It's horrible to find out that you have been sold a lemon and this can happen to anyone, even if you are buying from a company that's supposed to be established and reputable. However when buying from a private seller your risks are increased if you don't know exactly what you are doing. Be careful you don't end up buying a poor quality car. If you know what to look for you can avoid it, so here are some tips when buying a used auto:-

Research Problem Cars

Find out more about the particular model and year of car you are buying. Often if you do a search on the internet you can bring up websites full of people complaining about tires wearing out or door locks not closing properly. Check out Consumer Reports as they profile vehicles every year and you'll be able to get an idea of what cars should be avoided and what cars are actually pretty good.

Look At For Repairs

carWhen you have found a car that you like and go out to see it, you should of course, have a look at the outside of the car to make sure it look all OK. If you notice that parts of the car bodywork has been resprayed or repaired you need to find out whether it's been in an accident or not. Although it might appear to be pretty minor, it could actually affect the internal structure of the car too. If the work has been done badly you'll be able to see poorly carried out welding marks.

Don't Forget The Interior

The interior of the car should then be examined for damage to the dashboard. You should also make sure that the handles and buttons are there and working. The seatbelts should also be functioning too. Sometimes the car might be advertised as having low mileage however if you see a lot of wear and tear it might not be tru. A lot of wear on the peddles and saggy seats are not good signs. You also want to make sure there's no horrible smell or mildew because there could be problems with condensation and leaks.

Go For A Test Drive

Of course, you'll also want to test drive the car to see if you like the seating position and such like. Make sure you go somewhere that allows you to do an emergency stop because if the brakes fail when you really do need them you could be in a very serious accident. You should also be listening out for unusual noises such as squeaking and scraping. It could be a sign of something important.

Check The History

Before you part with any cash you should also buy a vehicle history report from Experian Automotive or CarFax. They don't cost much money yet can potentially save you thousands of dollars. There are all sorts of things that can be checked such as whether the car has been involved in an accident, fire, salvaged, odometer check.

All too often people are buying cars thinking that everything is OK only to find out that the car is really dangerous or that there is still an outstanding loan on it and the finance company takes it back. There are all sorts of pitfalls so make sure you buy your next car with your eyes very much open.

Tags: car, fruad, lemon, experian, damage