There are several ways to purchase a used car, and going to a car dealership is one of them. This option is good if you have no experience in choosing and purchasing a car yourself. In addition, by purchasing a used car from a dealership, the buyer increases the likelihood that the transaction will go smoothly. But this does not mean that you should neglect checking the car yourself. After all, salon is different from salon.
Read about the pitfalls when buying a car at a car dealership in our separate article. In this article we will tell you what nuances should be taken into account when checking a car from the showroom.
What to check when buying a car at a dealership
As with any inspection of a used car, pay attention to:
- Appearance. Inspect the body for chips, rust and dents. The body should not “drive”. Uneven glare on the surface often indicates a vehicle's accident history.
- The performance of moving parts - doors, trunk, hood, handles. Locks and mechanisms must be in good working order.
- Matching serial numbers. Compare the numbers stamped on the body with those indicated in the PTS - there should be no differences.
- Salon. Visible defects are hidden under the upholstery, and possible sources of unpleasant odors are hidden with pleasant air fresheners.
- Odometer reading. The average annual mileage of a car is 5-10 thousand kilometers. Compare the year of manufacture and mileage - an obvious discrepancy should alert you. Avoid a car whose annual mileage exceeds several tens of thousands of kilometers - such people often worked in taxis in the past, which means the technical condition leaves much to be desired.
- Trunk. The check is an assessment of the gaps between body parts - they should be the same, and the interior space should be free of rust.
If you take enough time to check your car at the dealership, you will save energy on further vehicle repairs.
Test drive a used car before purchasing
If after the inspection you still have a question about how to check a car at a car dealership, ask for a test drive - some provide such a service. Once behind the wheel of a car, you can instantly determine its advantages and disadvantages in operation. There should be no extraneous sounds heard in the engine, much less knocks and whistles. Pedals are subject to mandatory inspection - sticking is unacceptable, but they should also give in easily.
It’s easier to check a “horse” with mileage on the go - choose various sections of the road so that you can accelerate, make sharp braking, and drive over uneven roads. As a rule, such conditions make it possible to identify previously undetected defects.
For help in inspecting the machine, you can contact a specialist. However, not every car dealership will allow you to take your car to a service station for diagnostics. Therefore, you can invite a visiting specialist with you to the transaction. You can order on-site diagnostic services on the Autocode website. An auto expert will arrive on site at any time and give an adequate assessment of the car after a thorough inspection.
If you are a professional car seller, use the “Autocode Pro” unlimited car check service. “Autocode Pro” allows you to quickly check a large number of cars, add comments to reports, create your own lists of liquid vehicles, quickly compare options and store data about cars in an orderly form.
Legal check of the car
Check the car in advance for restrictions, credit and other nuances in its history. You can also do this using the Autocode service. According to state number or VIN can be found here:
- year of issue;
- number of owners;
- car mileage;
- customs history;
- participation of the vehicle in an accident and indication of the most damaged parts;
- work of a car in a taxi.
Also from the report you will learn the cost of compulsory motor liability insurance, the history of fines and much more.
Can a car with zero mileage be damaged?
We are usually afraid of purchasing a beat-up used car. As for a new car, as a rule, such fears do not arise in us. But in vain. Although this is unlikely, nevertheless, scandals have occurred in our country when broken new cars were sold to people in showrooms. For example, new cars may be damaged during transportation. Or test-drive cars may get into accidents. Unfortunately, not all dealers on the market are decent. Some showrooms practice restorative repairs of such emergency new cars and subsequent sale under the guise of a new one.
And if you think that a well-known online brand does not do this, then you are mistaken. No one is immune from such a “gift”. So before paying for a car, be sure to check the thickness of the paintwork on your new car using a thickness gauge. This way you will sleep more peacefully.
Signing the purchase and sale agreement
Before purchasing and signing the contract, read all clauses and footnotes, even if this opportunity was previously provided, since the manager may have two versions of the contract - one for review, the other with amendments for signing. Changes, as a rule, are of a disadvantageous nature for the buyer - this may include a refusal of warranty service or previously unspecified breakdowns. What scheme is often used by “gray” salons, the risk of encountering them is not excluded.
The law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” allows you to protect the rights of the buyer, according to which the victim has the right to return the car to the dealership within 15 calendar days after the transaction, but the reason for the return must be justified. Returning a car is possible if this clause is specified in the purchase and sale agreement. It should also be taken into account that the warranty does not cover all types of breakdowns, the list of which is also indicated in the contract.
Also read: Buying a used car at a car dealership: pitfalls
How to pick up a car from a car dealership?
It’s not enough to buy a car; you also need to not be left out in the cold when dealing with cunning car dealership managers. Unfortunately, when buying a new car at an official car dealership, the buyer is absolutely not protected from accidentally buying a car with defects or that has been in an accident.
There are quite a lot of cases when a theoretically new car, which you chose for a long time and painfully, turned out to be damaged and painted; quite recently, such a story happened to our forum member.
Moreover, dating at a dealership is by no means a guarantee; the author knows of a case where a girl bought a seriously damaged and painted car at a dealership where her father was the director of a service station. Everything became clear two years later during the sale. So personal connections don’t solve anything either.
