Be careful when buying a
car to avoid unwanted surprises or shocks! Also, here is the essential checklist
to make essential confirmations before purchasing a vehicle from an individual
or a dealer. Feel free to print, and bring you to tick the boxes as and when
the visit of the proposed vehicle.
* Ask the seller to obtain
the following information
* Conduct a complete visual
inspection of the vehicle
* Monitor the smoke from
the exhaust
* Do not forget to inspect
the vehicle
* Ask the seller to
obtain the following information
The owner's manual
Long as you own the
vehicle by the owner if it is a first-hand.
The reasons why the owner
wants to sell the vehicle
The status of timing belt
(change about every 80 000 km, under pain of severe damage to the vehicle
engine).
* Conduct a complete
visual inspection of the vehicle
One full turn of the car
closely inspecting the body in order to detect any dents, scratches, color
differences to check whether the paint is redone.
Request the opening of the
cover to hear the engine to ensure it runs smoothly.
With the vehicle
stationary and the engine off, check the oil levels and coolant. (The lack of
oil may indicate an abnormal consumption of oil leakage or simply a lack of
coolant may indicate an abnormal rise in temperature of the engine with serious
consequences).
Monitor the rails and
wheel arches to identify any distortion or difference of paint that would
indicate a transition to the plate resulting from an accident.
Require the trunk to lift
the mats and inspect the condition of the floor which - of course - should
indicate no deformation or signs of repairs related to strong impact.
* Monitor the smoke from
the exhaust
The blue smoke indicates
an engine wear causing high oil consumption.
The white smoke - to
persist well after the start - tends to prove the presence of moisture in the
combustion chamber linked to the wear of the cylinder head gasket. However,
this is quite normal during the winter.
The smoke is much less
worrying! This is usually caused by improper adjustment or a certain level of
contamination of the engine, destined to disappear when you drive regularly.
* Do not forget to inspect
the vehicle
All electrical components
must absolutely be tested: power windows, central locking, ventilation systems,
lighting devices, the radio, wipers ... Also remember to check carefully the
condition of seats, floor, pedals, steering wheel (status can provide valuable
information on the actual mileage of the vehicle). Check the alignment of the
counter digits. Take the apparent parallel between the mileage on the clock and
drain labels stuck under the hood. In any case, if you do not feel able to do
by yourself to these checks, do not hesitate to be accompanied by someone who
knows. This will save you a lot of headaches later.
When you go to listen to the engine, make sure to start it when the engine is cold. If the seller just drove it out to you, inspect the exterior of the car first to let the engine cool. This is to make sure that the car doesn't have trouble starting.
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