6 Questions to Ask When Buying a Used Car

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Thinking of splashing out on a new car, but struggling to find the budget for a brand-new model? Buying a second-hand car can be a cost-effective way to invest in used prestige cars, which may otherwise be outside the reach of your budget. Plus, you can always add a unique touch with a Personalised Number Plate later down the line to enhance its luxurious appeal. However, if you don’t know what to look out for when shopping for your dream car, you could end up making a purchase you’ll regret. You need to know which questions to ask when buying a used car!

A foreign car with a wicker basket tied to the back.

Here are six of the biggest questions to ask when buying a used car

What’s the condition of the car?

One of the first questions to ask when buying a used car will probably be what kind of condition the vehicle is in. We all like to save some money, but we also want to be confident that we’re buying a safe, reliable vehicle and that we’re not getting ripped off in terms of what we pay for it.

While the seller might not be 100% honest if the car is falling apart, knowing about any noticeable damage or general wear and tear could help you to decide how much you think the car is worth.

If the car you’re hoping to purchase is going to require any replacement parts, it’s certainly worth pricing up how much they’ll cost you before parting with your hard-earned cash. My dad recently bought a Jaguar F-Type and he did plenty of research into Jaguar Cars before going ahead with the purchase; of all the websites he used to check prices, he found Jaguar Spares euspares.co.uk to be the cheapest and most accurate.

What’s the fuel economy like?

How much will it cost to fill your tank with fuel and how efficient is the vehicle in terms of fuel consumption? These are important questions to consider as this will impact heavily on the amount you’ll need to spend in order to keep running your vehicle.

If you can afford the initial additional outlay, you might wish to consider purchasing an electric vehicle with electric charging cables; you’d be surprised at how much money this could enable you to save on fuel costs, while also helping to reduce vehicle pollution.

Who is the current registered keeper of the car?

It’s very important to ask the seller of the car who the current registered keeper is. The chances are, it will either belong to the seller or to one of their family members.

However, you really need to establish this for sure when considering which questions to ask when buying a new car, in order to make sure you’re not driving off in a stolen car. Ask to see the V5C registration (otherwise known as the logbook) if you have any suspicions or concerns.

How long does the car have left on its MOT?

Before you buy a used car, make sure you ask the seller when the date of the car’s last MOT was. This will help you to confirm that the car is in safe working order for you to drive away, as well as enabling you to budget for the next MOT.

If the next MOT is due in the near future, you could end up getting landed with a hefty maintenance bill from the garage if the car doesn’t pass. Any oversights could be costly further down the road.

How many miles are on the clock?

Regardless of the age of the vehicle, you need to find out exactly how many miles are on the clock. There’s no use buying a three-year-old car if it’s racked up hundreds of thousands of miles already. Similarly, investing in an old car might not be such a bad idea if it’s only been used to drive to the shops or around the village once or twice a week.

Ask the seller to let you know how many miles are on the odometer and be sure to have a quick glance at the clock to confirm this before parting with any cash.

Is there any outstanding finance left to pay on the car?

Even when you think you’ve found the perfect car and you simply can’t wait to hand over your cash and drive off into the sunset, you’ll still need to check whether there is any outstanding finance on the vehicle.

If the seller originally bought the car brand-new and is still in the process of making payments, you may not be the official owner of the car after you buy it. Often, finance companies will retain legal ownership of the vehicle until every single penny has been paid off.

After checking on this with the seller, run a car check just to be 100% sure. This will also help you to check a few other vital stats such as when the tax and MOT expires, the SORN status of the vehicle, year of manufacture, mileage history and level of CO2 emissions.

What am I going to do with my old car?

When it comes to selling your old car, you can either sell it to the dealership or if your car isn’t in the best shape you can sell it to a used car trader, like used cars chester.

Have you ever bought a used car? What questions would you recommend other readers to ask in order to be sure they’re getting a good deal? Share your ideas below.

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This is a collaborative post.