How did you get the car? Was it traded
in on a new car? Was it bought from an auction? Was it bought from
another dealership? Cars that were traded in by the original owner
are usually the nicest used cars. Cars that are sold through an auto
auction are not usually as nice as trade ins. Sometimes dealers will
sell cars to other dealers.
How many owners has this car had? One owner used cars are
typically nicer cars. The original owner usually takes better care
of a car than someone who buys it used.
Has the car ever been wrecked, flooded, salvaged, stolen or had
the odometer rolled back? The salesperson will usually try to avoid
giving you a straight answer on this. You may get as answer like
“not to my knowledge,” or “the person who traded it in assured us it
has not.” Those are bogus answers. Most anyone who has sold cars for
a while can spot a car that has been wrecked from a mile away. If
the salesperson doesn’t know, I guarantee the used car manager does.
Besides, it’s simple to run a CARFAX and see if the car has ever
been wrecked.
What’s the book value on this car? This is one of those questions
you should know the answer to before asking. You can easily check
the value of any car at Edmunds. But the answer the salesperson
gives will show how forthcoming they are going to be.
Do you have the title? If a car has been traded in that the
previous owner owed money on the title may still be held at the
bank. Technically dealers aren’t supposed to sell a car that they do
not have a title for, but it happens all the time. Without the title
present you could run into delays in registering your car and buying
license plates. If the dealer does’ have the title present get a
firm commitment, in writing, as to when it will be available. If you
can’t get a commitment, don’t buy.
Who owned this car before? If the car was traded the dealer will
have the previous owner’s name and contact info. Call them and ask
about the car. You may uncover a potential problem. Note: if the
dealer tries to tell you that they don’t have the previous owner’s
info, or that they can’t release that information due to “privacy
laws,” it probably means they know the previous owner won’t give the
car a good recommendation. The Gramm Leach Billey Privacy Act allows
consumers to opt out of being contacted, but most never do. The only
time privacy laws would apply is if someone had requested NOT to be
contacted.
Do you have the maintenance records? If a dealer wants you to pay
full price for a used car they should have the complete maintenance
records. Carefully review the paperwork and look for any previous
problems. If there are several repair orders for the same problem
verify that the problem ha been fixed. Watch out for any major
component failures like the engine or transmission.
What repairs have you made to the car since you got it? The
dealership should have a record of anything done to the car. At a
minimum the car should have had an oil change and safety inspection,
which covers brakes, headlights and brake lights, windshield wipers
and tires. Make sure the car passed the inspection, and any problems
have been corrected. Find out if there is any scheduled maintenance
due on the car. If the car needs additional service work take this
into account when negotiating -- and let the salesperson know you
know.
How long have you had this car? Nice cars with no problems sell
first. If a car has been hanging around on the dealer’s lot for 6
months there is usually a reason why. Either the price is too high,
or there is something wrong with it.
Does CARFAX show any problems? When you run a CARFAX you can get
the complete vehicle history instantly. Find out if the car has ever
been in a crash, whether it has been salvaged and rebuilt, if it has
been flooded, stolen, or been in a fire. CARFAX will even show if
the vehicle has been used commercially as a fleet car, taxi, or lomousine. Always get the facts on any used car by checking CARFAX
first.
