Buying a Used Car? Here’s the Ultimate Guide

If you have money to pay cash for a brand-new car, then, you can stop reading this story from this point.

If you also live in a country where financing for a vehicle is applicable and depends of very simply metrics like having a job and a great credit score, you can also ignore the entry, without any challenge.

However, if you live in an underdeveloped country like me, where you need to pay cash if you want to buy a car and financing is nonexistent, then, you need to pay close attention to this story.

Why?

Because, you’ll be buying a used car, sooner or later and these tips will come in handy.

1. Mismatched Tires, Bad Tires

The tires of a vehicle are the first thing that tell the story of how good or bad a used car’s life has been.

No vehicle owner who loves and cares for their vehicle allows it to go through the pain of being paired with four different brands of tires.

If you’re interested in a used vehicle and the front right has a Michelin, front left, Perrelli, rear right, Continental and rear left, Yokohoma, RUN!

The story, in such a case, is that, either the owner doesn’t care enough, doesn’t know the harm in these or worse, is broke and can’t afford a complete set.

If any of the above is true (it always is, BTW), the next question to ask yourself is: what else have they been skipping maintenance on? 

Why you’re at the tires, also check for abnormal wear and overall thread life. 

Matching tires that are gone, wear wise are as ‘good’ as tires that are mismatched or have abnormal wear.

2. Absence of a (Good) Spare Tire

The story of a good, usable spare tire is as important as the immediate point made above about the presence of good, matching tires.

The spare tire of a good vehicle, one in the care of a competent owner hardly sees action…it doesn’t need to see much, by the way, since the primary tires are present and doing their jobs.

However, what happens when the spare tire is missing, badly worn out or not in usable shape?

RUN!

I once owned a preused 2002 Camry that I got when the vehicle was well past 10 years old.

The interesting thing was that the spare tire, despite the vehicle having more than 200k miles on the clock was the original Bridgestone Toyota had fitted on it when it rolled off the assembly plant in 2001 in Japan.

Needless to say, that Camry was simply one of the best-used cars I’ve ever owned.

If the original spare tire can’t be found in the trunk, it should at least have a functional replacement, in great condition.

That the spare is hardly used isn’t an excuse to put a worn, almost gone tire there…but if the owner of a used car decides so, it is best to leave them with their car.

What else, it would be right to ask, did they get wrong?

3. A Dirty Hood & Trunk (As It Ought NOT To Be)

Most cars today come with hoods that use struts to keep them in position, same with the trunk.

You’ll want to make sure that both of these are working…you’ll also want to make sure that the jack and all other typical emergency/safety items are in the trunk — where they’re supposed to be.

No responsible vehicle owner supports their hoods or trunks with a prop stick while open.

If a car owner does this, great chances are that they won’t hesitate to use cooking oil as substitute for engine oil!

4. Presence of Only 1 Key

While ignition keys can be easily duplicated when a ‘master’ key/fob is present, things take a drastic turn when you need to access your vehicle and discover that you’ve lost your key. 

This is why, most smart car owners always have a spare, usually at home or in the glove box or trunk of another car they own. 

However, this precautionary step, sensible as it appears, clearly isn’t for everyone. 

Many vehicle owners today simply have one key to their cars and have no plans to duplicate it. 

This, on surface value isn’t much…however, on closer thinking and thought, a driver who misplaced a key is likely to ‘misplace’ other things on the car, not immediately seen. 

A car owner who is careless enough not to get a duplicate will also equally be careless with a plethora of many other things that will affect you should you buy the used car they’re selling. 

That said, even if ‘nothing’ is amiss, you’ll still need to duplicate the key and erase the lost one from the ECU memory — a reality that will cost you, upfront. 

5. Senseless Wear

As a car is used, it wears visibly, especially on the areas where it comes in contact with its users: dash, seats, steering, door handles, arm rests etc. 

However, while there are sensible wears, there are also dumb, senseless wears. 

A 10-year-old Lexus, for instance, with less than 100k miles has no business with torn seats, a ripped-off steering wheel, or gashes from long fingernails on the dash. 

Any of these will clearly point to an abuse or a careless owner who was just interested in starting the vehicle and driving away, not minding anything else that needed to be done! 

Such cars ought to be left to their owners to torture them for all eternity! 

6. Expired Paperwork

The paperwork of a vehicle is something that must be up to date in any developed country. 

In third-world countries, however, this isn’t always the case: as a matter of fact, many vehicles have papers that have not been renewed since their current owners started using them. 

This is a bad omen, when buying a vehicle: it symbolizes a desire to cut corners and do the wrong thing. 

Such a vehicle owner who does not see the need to renew their papers will also not see the need to approach a reputable shop to work on their car (the thinking and logic are same). 

And, you know how that ends… 

7. Scratches and Gashes Not Attended to (Timely)

A car, by and large, is something that is pampered and well taken care of, in the right hands.

This care doesn’t only mean engine and transmission: it means, to a large extent, the body and the presence (or absence) of scratches/gashes, especially around the bumper areas.

Granted, these will occur in the normal task of daily driving: however, an owner who cares and importantly, has the best interest of the vehicle at heart will make certain that things are fixed as soon as possible. 

If you’re dealing with someone who has a vehicle for sale, claims that they maintain it but the body tells a curious, radically different tale, you may want to pause and ask what again was ‘skipped’.

Wrap Up

This is a general guide — and certainly, ‘first pointer’.

While it will be accurate most of the time, in some very rare instances, it may not tell the true story or the issues may be superficial, at best.

An example is an owner who lost their job and decided to sell their car because they can’t maintain it again.

The tires may not be in the best state — but it the vehicle, overall, has not been in that ‘condition’ for long, it may still be a great buy.

Generally, however, I run when more than two of the above-treated issues present themselves.

You’re better safe than sorry!

Bonus Point: Presence or Absence of the Owner’s Manual in the Glove Box

All used vehicles that I inspected, without exception, had one thing in common: the well-maintained ones ALL had their owner’s manuals in tact…the poorly maintained ones ALL did NOT have it, in the glove box.

Make of it what you will.