Things to check before buying old car
There are several things need to check before buying used car but amongst them important are listed below.
Verify Car’s Registration Certificate
First and most important thing needs to check is car’s Registration Certificate. It is also called as RC book. Car’s registration must be checked with respected seller’s detail. Seller’s details must be matched with RC book details.
Car’s Validity
Second thing need to check is Car’s Validity. Which is mentioned on RC book. Longer the validity duration, greater the time period available to use old car. But as validity is higher, cost of car is also be increased. hence car validity should be fair or at least have 7 yrs to expire.
Check Car’s Insurance
Third thing to check is Car Insurance. Before entering the deal, buyer must insure the car insurance is in active state. If not then ask seller to have active insurance policy. Else while re-registration car insurance must required to be in active state. Which eventually increase financial burden on buyer.
Check Car’s History
There should not be any legal penalties or Challan pending on Car. All legal penalties should be full-filled by previous owner. Also check there should not be any severe legal charges in history on owner and car.
To check Car challan in Maharashtra click the link below.
for other states Search “check E-challan for car in “State Name”.
Check Original Bills and Receipts
It is good to check original bills and any other receipts of car. Which validates original buyer and also buyer will get actual price of the Car. Hence it will help buyer to evaluate the current price of the car.
Check car’s overall health
Check car’s overall health. If Possible check previous car service record/log in car’s authorized service center. And confirm there should not be any major breakdown work done in past. As Service center’s keep records of car’s servicing, hence it is easy to understand the overall health of car.
Check cars Exterior & Interior
Thoroughly check cars interior and exterior condition. There should be minimum dents, paint should not be extremely wear out, seat cover, cushions are fairly good condition. Body rust: Look for rust, especially on the undercarriage, wheel wells, and door frames. Inspect for cracks, chips, and proper sealing around the glass.
Check Healthiness of Electronic system
Must check healthiness of electronics system. Check all lights are working and bright. Music system , speakers are working. Check all doors music system/speakers thoroughly. Sometimes seller removes speakers of back seat doors and passenger seat speaker. Hence check them properly. Wipers are working and should not be wear out. Wiper’s water jet also need to be in working state. Check Healthiness of AC system.
Check Mileage
Cars should have fair mileage. Car’s run should not be too Low or too high. Usually car’s low millage is considered good but extremely low mileage indicates further problems such as stale oil , dried seal etc. Extremely high mileage indicated low life cycle or high wear and tear of the car. Check car’s age then according to it evaluate fare mileage. Car should run at least 10,000 Kms in a Year.
Engine and Transmission
Engine condition: Check for oil leaks, unusual noises, or exhaust smoke. Look at the engine bay for corrosion and fluid leaks.
Transmission performance: Ensure smooth shifting in manual or automatic transmission, with no grinding or hesitation.
Driving experience: Pay attention to how the car drives. Listen for strange noises, test acceleration, braking, and turning, and make sure there’s no vibration or pulling.
Alignment: Ensure the car drives straight and doesn’t drift to one side.
Evaluate Spare parts and Servicing cost
Check Model and roughly evaluate cost of spare parts and servicing required in future. Very old models or model’s whose manufacturing stopped by the manufacturer cost higher money for repair or spare parts than models which are currently manufacturing or their variants are available in market.
Professional check
It’s always a good idea to take the car to a trusted mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection. They can spot hidden issues that might not be visible during a regular check.
English
Marathi