What To Check Before Buying A Car?
Instructions for the safe purchase of a car: How to correctly and safely conduct a car sale and purchase transaction? How to make sure that you will not run into any hidden problem?
Buying a car is not only a costly business, but also a responsible one. Quite often, car enthusiasts buy used cars due to their cost. Before making a sale and purchase transaction, you should carefully prepare for it. In order to save money, buyers try to do without the services of intermediaries, such as resellers or small car companies selling used cars. Before searching for a car, you need to thoroughly study the selected model; there is enough information in the reviews about all cars. It is important to pay attention to what problems can most often occur with a given vehicle. It is also important to monitor the price of this car. And only after that start looking for a car. When the car is found, then you should not immediately conclude a sales contract, even if it seems that it fits perfectly.
There are three main steps that will help secure a car sale and purchase transaction, so they must be followed.
VIN check.
After the car has been chosen, it does not matter how and where, at the car market, with a neighbor or on special sites, you should check it. A conscientious seller can easily provide the original PTS or his photo, where all the necessary information is located. The buyer should be alerted if a copy is provided, this, as a rule, indicates that the original is in the bank with which the car is pledged.
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) – WikipediaThe most informative way to find out all the ins and outs of the purchased car is to check the VIN, which is available in almost all cars. Vehicle Identification Number is a unique 17-digit code that contains information about the year of manufacture, manufacturer and all data about the car. Regulated by ISO-3779-1983 and ISO-3780 standards. The VIN code is stamped on special plates, nameplates, which are located on the left front body pillar, on the upper part of the front panel of the cab, also on the left.
What to look for first of all: there must be a complete match of the code on the car and on the vehicle, the code itself must be knocked out, without any abrasions, traces of putty and generally visible traces of outside interference. Then you should punch the wine code on some verified site. This service is not free, but it will allow you to find out almost everything about the car.
What does the VIN check give:
- information about the participation of the car in road accidents;
- whether there is an encumbrance, the car can be mortgaged, stolen or belong to third parties;
- number of car owners;
- current mileage;
- whether the car was used to work in a taxi;
- information about car insurance.
This information can be provided by the owner of the car, but it will never be superfluous to double-check it from objective sources.
Vehicle inspection.
In order to be sure of the condition of the car you are buying, you should invite a professional who can determine the real condition of the car. If, for some reason, it is not possible to invite a specialist, and you need to inspect the car yourself, then you should pay attention to the following nuances:
- the color of the car should be uniform, without waves and tuberosity;
- inspect the car for corrosion, pay special attention to sills, wheel arches and wheel arches;
- see the joints and gaps of doors and hoods, they must be the same;
- the gas tank flap should open easily, the car doors should open without unnecessary effort and squeaks;
- there should not be perfect cleanliness under the hood, because perfect cleanliness indicates that the owner is carefully hiding something, most likely an oil leak;
- the hoses are free of cracks and damage;
- the car should start without jerking or whistling sounds;
- exhaust gases should not be black;
- it is imperative to check how the car is driving, and for this to choose not the most even road, which will allow you to hear all the defects in the suspension;
- car interior trim is also important, worn seat covers will tell you that the car was most likely used in a taxi.
It is clear that a supported car is rarely in perfect condition, but an inspection is extremely important to avoid unforeseen expenses. If, nevertheless, defects were found that require immediate intervention, then it makes sense to reduce the price of the car by the cost of this intervention.
Contract of sale.
A sample contract is freely available on the Internet. It must be printed in duplicate and filled in. The following clauses must be present in the car purchase agreement:
- Full name, registration address and passport details of the seller and the buyer;
- The name of the settlement where the contract is signed and the date;
- Information about the car from the TCP and the registration state number;
- Full cost, method and order of payment. The amount is written in numbers and in words, indicating the currency;
- When and where the car should be handed over.
The contract will be required to register the vehicle with the traffic police.
Printable Vehicle Purchase Agreement TemplatesConclusion
For everyday transportation, people are increasingly choosing a car. A few decades ago, large streets in cities were free, city dwellers did not know what a traffic jam was. Now there are more and more cars. Even every family has a car, and someone has several of them. The modern automotive industry offers a huge variety of vehicles for every taste. Therefore, in order not to get lost in this variety, it is necessary to make a quality checking a car before buying.
By fulfilling these conditions, you can minimize the likelihood of unexpected consequences as much as possible.