What to look for when buying a second hand car isn’t always obvious. If you are a new driver with little to no experience then you are going to need as much advice as possible.

Some people like to buy brand new cars and be the first owners. However, financially that is not practical for everyone and second hand cars are the only option. Not that there is anything wrong with a second hand car. I have only ever bought second hand cars and probably only ever will.

Knowing how to choose your next car and then actually choosing it can take hours and hours of research. Looking into the different makes and models which will suit you could take a while. One thing to always consider before you complete a purchase is how much the insurance will cost. You can easily compare car insurance quotes online saving you a lot of time.

Buying A Second Hand Car

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Knowing what make and model car you want you are halfway there.

The next step after finding it would be making sure when you find that car it is mechanically and structurally sound. You want to know the money you are investing in this next vehicle is not being wasted.

Second-hand cars have a history.

That might sound obvious but knowing how to look at the history of a second hand car is important. Something that may look in good condition to an untrained eye could be hiding a catalogue of problems.

Checking a used car over

Always buy a car which has a valid MOT. An MOT check can be done for free with the DVLA

If a car has any finance outstanding from its current owner they can not sell it. Perform a HPI check

Look at the service book records for the vehicle. Has the car maintained its services and do the stamps in the book look genuine? Each service stamp will have the name and possibly address and contact numbers of the garage that performed the service. If you are in any doubt call the garage that has stamped the book to make sure it exists.

You should be able to cross-reference the mileage on the service stamps with the mileage on the MOT checks.

Check the bodywork panels of the vehicles. If one panel looks a slightly different colour from the others, there is a chance the vehicle has been in an accident and repaired. You should be made aware of this before buying the vehicle.

Finally is the vehicle mechanically sound? Unless you are a trained mechanic this won’t be as easy to do yourself. The AA and RAC can perform these inspections for a small charge.

There are extra checks you can do for due diligence but these are the basics.

You should know or have an expectation of how much a car is worth and this is a great way to do that.

You don’t want to be paying more than the car is worth.

This guide doesn’t take into account any modifications or upgrades, it is just the basic car.

Hope you find this helpful if you are looking to buy a new car.

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