Let us now imagine that the car that fits all your criteria has been found. What should you do next? The first and cheapest thing is to do is to take the car for a test drive. Most people have a general idea as to how a car should behave. If something feels or sounds wrong to you, this is usually a good indication that you should walk away.
If the vehicle seems fine, write down the VIN (vehicle identification number) that you will find at the bottom of the windshield or in the door jam. With this number in hand, you can get the vehicle history report from Carfax, AutoCheck, CarProof and, in some cases, your local DMV. Single reports cost between $30 and $65. All these sites offer up deals if you want to purchase more than one.
These documents will tell you the number of owners that car has had, how long it has been registered, liens and the number of claims. You can also call a dealer of the make or the manufacturer to find out about maintenance (if documented) and repairs done under warranty.
Now, if everything seems to check out and none of these steps indicate that you should stay away from this car, there is one final crucial step that must be taken: the vehicle MUST be inspected by an independent party.
Just before you make an appointment, you can negotiate a price with the seller that will be subject to the result of said inspection. If, for any reason, the dealer has any reserves about the fact that you want to have the car inspected or that they say that they have done their own inspection, do not buy the car. We repeat: do not buy the car. There are hundreds more out there.
If you do not know of a good garage or that they don’t do body inspections (they are often overlooked), you can call the Automobile Protection Association (APA). They have a list of recommended and accredited garages for their members.
You can visit the APA's website here (www.apa.ca) and click here to get a copy of the APA's inspection form.
If the vehicle seems fine, write down the VIN (vehicle identification number) that you will find at the bottom of the windshield or in the door jam. With this number in hand, you can get the vehicle history report from Carfax, AutoCheck, CarProof and, in some cases, your local DMV. Single reports cost between $30 and $65. All these sites offer up deals if you want to purchase more than one.
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| Photo: Thinkstock |
These documents will tell you the number of owners that car has had, how long it has been registered, liens and the number of claims. You can also call a dealer of the make or the manufacturer to find out about maintenance (if documented) and repairs done under warranty.
Now, if everything seems to check out and none of these steps indicate that you should stay away from this car, there is one final crucial step that must be taken: the vehicle MUST be inspected by an independent party.
Just before you make an appointment, you can negotiate a price with the seller that will be subject to the result of said inspection. If, for any reason, the dealer has any reserves about the fact that you want to have the car inspected or that they say that they have done their own inspection, do not buy the car. We repeat: do not buy the car. There are hundreds more out there.
If you do not know of a good garage or that they don’t do body inspections (they are often overlooked), you can call the Automobile Protection Association (APA). They have a list of recommended and accredited garages for their members.
You can visit the APA's website here (www.apa.ca) and click here to get a copy of the APA's inspection form.