There are ten questions you should always ask before buying any used vehicle from a private individual. Some can be asked by phone or email before seeing the vehicle in person. Others are better to do when you have the used car in front of you.
Not doing them can lead to problems with your car in the future because, unlike dealerships, an individual does not have to offer you any protection or guarantee if something goes wrong. So don’t be shy and ask:
Ask before:
1. How many kilometers does the car have?
It is the key question, since it helps you set a target price for the vehicle. In a lot of web pages you can find car valuations based on their registration date. From there, you will already know how many kilometers its owner did per year.
2. Why are you selling your car?
There are too many variables to list all the possible answers they can give you. These are some:
- “I just bought a new car.” This is good, as the seller is inspired to sell quickly.
- “It belonged to my father (or my mother).” It also helps, because people usually hold on to such a car for sentimental reasons. If they sell it, it is because they need to do it for the money or to avoid the expenses that a stopped car entails.
- “He consumes a lot.” Yes, there are honest people who openly admit it. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of this situation.
- “It was the car my son used and he moved/immigrated/etc.” They are complicated negotiations since there is usually less urgency to sell the car. They have to stick with their starting price.
3. What condition is the used car in?
There are three positive answers:
- Excellent: That the car is in very good condition is always a good thing… unless the seller is a cheek, the car really isn’t that well maintained and is just trying to get you to pay more. Ask him to send you photos of the car and check that the condition matches his claims.
- Well: As in the previous case, it is very good for a seller to present his car like this. In addition, an honest seller does not usually give excessive hype to his used car and many times behind a car in good condition an excellent car is hidden.
- Normal: This is one of the best answers, as it often indicates that the seller doesn’t really know how much your car might be worth or is a willing person to negotiate. You may also assume that you are shy or just plain honest.
Ask when you see the car:
4. Who did you buy this vehicle from?
The best answer is for the seller to be the first owner of the car, since in this way it should have information on the entire life of the vehicle. Find out where the owner has lived.
Knowing if the car has had to endure the cold winters of Teruel or the summers of Écija (the frying pan of Andalusia), can help you to know if the car may have suffered a specific problem. If in doubt, it can help to request a report from the DGT.
5. What kind of oil do you use in the car?
Believe it or not, it is one of the best indicators of how well the vehicle has held up. An individual will respond in these three ways:
- Immediately indicates the brand (and often much more information). They probably change the oil themselves (or are very concerned about the health of their car) and the vehicle is in good shape.
- After a brief pauseHe asks if they can review his files. It is also usually a good sign, but be careful and check it in the sixth question.
- “Don’t have no idea«. So, without hesitating for a second, he moves on to the next question.
6. Could I see the maintenance history?
Used cars are a mystery and it’s a shame they don’t talk so they can tell you a little about how their life has gone. But, in the absence of a history (as in the Internet browser on your computer), well it’s a revision book, where a careful driver should write down all the ailments and remedies his car has suffered. It is very important, especially if he has not been the sole owner of the car.
All sellers can lie, but lie through the maintenance history it’s more complicated. If you are a meticulous driver you will keep the bills from your workshop (or workshops) and there you can see how the car has been cared for over the years. If it only shows you an oil change receipt (the last one, usually, and recently), be careful.
It is a pity that in Spain the CarFaxa very practical report in which, by means of the chassis number (the car’s DNI), all the important data that the car may have had is verified (if it has been imported, if it has been dismantled, if it was stolen on some occasion, if the airbags were ever used…).
It is neutral and reliable information, in a clear format that is very easy to understand. In more mature markets this report is usually requested. Now that the sale of used cars is becoming more important in Spain (where, until before the crisis, only one used car was sold for every two new ones), it is possible that this CarFax service will begin to be used.
7. How much are you willing to sell the car for?
This lets the seller know that you are not willing to pay the price that you have marked at the beginning. By the way, the longer the seller has tried to part with the car, the more likely it is that he will give you a discount (you will know that by looking at the date of the announcement).
Offering him a smaller amount of money, in cash and at that time, it usually works sometimes so that he accepts less money than the initial one. It’s easy to find out how much a used car is worth with our free car appraiser.
8. Could you test drive the car?
Never buy a car without testing it and much less a used one (we have already told you how to test a car you want to buy). No reputable seller should deny you a test drive. Most will ask you to last less than half an hour and always with him inside.
9. Would you mind if my mechanic inspects the car?
Any hesitation on your part by the seller is a warning sign. Don’t be swayed if the salesperson says no, or tries to make it difficult for you to do so (“I need the car” will be their first response). Because the only answer you want to hear and will accept is, “Of course, no problem.”
10. What is the last used car you sold?
It is not a trivial matter. You would hallucinate with the number of people who they sell used cars as a hobby. People who buy cheap, fix the car themselves and sell it again for a slightly higher price.
Some are real handymen who tune up the car in a phenomenal way and other real cheeks who only seek economic benefit and camouflage failures. If they don’t answer any of the above questions well, be wary.
