No one likes to start spending money on their new automobile after they have just purchased it with hard savings. Hence, the importance of looking out for signals to warn against buying a potentially bad vehicle. Patriot Autos suggests the following 9 tips.
- Mismatched paint: when you notice inconsistencies in the painting of a car you wish to purchase, it may be a pointer to the fact that you need to ask questions. While faded paints are understandable, mismatched paints could indicate an accident, flood, or an entirely rough past.
- Questionable car history: when your car dealer is not willing to divulge all the information you should have about the car, it might mean that it has mechanical problems. You may not notice these problems during test drives, but they will eventually manifest.
- Offensive smell from the trunk: when you notice a foul smell in the car trunk, it may be a sign of some severe issues; this may be a sign of flood damage, and insurance companies don’t fancy water damages so think again.
- Excessive rust: while some level of rustiness in the car is understandable, you would not want to spend so much money replacing rusted parts of a newly purchased car. If you notice excessive rust in the car, you might be better off walking away.
- Different interior materials: If the car’s materials do not match, it implies too many fault and replacement with (non-compatible) parts, most likely. This should tell you that the car is already deteriorating.
- Cheap car: although we all love low prices, an unrealistically low-priced vehicle should tell you that the car owner is desperate to rid the car. This may be because something is wrong with the car.
- Controlling seller: everyone who sells a used car would want to make it appear in the best light. However, buyers should avoid those sellers who want to dictate every aspect of the test drive or those who entirely refuse test drives.
- Strange sounds: if the car makes strange sounds while running, it may indicate mechanical issues.
- A seller who is opposed to inspection: before buying a used car, get an independent mechanic to inspect it. If your car dealer refuses or insists that you use their mechanic, simply find someone else to buy from as this may mean that he is trying hard to conceal mechanical faults in the car.
