You've heard plenty of cars drive by in your lifetime and you just know a good one from a bad one when you hear one. Listen to your gut!

How To Test A Used Car's Brakes?

The brakes are pretty darn important. Getting good acceleration is one thing. But where there is acceleration, there must inevitably be deceleration as well. Fact of life folks... I don't like it either, but there ya have it!

The brakes of a car can sometimes be very expensive to replace. In some cars the brakes will be harder to replace than in others. Every car is built in another way. The more difficult it is for a car mechanic to replace the brakes, the longer he will take and the more it will cost you.

The cost of brake replacement often come from working hours and not so much from the cost of the brakes themselves. But you gotta have working brakes. Only a complete moron would drive around in a car with brakes that are about to croak.

Therefore, test the used car's brakes by actually using them. Don't be afraid to step on those babies hard. You need to test how well they work, so you'll need to apply some stress!

A car with good brakes will be able to stop in a straight line when you slam on the brakes while going 25 miles an hour or so. 25 Miles is not a very high speed, so going to a full stop from this speed doesn't count as a risky manouver. Just don't do it when somebody is right behind you.

The straighter a car's brake line is, the better the brakes are. If the car swerves to all sides while braking, I suggest you look for another one.

How To Try Out A Used Car's Gear Shift?

Acceleration and deceleration are what get you from A to B. But not without a working gear box, it won't!

The gear box is used to shift a car's gears so you can get decent pulling power at low speeds, medium speeds and high speeds. A new gear box is no laughing matter. You'll pay at least a few hundred dollars for a new one. So make sure the used car you are looking at has a good one.

You can determine the gear box's remaining lifespan by shifting gears and paying attention to how well it goes. Simply put: the gear shift ought to be operable with relative ease. If every single shift means you've gotta have a power struggle with the shift stick... tell the seller 'Thanks, but no thanks!'.

How To Determine A Used Car's Steering Wheel Functionality?

When test driving a second hand vehicle, don't just take it for a spin on the high way. Also make sure to turn a few corners. Pay attention to how well the steering wheel does its job.

Are the car's wheels turning smoothly, or is it necessary to sometimes give the steering wheel an extra tug to get the car to obey?

Make sure to test going right as well as going left. If the car is doing a good job at turning right, it doesn't imply that it does an equally good job at turning left.

If operating the steering wheel is a struggle, leave this car be and go look for another one somewhere else.

How To Estimate A Used Car's Tire Lastibility?

The tires are the one part in the list of essentials that you won't be able to check while you are driving the car.

Unless you're driving on an icey road and the car gets into a slip (in which case you'll know the tires aren't right), you're going to have to get out of the car and inspect them up close.

You probably won't have the 'luck' of test driving on an icy road and getting into a slip. So an up close inspection it is!

When checking out the tires, have a look at the grooves. These need to be deep enough in order for the tire to be in good order. The minimal depth that is required in most states, is 2/32th of an inch.

Most people won't have a ruler with them to measure the tire grooves. Therefore, you can also use a penny or a quarter. When you shove a penny into a tire's grooves and Lincoln's head partly disappears from view, you're looking at a good tire!

Good Luck Buying Used Cars!

I hope that you, the reader, have learned something from my mistakes. There are many more things to watch when buying a used car.

However, the things listed above are by far the most important ones to watch for. This is a really good guideline I'm giving you here. I wish I would've had this knowledge when I set out to buy my first car.

May you never buy a lemon in your life!