How to buy a second-hand car

In a situation as complicated as the current one, any extra spending of money can cause us big headaches. Given the economic and labor instability that exists today, we tend to focus all our efforts on saving as much as we can to have a mattress or safety net in case things get complicated. Hence, the decision to buy a new second-hand car can be more difficult than ever.

When to buy a second-hand car

It is true that if you do not have special urgency to get a new car, maybe you can wait a bit to be more sure about your decision. However, if the acquisition is an imperative because your old car has suffered some kind of breakdown and can no longer answer, you need to make a decision as soon as possible.

Although the purchase of a car is indeed a large financial outlay, sometimes we can not do without it. Yes, a car is devalued at the same time it starts to roll, but it is also a necessary evil that we can not do without in many cases.

Buy a new or used car

The question you will be asking yourself if you are already aware that the purchase of the car is mandatory will be whether to buy a new or second hand car. Of course, a new car that has just left the factory has its advantages. In the first place, the guarantee offered by dealers, of about two years as a general rule, is for many a reason to feel calm, although it should not be forgotten that this guarantee also includes some exceptions. In addition, you can have the vehicle you want as you wish. That is, you can configure the car according to your preferences and equip it with all the functions and features that interest you. Without a doubt, this is a great advantage for the most demanding, but it is also true that the economic investment is much greater. If, in addition, we take into account that, as mentioned above, the car loses value as soon as it begins to roll, the devaluation of a car with so many benefits can be very remarkable.

This loss of value is actually what makes the second-hand car an extremely interesting option. Although a used car may have a priori more risks, the truth is that these are minimal if we take into account the guarantee that also has this type of vehicle. For example, a few years ago it was obvious that paint and other components of cars broke down easily, after two or three years. However, today is no longer the case, so the differences in quality between a new car or occasion does not mean so wide differences, but are insignificant.

Characteristics to be analyzed of the second-hand car

Here is a list of important aspects that you have to analyze before buying a second-hand car:

• Wheels : Cracks or cracks, excessive or irregular wear, deformed flanks, depth of drawing, date of manufacture
• Brakes : Pressure of the brake pedal, depression of the brake pedal, braking.
• Engine : Idle, stops, abnormal sounds of the used car engine
• Shock absorbers : excessive slope of the car, noise and excessive rolling
• Loss of liquids : brake system, engine, air conditioning.

Detect the age of a car: numbers and papers

Some not so important details can provide certain clues about the real age of the second- hand car or occasion. The DOT code for the wheels began to be four numbers from 2000: the first two indicate the week and the rest, the year of production. If you see a figure of three, you know that the tire has more than 12 years of life. In addition, there are other pieces that incorporate a stamp with additional information. One check you should never overlook is to take a look at the stamp collection in the car maintenance book. The DOT code on the sidewall of the tire will allow you to find out its manufacturing date. In this case, the cover is from week 50 of the year 2004. The special seals of some pieces allow knowing when they were manufactured.

Where to buy a used car

On the other hand, the range of possibilities in terms of functions is also quite broad. The equipment, the engine classes, the added features and services ... all of this already has used cars, so you will always have at your disposal a range of options much more extensive than in the past. If you want to buy a second-hand car, take a look at the Autoscout website, since you can see all the offers on second-hand cars. It is often difficult to find the model we like, but in a catalog like the one offered on this website, it will be very easy to locate the vehicle you are interested in. It has been shown that this type of service is a very useful and accessible resource to find used cars with maximum safety and confidence.