Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting our website.

What they DON’T want you to know about buying used cars!

This post is a sponsored post and contains affiliate/sponsored links.  However my opinions are my own. Always.

Don't Buy Another Used Car Without Reading This First

Finding a new previously loved vehicle can be a pain.  Especially if you are buying out of necessity and need to get one quickly!  We recently had that experience and I can give you a pretty decent list of things I should have done differently.

Humorously, with the knowledge I’m sharing with you below, I could have saved a lot of time and troubles.  Go figure.  On the bright side, I shouldn’t make the same mistake again.  Well, we will probably make the buying out of necessity mistake again, but not the rest!

Here’s Some Great Things to Know BEFORE You Buy:

The statute of limitations on vehicle, according to the NHTSA is ten years to have it fixed at no charge.  You can find any vehicle recall on Cars Dot Com.    If the vehicle is less than ten years old, dealerships will repair it a recall within this limit at no charge.

You can get a fair price estimate for repairs from nearby service centers in just a few seconds!  No more overpaying for work to be done!

Make sure the dealer has the title on hand!  I recently purchased a used car and it has been 4 months.  I still don’t have a title.  Fortunately, I could get a tag with a letter from the dealer but it has been unpleasant.  It still makes me nervous not having the title.

Do your research!  Knowledge is an ever powerful thing in all situations.  Get the VIN number from the seller and run it.  You need to know the history.  Has it been wrecked? Sold repeatedly? If the seller won’t give you that information, move on to another lot.  Trust me, you won’t regret NOT buying it but you may regret doing it without knowing anything about the vehicle.

What To Know About Buying a Used CarTake it to a mechanic you trust and have them check it out.  You can also run by auto zone and have them hook their diagnostics tool up, something is better than nothing!

Even if you know nothing about cars, check under the hood for any dents, rust, corrosion, or other damage.  You don’t have to know what something is to be able to tell that there is a problem with it.  Even if the seller says it’s not important, get a second opinion.  It could be nothing, or it could be something that is huge just waiting to happen.

Check the mileage.  High mileage is obviously not good, especially if it is a newer vehicle.  Of course, regardless of mileage the most important thing is how well the vehicle was maintained previously.

I hope these help you out before you buy your next vehicle.  Remember, most of this can apply to most things with an engine!  Boats and motorcycles aren’t much different in this regard!

Getting Rid of ‘Junk’ Cars?

Kaycee

Hi all! My name is Kaycee. I live in Arkansas with my husband of over 15 years! We have a grown daughter, a son-in-love and 2 grandson. Just love being Nonna! We also have an angel waiting on us to join her one day, she was 11 months old when she went to Heaven. We also have two great Chihuahuas and a Great Dane, along with several fish in our koi pond. My educational background is in Psychology and Child Development but my heart is in ministry, crafts, fun, reviews and my website, My Crafty Zoo. I look forward to continuing to share my life through word and pictures with you and love hearing your feedback! Thank you for taking the time to read and allowing me to share! I look forward to reading your comments!

2 thoughts on “What they DON’T want you to know about buying used cars!

  • May 3, 2022 at 4:20 pm
    Permalink

    This is very good information!! We always ask for a car fax report and check the Bluebook value of a car before we buy a car. I never knew about that NHTSA law of ten years to have a car fixed at no charge! WHY would they not tell us?? That’s why I don’t trust car dealerships!! They are NOT trustworthy!! This is definitely worth Knowing beforehand & pin worthy!! Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
  • December 20, 2021 at 3:25 pm
    Permalink

    This is a great article. I think if it has had multiple owners in a short time is a red flag also.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *