How to Avoid a Lemon When Buying a Used Car Online

If you are thinking of buying a used car, you may have heard of many rumors and misconceptions floating around the market. Although buying a pre-owned car requires some caution, it doesn’t mean that such cars are not fit to be driven safely on the road.

If you do your homework, you can become the proud owner of a used car that provides you with good value for your money. However, if you don’t use due diligence, you may end up with a lemon — and that’s not something you want.

Here are a few things you should consider when buying used cars for sale.

Find Out What You Need

Although buying a car, whether used or otherwise, can be a very exciting thought, you need to curb your enthusiasm. You may have a budget to buy the sleek black Porsche you were lucky enough to find in well-maintained condition — but is it really something that is suitable for your family? Maybe, you would be better off with a sturdy and reliable SUV that could seat your spouse, your kids, and your dogs and take them on road trips and picnics.

To avoid falling down the rabbit hole of temptation, it is important that you make a list of what your family needs for a car. How many people should a car be able to seat? How much legroom is required? How much trunk space is available? Is it child-proof? It should also have some features that your family absolutely needs when you are traveling.

So whatever type of vehicle you decide to buy, to make it a smart investment, you should factor in your lifestyle and practicality.

Do Preliminary Research

Once you have figured out what kind of vehicle would be suitable for your family, you need to find out about its cost. The Kelley Blue Book allows you to find out the prices for both new and used vehicles. It also offers customer reviews and expert opinions on car ratings, performance valuation tools, and more.

With the Kelley Blue Book, you can find out which type of car has the feature that you want and how much it will cost in the used car market. This will help you shortlist the car models that fulfill your needs in the best possible way.

Work out the Budget

Although it may seem like an opportunity of a lifetime to see a Mercedes-Benz that is being sold at half its price, you need to figure out whether you can even afford that price. Remember that your car budget will include the sales prices of the used car, any registration or government fees, transportation fees, any repairs or tune-ups, and monthly insurance for the car.

If you cannot afford all of these things, you need to let that car go and look for another more feasible option. A used car dealership gives you the benefit of choosing a vehicle depending on its price.

Consider Auto Financing Options

If you do not currently have the cash to buy yourself a car, considering auto financing is a good option to buy a used car. However, you will find that most banks and lending agencies will not be very amenable to giving loans for cars that are more than five years old. Plus, the annual percentage rate for a used car is about 5% if you have an excellent credit score and much higher than that if you have a lower than average credit score.

However, don’t lose hope yet.

Some used car dealerships offer excellent auto financing options if you are able to show your proof of identity, residency, and income. So if you are thinking of availing of the auto financing options, you should keep these documents ready to expedite the procedure.

Find out About the Vehicle’s History

Your chosen vehicle may appear newly minted from the outside and the inside; however, to get a true estimate of its condition, you will need to take a look at its record of incidents. Online resources like CarFax can provide you all the details you need to know about a car’s documented history, how many times it has exchanged hands, what kind of condition it is in, and its odometer reading.

Some used car dealerships will be happy to run the car’s history for you.

Check for Important Safety Features

Unless you are buying a vintage or classic car, most used cars for sale will have all the trappings of a modern, safety-oriented car. You can find used cars that come with all the essential safety features like antilock braking system, side airbags, etc., and they are not removed when the car is being sold to another person.

If you want to know which safety features your chosen car will have, you can visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute website and check it for crashworthiness and crash avoidance. Alternatively, you can also visit the car manufacturer’s website to see its safety features and then compare it with other cars.

Make Pre-Purchase Inspections

One of the most important things you need to remember to do when buying a used car is pre-purchase inspection. If you are good with cars, you can come on over to the used car’s warehouse and check the interior and exterior of your chosen vehicle yourself.

If you cannot make the visit, you can hire an independent and neutral mechanic who can run a basic inspection of the car to make sure everything is as advertised.

Look for Warranty

A lot of people believe that used cars do not come with a warranty. However, this is not necessarily true. A used car comes with a warranty of three years typically. However, there are many car owners who sell off their car in a year or two, which means if you choose such a car, you will still be left with a year or two of warranty.

At a used car dealership, you may see a term “certified pre-owned,” which means the vehicle is still covered by its warranty. In addition, there are some car dealers who will let you buy the car for an extended warranty. At PA Auto Sales, we offer you three months of warranty when you buy a car.

Check Out Car Title

A very important thing you should check for is car title when buying a pre-owned vehicle. If there are no loans or liens on the car, the dealership should have the vehicle’s title. If it does not, then you should be suspicious and stay well away from that car.

Make sure that all the key documents associated with buying a car are complete and valid before you pay your hard-earned money for it.

The Takeaway

Buying a car from a used car dealership is only risky if you do not first do the necessary research for it. It shouldn’t be too difficult since anyone would perform due diligence even when buying a new car.

If you have a car that your heart is set on, why not try PA Auto Sales to look for it. We offer a huge inventory of cars in most makes and models. We offer the most competitive prices in the market as well as extended warranties so that you can own the vehicle of your dreams!