More adventures in buying a Secondhand Car

Would you buy this car without knowing its history?

It's clear that most of us own and use our cars without giving the slightest thought to one day in the future having to pass it on. If we did we would do a lot of things to keep its resale value as high as possible. Instead, we live for today and generally only concern ourselves with whether it will start or not and get us to where we want to go.

This attitude is not entirely unjustified because if we find ourselves trading in our car to buy a new one, the dealer will offer us something insulting, even though we have maintained our car in tip top condition. He will then have the nerve to ask thousands from a buyer, pointing out that the previous owner took exceptional care of the vehicle.

In looking over some cars we have found a number that were in very dirty condition. First rule: if you want to sell your car, at least make it presentable. Just because it has always been kept in a slovenly condition, there is no reason to expect a potential buyer to be interested in buying it, even though he might also keep it as though it were a tip.

Personally, I insist on keeping the interior of my car in clean condition, but, that's just me. The moment I saw cars for sale that were dirty and uncared for I was ready to walk away. In fact, those cars were not ready for sale.

One of the best cars we saw that has us thinking about it is a 4x4 in apparent excellent condition. It is being sold through a division of a business that takes in cars that are to be written off. Those vehicles that are in such condition that they have more life to them are rehabilitated and placed on secondhand car sale. However, they are offered for sale without guarantee, even although it is a company that is selling them.

In such cases, the car's history is essential, but this particular car has no documentation of that nature, not even the owner's manual. To buy such a car would truly be a big gamble. We would have to drive it directly to our garage and have all belts and chains replaced and the car be given a complete service. For the consideration of a substantial discount on the asking price, we might do just that.

We will keep you informed.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael