Questions to ask When Buying a Used Car

Questions to ask When Buying a Used Car

Need to buy a used car but, don’t know what questions to ask? There are certainly some important questions to ask when buying a used car and I’ve listed a bunch of them here for review.

The key is to get as much information about the car as possible. While you may hear that the used car you’re interested in was driven by a little old woman from home to church and back, just know that may not be the case.

Whether you’re buying from a dealer or private party, here are some important questions to ask:

1. What is the history of the car? You can ask the owner or dealer about who drove it before it went on sale and to give you as much information as possible about who drove it, where they drove it, how they drove it, etc. You’ll also want to run an AutoCheck history report on the car. An AutoCheck report will tell you who owned and when, where it was driven, if it was sold at auction, if it was ever reported stolen and much more. There is a link at the bottom of the article where you can have an AutoCheck report run. It should always be the first step in any used car purchase.

2. Ask to see the maintenance records. While many drivers don’t think of the time that they’ll be selling their car while they’re driving it, smart drivers do. Peace of mind is important when buying a used car and having maintenance records should help put you at ease.

3. Why is the car being sold? Did the owner trade up for a new car or was it involved in a terrible accident? Did a child go off to school and not need a car for a few years or did it always seem to be in the shop. Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions about the car and the details as to why it’s being sold.

4. What don’t you like about the car? Everyone selling a car will talk about the things that they like best about the car they’re selling such as, the great gas mileage, the comfortable ride, the extra room, etc. Throw them a curve by asking what they did not like about the car first and see if the owners answer is something that might bother you also. If so, look at another model.

5. Ask specific questions that are important to you. Instead of simply asking, “How does it run?”; ask “how does it ride in the snow” or “how does it run at high speeds as I tend to drive fast…”.

6. Can I see the engine? You don’t have to be a mechanic to see signs that a car was not properly maintained. Are the battery posts full of dissolved lead from the battery acid? Do the belts and hoses look worn, torn, or are they loose? Does the radiator fluid look like rusty water? Are the fluid levels (oil, power steering, transmission fluid) at the proper positions and the right color?

7. Can I take it to my mechanic to have a look at it? This should really be a condition that must be met for you to purchase as opposed to a question. Unless you’re a mechanic you should definitely take it to a trusted mechanic. If you’re buying from a dealership, that doesn’t mean you should take it to one of their mechanics for convenience. Take it to a mechanic and be willing to pay them for their advice and feedback as it will be priceless. Would you rather pay $50 to $70 for a good mechanic to tell you that the engine has a hairline crack that will expand or has a timing belt that needs immediate replacement or find out the hard way? You can even negotiate better based on the mechanic’s feedback where the seller may agree to discount the price further if the car needs repair or maintenance that wasn’t done.

8. Is the original manufacturers warranty valid once the car is sold? This assumes that there are years or miles that have not been exceeded by the warranty. If buying from a dealer, you should also ask if they have a 60 day warranty in case you have any problems. Most good dealers will offer that.

9. Has the car ever been in an accident? Even if it looks like new or the owner tells you just a slight fender bender, you should have it checked out as part of the inspection process at the mechanic. If the car pulls to one side or seems like it drives straight but, the car’s nose is off center, that may mean the frame is bent which is big trouble and difficult to fix properly. A mechanic can usually tell if there’s been damage repaired but, if you suspect it may have been severe, have an auto body shop take a quick look at it.

10. What’s the lowest you’ll take for the car? This is best asked after the above questions are asked and if you’ve found some things that need to be repaired, you’ll have more leverage when negotiating price. After this question is answered by the seller, make sure you tell them everything that’s wrong with the car (even if it’s normal wear or mileage) as you’re trying to pay as little as possible.

Buying a used car can take as much time and research as buying new and it’s worth every minute you spend as you want to be sure that the car will suit your needs.
So ask as many questions as you can but, make sure you include the 10 questions above as well.

Here is a link to AutoCheck where you can enter a car's VIN and find out its history:

Don't get taken for a drive. AutoCheck® that pre-owned vehicle before you buy.

Free Credit Score - See yours at CreditReport.com!
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Need help buying a used or new car? We can help. Contact us at ProAutoBuying.com.

New Car Buying Checklist

New Car Buying Checklist

The first item I would recommend for anybody in the market for a new car would be to contact an honest, expert car buying service like ProAutoBuying.com (the author’s business).

If you do decide to go it alone, here are the top ten tips for you in order that should be taken when looking to buy a new car.

