Purchasing a second car is more complicated than you think. It could end up landing you in big troubles in case of owner's antecedents / stolen ones.
Below are the tips for getting a neat safe deal.
Meet the seller / agent and insist on a test drive, If no owner present and you are dealing with a broker, try to meet the owner. Don’t ask him why he wants to sell, you know the answer.
Have a overall exterior inspection. Walk around, don’t shy, bend down inspect car bottom as well.
Inspect the doors alignment, this is very important. If the car has met a serious accident, the doors to car frame will not match, there will be un even gap between door frame and car body.
Open door and push slowly it get it closed, A smooth closure without double push is in your favor.
Check for painting, if you find it too new for the age of the car, it has gone for a expensive painting, which you and me will not do without a reason. Foul smell
Open the bonnet, check for good battery, no fuel leaks, no brittle wires, no rust. Check all oil levels, has any top up done recently by seeing the wet lids of accumulators.
Match engine number and chassis number to that of the RC book
Open the hatch, check for the presence of thin rubber lining on the edge of the hatch provided for sound / water proof(same with bonnet), if its not there means a hot job has been done post some repair?. Check for the accessories, spare wheel, it's condition, jack, tools
Lift the mat and can u see any rust. Check all the tyres and their condition. If wear is not uniform in a single tyre, ie: more inside and less outside or viz, there could be a suspension problem / alignment issue. With the appearance of the tyre you can estimate the Kms and try matching it with odometer. For an eg, if you see 20K in odometer and there is a new tyre, you will not agree? don’t you?
Lets get in to the car, Check the odometer, 10000 per year is a good number, any thing less you have to justify with owners nature of job and travel. If unusually high to 20000 per year, too much of a business travel or taxiing
Don’t rely on the odometer, its a Rs 500 job to tamper.
Check the foot pedals, belts, steering grips, gear grips, plastics and seat cover to tell you the car usage. Specifically check for wear in accelerator pedals, the most used one. Match this with odometer reading. No rocket science.
Check the condition / dirt on seat covers, dirt on the sealing, this will tell u mechanic presence in the car
Put the key in, wait, start the car, have you got a single start, good. Let it run, don’t worry.
Check for all the lights, indicators, electrical accessories, stereo, speakers, sun roof, illumination in panel. Check all the gauges
Operate remote boot release, fuel lid and other facilities
Are u hearing anything un usual from the engine, don’t look aside to the owner, be rough, give a quick acceleration to engine and hear for any foul noises. If any could land you in expensive repairs.
Look back and ask to check the smoke to your friend standing outside.
Pull on the hand brake harder. Shift gear and release clutch slowly, accelerate and try to move the car forward. The car should not be able to move and the engine should stop after a forward jerk. If the engine still running, means a worn out expensive clutch repair.
Drive the car straight, check the gear shifting, engine response and smoothness.
Takes your hands off the steering, The car must go straight(in good straight road). If it goes sideways, it will lead to a suspension change, very expensive, or a faulty alignment. Any wobbling play of steering wheel means the mis alignment of one of the front wheel mount system.
If the road is clear, Brake harder and car must stop in straight line(don’t hold the steering). Also check the jerks by the ABS. Run at all the gears to the limit.
Now if you are satisfied with the performance, lets check for paper works
Many companies like Maruthi have a stolen car registration in their service stations. Check out
You can verify the car number in the RTO office by a nominal fee
Check for Road Tax papers, Life time paid? Octroy paid?
Insurance papers, Where is it paid, Comprehensive, due date? If closer ask him to pay it for you
Call Insurance company and check for claims, If any could increase your next year premium.
PUC papers. Service book, no service book, don't buy. Be very clear on this, check the service dates and work out the Kms run per year and counter check with odometer reading for a comparison.
Owner address, more than 2 owners, I recommend to review your decision
If it had loan, is it cleared off and endorsed in the RC book. Call loan company and check out for dues.
Get the papers verified by a third party, that’s the best way.
Collect 2 sets of keys, mostly loan companies keep one set with them.
If you are happy with the car, go for it. If you have any single doubt, leave it and go the next dealer.
A 20% bargain is worth trying. Give a try.
No second hand dealers are honest. You have to be clever. You are the one going to speak and don’t let him command the situation. Don’t let him divert the topic and questions. In the world of business, customer is the king. If you agree on the price, write down the conditions on an agreement. Ask for a warranty for the major components like engine / clutch for 6 months(unlikely)
Of last, The second hand cars are risky in terms of their previous users behavior, if it is a stolen one can land you even in jail.
Don’t forget that the cars after 3 years are prone to expensive repairs. Do you have the budget for expensive spare parts for higher models, the wind shields of some cars could be of Rs 1, 00000. Think of it.
With knowledge you can conquer this battle.
Best of luck. Binshu
