Cars have long ceased to be symbols of affluence and have become a necessary partner for your day to day activities. This doesn’t mean though that everyone can now afford to buy a new car.
There is a great amount of ego and pride involved in buying and driving home a new car. Take away this emotional behavior and there is not much difference between the old and new, except for the fact that one is used and the other isn’t. Most used vehicle dealerships offer cars that have undergone thorough examination and refreshing. Used car financing rates have also gone down, almost matching new car financing rates.
Where to Look for Quality Used Cars
There are a lot of used vehicle dealers that offer quality used cars at a price you can afford. If you live in Canada, you could visit Fraser Valley’s used cars dealerships and see if there is one that fits your taste. Talk to their salesmen and check the options available for you.
Useful Diagnostic Tools
Despite undergoing a thorough inspection by expert mechanics, it is also important that you inspect the general condition of the used car you intend to purchase. To help you out, get a useful car diagnostic tool called OBD II reader. These readers are designed to easily plug into standard sockets of modern car computers manufactured from 1996 onwards. All you have to do is to plug the device into the socket, usually found under the dash, start the car, and the tool will immediately give you a detailed readout about the condition of the engine, as well as its basic electronic implements.
An Exhaustive Inspection
You also need to manually check the mechanical section of each car. Business Insider warns that performing this check can be potentially draining. However, you don’t want to commit a mistake and so this phase is absolutely necessary.
What to Look For
Check for telltale signs of oil leakages. You can do this by ensuring the car is parked on a flat area. Look underneath the front section, paying close attention to the oil pan directly underneath the engine. Another important section to inspect is the inner and outer constant velocity joints. See if they have any cracks or tears and ensure that they are not bent. Get a car jack to lift the front section, then hold the wheel with both hands and see if there is any sign of wobbling.
Buying a used car has its own benefits, particularly if you are on a tight budget. You just have to carefully examine the car you intend to buy to ensure that you get good quality at a low price.