There are ten questions you should always ask before purchasing any used vehicle from a private individual. Some can be asked by phone or email before seeing the vehicle in person. Others are better done when you have the used car in front of you.
Not doing them can cause problems with your car in the future because, unlike dealers, an individual does not have to offer you any protection or guarantee if something goes wrong. So don’t be shy and ask:
Ask before:
1. How many kilometers does the car have?
It is the key question, since it helps you set a target price for the vehicle. On a lot of websites you can find car ratings based on their registration date. From there, you will know how many kilometers per year its owner traveled.
2. Why are you selling your car?
There are too many variables to list all the possible answers they can give you. These are some:
- “I just bought a new car.” This is good, as the seller is inspired to sell quickly.
- “It was my father’s (or my mother’s).” It also helps because people usually hold on to a car like this for sentimental reasons. If they sell it, it is because they need to do it for the money or to avoid the expenses that a stopped car entails.
- “It consumes a lot.” Yes, there are honest people who openly recognize it. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of this situation.
- “It was the car my son used and he moved/emigrated/etc.” These are complicated negotiations since there is usually less urgency to sell the car. They tend not to move from their starting price.
3. What condition is the used car in?
There are three positive answers:
- Excellent: The fact that the car is in very good condition is always a good thing… unless the seller is a jerk, the car is really not that well preserved and is just trying to get you to pay more. Ask them to send you photos of the car and check that the condition matches their claims.
- Well: As in the previous case, it is very good for a seller to present his car like this. In addition, an honest seller does not usually give excessive hype to his used car and in many cases behind a car in good condition hides an excellent car.
- Normal: This is one of the best answers, as it often indicates that the seller does not really know the value of his car or that he is a person willing to negotiate. You may also assume that he is shy or simply honest.
Ask when you see the car:
4. Who did you buy this vehicle from?
The best answer is for the seller to be the first owner of the car, since that way you should have information from the entire life of the vehicle. Find out where the owner has lived.
Knowing whether the car has had to endure the cold winters of Teruel or the summers of Écija (the pan of Andalusia) can help you know if the car may have suffered a specific problem. If you have doubts, it may help to request a report from the DGT.
5. What type of oil do you use in the car?
Believe it or not, it is one of the best indicators of how well the vehicle has been maintained. An individual will respond in these three ways:
- Immediately indicates the brand (and often much more information). They probably change the oil themselves (or care a lot about the health of their car) and the vehicle is in good shape.
- After a brief pauseasks if they can review his files. It is also usually a good sign, but be careful and check it in the sixth question.
- “Don’t have no idea«. Then, without a second’s hesitation, move on to the next question.
6. Could I see the maintenance history?
Used cars are a mystery and it’s a shame that they don’t talk so they can tell you a little about how their life has gone. But, absent a history (like in your computer’s Internet browser), well it’s a review bookwhere a careful driver should write down all the ailments and remedies that his car has suffered. It is very important, especially if you have not been the only owner of the car.
All salespeople can lie, but lie through the maintenance history It’s more complicated. If you are a meticulous driver you will keep the invoices from your workshop (or workshops) and there you can see how the car has been cared for over the years. If they only show you an oil change receipt (the last one, usually, and recently), be careful.
It is a shame that in Spain the CarFaxa very practical report in which, using the chassis number (the car’s DNI), all the important data that the car may have had are checked (whether it has been imported, whether it has been dismantled, whether it has been stolen on any occasion, if airbags were ever used…).
It is neutral and reliable information, in a clear and very easy to understand format. In more mature markets this report is usually requested. Now that the sale of used cars is beginning to gain greater importance in Spain (where until before the crisis only one used car was sold for every two new ones) it is possible that this CarFax service will begin to be used.
7. How much are you willing to sell the car for?
This lets the seller know that you are not willing to pay the price that he marked at the beginning. By the way, the longer the seller has tried to get rid of the car, the more likely it is that they will give you a discount (you will know this by looking at the date of the ad).
Offering him a smaller amount of money, in cash and at that moment, usually works sometimes to get him to accept less money than the initial amount. It’s easy to find out how much a used car is worth with our free car appraiser.
8. Could you test drive the car?
Never buy a car without testing it, much less a used one (we have already told you how to test drive a car you want to buy). No reputable seller should deny you a test drive. Most will ask you to last less than half an hour and always with him inside.
9. Would you mind if my mechanic inspects the car?
Any hesitation on the part of the seller is a warning sign. Don’t be influenced if the seller says no, or tries to make it difficult for you to do so (“I need the car” will be their first response). Because the only answer you want to hear and will accept is, “Of course, no problem.”
10. What is the last used car you sold?
It is not a trivial matter. You would be amazed at the number of people they sell used cars as a hobby. People who buy cheap, fix the car themselves and sell it again for a slightly higher price.
Some are real handymen who tune up the car in a phenomenal way and others are real fools who only seek economic benefit and camouflage the failures. If they don’t answer any of the above questions well, be suspicious.
