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How to inspect a used car
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What you may need to take
with you for a car inspection ?
1. Paper and a pen Make notes about every car marking down the Road Tax number, asking price, mileage, car features, what you like, and what you don't like. These notes will help you in the selection process as well as in the final deal negotiation.
2. Printed copy of Used car checklist.
3. Small flashlight Whether it's looking underneath the car to check for leaks and corrosion or when looking under oil cap to see the condition of internal engine parts, a small flashlight will be very handy.
4. Paper towel.
5. CD-disk and tape to check the radio.
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First Step - checking the car body |
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First, look for the general appearance that is an indication of how well the car was taken care of. Mark down any defects you find: cracks on the windshield, dents, broken lenses, corroded mirrors, worn wipers, missing wheel covers (hubcaps), etc. Later you may ask the dealer to fix these problems as a part of the deal or negotiate the price down accordingly.
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Body lines are straight - no accident |
Look for signs of previous accidents or corrosion. I don't recommend to buy a car that has been involved in a serious accident, even if otherwise it seems to be in good condition. All sorts of problems may arise later as a result of previous accident - excessive tire wear, problems with air conditioner, premature corrosion etc. The same about badly corroded cars; even after repair the rust will reappear later. Take your time; normally it takes 30 - 40 minutes to inspect a whole car body all around.
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Look alongside of the car. The lines of the car body should be perfectly straight. Look at the top image, this Mercedes-Benz hasn't been in an accident, and you can see the body lines are perfectly straight. Look at the reflection: it is perfect, no ripples. Try to check the entire car this way. Ripples indicate possible body repair - check the second image, the rear fender of this Toyota has ripples because it was repaired after an accident.
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Rear fender has ripples - after accident
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Mismatched color - the door is lighter than the fender |
Look at the paint from a distance and from different angles. Does the color of different panels match? Look at the picture - the driver's door of this Corolla is repainted. You can tell that by different colors of the door and the front fender. Check the paint quality. Does one of the panels (door or fender) look shinier than the rest of the car? - Then it might be freshly painted.
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Check all the gaps between the body panels. All gaps should be of the same width and even along the entire length. If any gap seems too narrow or too wide, go to another side of the vehicle and compare. Is it notable different? - Then it's possible the car has been involved in an accident like this white Mazda in the picture. Does the car have lots of rusty spots like the on the image? - I wouldn't even look any further.Even if you repair these spots, the corrosion will reappear later.
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Rear fender has ripples - after accident
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 Corrosion will reappear after repair
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Plus, it's probably even worse underneath; brake lines, fuel lines and many other components might be badly corroded making the car unsafe to drive. To discover repaired corrosion spots try to stick the magnet at the most common places where the corrosion starts - around wheel arches, lower door panels, etc. If the magnet won't stick - there is no metal under the paint, only the body filler. Open the driver's door and try to lift it up on the hinges. The hinges should not have excessive free play. Look for the trailer hitch. If the car was using for towing a heavy trailer, the engine and transmission may be excessively worn.
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