If you have any questions or comments, please write back to me!



1. Determine your monthly budget now and in the next 3 to 5 years.

Unless you’re paying for the car with cash, that’s approximately how long you’ll have payments on your new vehicle. What life changes might you be facing during that time period that will positively or negatively affect your cash flow?

2. Research and Test drive vehicles you are interested in and make the best choice for your situation.

Once you’ve got a good idea of your cash needs based on step one, you need to decide what type of vehicle is best for you, not just the vehicle you’d love to drive. If you’re going to have children soon, the two-seat sports car is probably not a wise choice. If your commute to work is 40 to 50 miles each way, do you really want an SUV?

3. Check insurance rates on the vehicle you want and shop around for a lower rate.

Just like the finance rate, insurance rates are negotiable and there’s usually a better plan out there somewhere. Also, remember that like taxes and fuel, monthly insurance costs must be factored into your budget decisions.

4. Review your Credit Report and know your Credit Score.

A good idea to review every year for free by a company like CreditReport.com (see the link below). Before you look into financing, it’s a good idea for you to know exactly what’s on your credit report and what your credit score is. If there are errors on your credit report, you can usually fix them, but it won’t happen over night.

5. If financing, check for the best rates yourself and compare to the dealer’s best rate.

Sure, if you want to save time you can have the dealer find the “best” rate for your credit score but, just know that the dealer is also taking a small percentage of your loan for themselves as profit. Better to know your credit score and check out banks, credit unions and on-line financial institutions to really get the best rate.

6. If you’re trading in, find out the value of your current vehicle using Kelley Blue Book and have a few dealers give you their best value to compare.

Just like shopping for the best price on your new car, you should also compare what each dealer will give you for your trade-in. You can even tell them each what the lowest value you’ve gotten is and have them give you more for the vehicle. Just remember that at the end of the process, it’s one amount that you’ll be paying so keep in mind that if a dealer gives you a great deal on your trade-in, they may be less inclined to bargain with you on the new vehicle.

7. Search online for rebates, special financing, and other incentives being offered on the vehicles you’re considering.

The rebate or special financing could end up being the tiebreaker between two vehicles you consider to be equal in most ways. Even if you’re leaning toward the Camry instead of the Chevy Malibu, if Chevy is offering better incentives, does that outweigh getting one vehicle over the other?

8. Contact 3 to 4 dealerships in your area and ask them for their best price on the vehicle including any fees.

Now, the fun part (for me)! For most of us though, the truly painful part is negotiating the deal. That’s what makes my services so appealing to those who don’t have the time or the nerve to battle with car salespeople.
If you do decide to do so, do your research, act confidently, and stand your ground! Don’t feel bad about trying to get the best deal even though the salespeople may make it look as if you’re stealing from them.

9. Don’t sign up for an extended warranty or other extras in the finance manager’s office. If you really want them, shop externally.

The finance manager’s office is another piece of the sales process where you can be talked into buying additional protection or options. Be aware of this fact and know what you want before going in. Also, be prepared to be hit with fees. Don’t feel that you have to accept them either. Fees can be looked at as another piece of the total cost when bidding between dealerships so it’s a good idea to know what fees the dealer will try to assess before walking into the finance manager’s office.

10. Have recommended maintenance performed and keep good records. The vehicle will be worth much more if you sell it.

You’ve spent a lot of money on your new car, why not take good care of it. If you plan on keeping it for any length of time, you’ll want to do more than fill the gas tank and change the oil, so keep up with the maintenance.

If you follow these tips in order, you’ll be in a much better position to make the right choices and save some money!

Free Credit Score - See yours at CreditReport.com!


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Contact us for car buying help at ProAutoBuying.com. We can help!

Save money and get a FREE quote from 21st Century Insurance by clicking HERE
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Contact us for car buying help at ProAutoBuying.com. We can help!

Car Pricing Sites Can Threaten Your Privacy

Are you concerned about your privacy when using the big car pricing sites? You should be.

The information you provide when you request a car quote through any number of internet sites such as Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book, Cars Direct, and others is valuable to many other consumer oriented companies.

Do you think for example that Toyota would be interested in how many people requested a quote on their vehicles? How about knowing where the quote was requested from, on what vehicle, what options were specified, etc.

The car quote information that you ask to receive online is also sent to the dealer’s that sign up to receive them from the lead generating sites listed above.
Even if the car pricing sites don’t do anything else with your information, how do you know what the car dealership does with it?

