Author by : Bruce Hearder

Most car buyers these days knows very little about cars, and are definitely not mechanically minded, so buying a used car can be a very worrying experience. The purchase of a car is often regarded as one of the biggest purchases we will make in our lives and the worry that we will end up with a lemon run deep in people’s minds. So how you go about choosing a car that has the least probability of being a lemon?

If you have found a car that you fancy, always have a good look over the outside of the car. If you can take someone that is slightly knowledgeable about vehicles then take them along with you. If you don’t have access to any one, then you will have to trust your own instincts.

First check to see if there is any obvious damage done to the outside of the car. Look for areas of the car that are slightly different in colour and appearance. Spend extra time looking at the corners of the cars as these are the areas most likely to have experienced accident damage. Check the tyres to make sure they all look uniform in appearance. If one tyre is in a much worse condition than the others, then this could signify something is mechanically wrong with the car and could be expensive to fix.

If you are happy with the outside, then it time to check to vehicles mileage against the signs of wear and tear inside the car. If you find a car that appears to have done a very low miles, but the floor mats show excessive wear and tear, it could imply that the displayed mileage figure have been altered. If the owner is doing this, then they maybe trying to hide additional flaws in the car as well.

Next, check for rust in the doors and the wheel arches. Even a small amount of rust can become an expensive problem later. If there is rust in the structural areas of the car, then this could imply that the car maybe unsafe to take on the road.

If the car checks out visually, then its time to take a closer look at the car mechanically. Try checking the oil, by looking at the oil on the “dip stick”. Are there any bubbles present in the oil? If so then this could suggest expensive repairs are not far away. Next, check if there is any white residue around the filler, if there is, then this is a good sign of oil in the water and again means an expensive repair job is not far away.

Try starting the car. How does the engine sound? Does the engine seem to run erratically or not sound too good then problems could be not far away. Check the exhaust, does it sound funny, if so then you may be soon paying for a new exhaust system Check the amount of smoke coming out the back of the car. Is there much smoke and what colour is it? Lots of dark coloured smoke generally means that the car is burning oil and this too could signify mechanical problems.

Next check the lights and indicators all work, and then it time to check the handling of the car on the road during a test drive.

Make sure the steering wheel has enough “play” in it, so that driving is comfortable. The handling of a car is very safety feature of the car. The handling must be responsive and direct. It shouldn’t be to heavy or too light.

Check the brakes, by bring the car to a rapid halt. How did the car perform? Did the car server to the left or the right? If you answered yes, then this again signifies problems with the car. Check if any of the wheels “grind or scream”. This could indicate expensive wheel bearing problems.

If the car passed all of the above, then the probability that this car is probably not a “lemon”.

Now if you can remember all the minor faults you found with the car, you may be able to use them to bargain down the price of the car even further, still with the confidence that your are not buying a lemon.

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