Five Things To Check Before Buying a Used Car In India

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Buying a car—even a pre-owned one—is exciting, but stay vigilant. Even though pre-owned cars cost less than new ones, they still require a significant financial commitment. Take sensible steps to protect yourself from fraud.

This blog will share essential used car buying tips. Review the sections to find the right car for you!

Go Through The Financial & Legal History Of The Used Car

The most important step in the process of buying a second-hand car in India is to go through the financial and legal history of a used car.

You can do this by taking the following steps –

• You check the RTO history of the vehicle in question using revered service providers like AutoHealth or from government portals like VAHAN.
• You pay close attention to the status of the vehicle’s Registration Certificate and ensure that the document is valid and not expired!
• You ensure that the vehicle record has no active bank lien.
• You ensure that the vehicle has no outstanding traffic violation fines!

The Second Hand Car Should Be Free From Accidental Structural Damage

But how can you ensure that the second-hand car you want to buy is free from accidental structural damage?

Well, you can check out the vehicle history report of the vehicle. If the seller claims the car was fixed at OEM service centers, then you can find records of these claims in its service history. You can also look closely inside the engine bay and undercarriage for signs that would indicate major body damage repair.

You can look at the painted surfaces of the car and look for mismatched paint, visible signs of welding, or misaligned panels. If you find telltale signs of repair work on the vehicle that typically takes place after a car has been in a severe road mishap, then don’t buy the car!

Buy A second-hand Hand Car With A Healthy Engine & Transmission

Always buy a second-hand car with a healthy engine and transmission. The easiest way to ensure the engine and transmission of a used car are healthy is to get an AutoHealth Vehicle History for it. Additionally, one can inspect the engine bay of the used car they are interested in and ensure the area is free from oil leaks, frayed wiring, or discolored coolant, which is a clear sign of an engine that frequently overheats!

When it comes to gauging the overall health of a used car’s transmission, there is no better way than taking a long and comprehensive test drive. Ensure to keep the RPM of the engine variable. Do not forget to test the transmission of the car on all terrains and make sure the car is driven with variable loads. All of this will help you determine the overall health and remaining operational capabilities of the used car’s transmission.

Ensure that the Second car’s Odometer Hasn’t Been Tampered With!

Indian used car sellers and car owners in general often roll back the odometer reading of a used car in a bid to inflate the used car's price.

For the best results, pay attention to the car’s service records or service history receipts. Cross-check the mileage of the car recorded on those receipts with the current odometer reading of the used car. If the car is quite old, and has run for several thousand kilometers, but from the last yearly servicing, the car has run just a few hundred kilometers, then this is a red flag and can be used as circumstantial evidence that the car’s odometer has been rolled back.

You can also pay close attention to the overall condition of the car’s seats, steering wheel, gear shifter knob, etc. If these parts of the car show telltale signs of wear, but the odometer reading is low, then avoid this vehicle. Its odometer has been tampered with!

Ensure The Car’s Tires & Suspension have enough Operational Life Left

Double-check the tread depth of all 5 tires of the used car before buying it!

5 tires?

Yes, you need to check the tread depth of the spare tire as well!

Additionally, during the test drive, listen closely to look for audible signs of a worn suspension system. If you hear rumbling, grinding, thunking, or squeaking noises from the undercarriage of the car as you test drive it, then the car’s suspension system is on its last leg of operational life. You can either low-ball the seller or avoid buying the car altogether! Your call!

Buying A Used Car Requires Vigilance!

There you go! While buying a second-hand car, if you follow the five things mentioned above, you will end up with a used car that will let you enjoy the drives instead of leaving the vehicle for months on end, at an OEM service center! If you think that we have forgotten to mention certain steps, then do let us know!