While companies are specializing on halting the problem of identity theft, the problem continues to grow. According to statistics, from 2008 to 2009, identity theft grew by 11% in the US.

That’s about 11 million people who have had their identification stolen in one year.

Be careful what information you share with anyone on the internet. If you share anything more than your name, phone number and e-mail address you’re giving the ID thieves more ammunition to steal your identity.

Be extremely careful with sharing your social security number (SSN), birthday, or home address with any company online. Make sure that the company has a privacy policy that explicitly states that it will not share your personal information with anyone.

How valuable do you think your personal information is to an auto insurance company? Do you think ACME insurance (made up name) would be interested in buying the information collected through a car pricing site to send either an e-mail or regular piece of mail to you promoting their auto insurance?

Of course they would! Not all of these car quote sites share the information but, it’s not always easy identifying who you can trust.

Have you ever received unsolicited e-mail’s (OK, we all have) and thought about where they would have gotten your information from?
How about unsolicited mail from the postal service? It happens every day and you are at risk if that information gets into the wrong hands.

If you use these big car pricing services, you’ll have to enter the information into the online boxes provided. You can also contact the dealerships directly but, you’ll risk spending hours speaking to all kinds of people that will try to extract the same information from you over the phone.

If you dare to call to ask for a quote over the phone, they’ll tell you they have to check the price or availability and they’ll ask you for your name and phone number to get back to you. That's also risky as more companies are popping up that allow others to identify you simply by your phone number.

The better solution is to use a professional auto buying service that offers multiple options to assist you with your purchase or lease of a new or used car.

A good auto buying service won’t ever share your information with anyone, especially a car dealer. When professional auto buying services negotiate and bid on your behalf with car dealers, they NEVER should share any information about you, not even your name!

Once the auto buying service gets the best deal for you and you accept it, they will give you the dealer contact representative so that you can finish the deal on the vehicle with that person knowing that your personal information has not been sent or sold to other companies.

It’s that easy! It’s also the safest way to insure that your personal information stays personal and that way, you won’t have to worry about identity theft.

Most of you have probably heard about the leader in identity theft protection, LifeLock. Here's a link to their site if you want to check them out.

Help Protect Yourself From ID Theft. Get help with LifeLock. Enroll Now.
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ProAutoBuying.com is a leading auto buying service that never shares ANY personal information and always gets its customers the best deal on wheels. Contact us now through our secure website.

Car Pricing Sites Not Enough

We’ve all seen the big car pricing sites like Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book (kbb), Cars.com and others. They’re fantastic sites, as is ProAutoBuying.com, for certain information.

Most of these sites give editor and reader reviews of cars, safety, reliability and other information that is extremely important when trying to decide what vehicle to purchase.

They also give you a fairly accurate cost breakdown of each of the current models so that you have an idea of the difference in price from car to car or model to model.

Interested in getting the “LX instead of the “EX”? These sites will let you know the difference between the two.

Thinking of buying a car with a manual transmission? They’ll also tell you the difference with a manual vs. an automatic transmission.

What they won’t do for you though, and what is most important after you’ve decided which vehicle you want is:

1. These sites won’t tell you how much the dealer paid for the vehicle, and
2. They won’t negotiate the price for you.

Ah, the pricing. When it comes down to it, saving money on an auto purchase where the average price of a new car is $28,000, is extremely important.

There’s nothing better than the feeling of getting behind the wheel of a new car no matter who is driving. The intoxicating new car aroma has become a science in itself for the auto companies.

But just because the car dealer tells you you’ve gotten a great deal or your price is less than they paid for it, how do you know? Do you believe them because you can’t wait to sign the papers and drive away? Many people do.

The only way to really know you’ve gotten a great deal on the price of a new car is to use a car buying service.

Not just any car buying service, but one where a car buying expert personally negotiates the deal with multiple dealerships such as ProAutoBuying.com (the author’s company).

Most people don’t purchase a house without the services of a realtor or sales agent because they’re not experts at the real estate game.

Shouldn’t the same be true when buying a new car? Most of us our experts in some type of service. A lawyer is an expert in the law. A carpenter is an expert in building and a professional auto buying agent is an expert in car buying and leasing.

So the next time you need to buy a new car; use Edmunds, KBB, and other sites for information on choosing the right vehicle and use a car buying service to save you the most money on the purchase.
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Contact me at ProAutoBuying.com and find out how to save a lot of money on your next car purchase.