What to do to avoid “pleasant” surprises? Keep your ears open and stick to simple tips.
Do not sign anything without making sure the quality of the car
As a rule, it is not possible to see your car immediately after concluding a purchase/sale agreement and payment; the first acquaintance takes place directly on the day of delivery.
A clean and licked car by specially trained people is waiting in the delivery area, the managers are smiling, the keys are in their hands and their hands are itching to get behind the wheel and rush off into the distance. But you should remain patient. The car will still not be considered yours until you sign the acceptance certificates.
As soon as you sign on them and leave the salon, any identified damage will become acquired by you personally and it will be extremely difficult to prove something to the car dealership. Therefore, the buyer’s golden rule: do not sign anything until you are completely sure that everything is in order with the car.
In addition to the acceptance/transfer acts, there will be other documents that will need to be signed. Don’t forget to read everything, and also stock up in advance with the phone number of a competent lawyer who will be ready to advise you on unclear points.
Vehicle inspection
When buying your first car, you should involve an experienced person in the process of getting it who “knows where to look.” If among your friends there is an expert appraiser, then this is an ideal option.
A “huckster” or just an experienced buyer of a used car would be perfect. If you don’t have such acquaintances, then at least an experienced car enthusiast.
In any case, two pairs of eyes are better than one, and an experienced motorist will somehow see more than a classic “teapot”.
Inspection plan
Vehicle equipment
Print out in advance or save to your phone a detailed description of the machine’s configuration from the manufacturer’s website and check that your machine corresponds in all details to what is described.
Paintwork
Carefully inspect the car from all sides from different angles. Repainted parts, as a rule, are poorly visible at the right angle, but can begin to “play” when the viewing angle changes.
Please note any suspicions; perhaps you will still need an expert with a special paintwork thickness measuring device, who can definitely determine that the car has been repainted.
Hard-to-reach areas such as bumper edges and sills can be felt for scratches/chips and uneven paint.
Staffing
Be sure to check the availability of a spare tire, tool kit, cigarette lighter/ashtray, if they are included in the package.
Operation of locks and all vehicle systems
Try opening the doors with a key and using the remote control (if there is one), each door individually from the inside/central locking, the operation of power windows, interior lights, seat belts, and so on. As well as seat adjustments.
Lighting devices
You can't do without help here. We turn on and off all the lights one by one to make sure they are working. Turn signals front and rear, low beam, high beam, side lights, daytime running lights and fog lights rear and front (if equipped).
Under the hood
We look under the hood and check the presence and level of fluids in all tanks, as well as the oil level (on a cold engine). We also look at the presence of oil pan protection, if it is included in the package or was ordered separately.
Optional equipment
If you ordered something beyond the configuration: installation of an alarm system, floor mats, audio system, and so on, do not forget to check availability and functionality.
In the case of an alarm system, be sure to check where the installers stuck the Valet button and write it down in a notebook, phone, or any other place where you can find it in a few months or years.
Do not write it down in the service book, similar to the PIN code on a Visa card.
Engine operation
Naturally, you need to start the car, and if the interior space allows, then drive it. It is quite possible that you will not be allowed to drive it yourself until the acceptance/transfer certificates are signed, but even with the salon manager behind the wheel, you can listen to the engine and listen for suspicious noises.
If something's wrong
If during the process it turns out that there is something wrong with the car, present all your complaints to the manager who issues the car to you. And then act according to the situation.
Disadvantages that can be eliminated will most likely be eliminated in your presence, but damage to the paintwork or suspected parts that have been repainted will have to be tinkered with.
In any case, remember that you have the right to demand another car to replace the damaged one.
Reconciliation of documents
If everything is in order with the car, be sure to check that the body number matches the documents. On most modern cars, the body number is visible through a special window on the windshield.
Registration
According to the procedure for registering a car, which we have already described separately, the dealership must give you a car with transit (red) license plates, and then you independently register it with the district MREO within the time limits allowed by law.
By the way, now it is not necessary to do this at the place of registration; MREOs have appeared in Kyiv, which can help those who “come in large numbers” save time and money on traveling to the region of registration. But, as a rule, car dealerships offer their services for registering a car, and if you want to save time, you can use them.
Unofficial prices for such services range from 500 hryvnia, although there are cases where cunning managers overestimated the registration amount by two to three thousand hryvnia and frightened people with terrible queues at the MREO. You should also remember that, according to the letter of the law, a third party can register your car only with a notarized power of attorney.
And although this does not stop anyone, without it, registering your car will technically be illegal.
What else?
Before going to the dealership, you can also take care to find a good gas station near the dealership, get money for gasoline, and in winter also prepare winter tires so that you can immediately change your car’s shoes.
Or you can bring it to the salon in advance so that you can leave for the winter. And, despite the “horror stories” stated above, still do not think that the goal of the manager in the salon is to deceive you.
You can quite enjoy the process of buying a car, but you still need to keep your ears open.
Do you have anything to add?
Source: https://article.autoua.net/39-kak-pravilno-zabrat-mashinu-iz-avtosalona.html
