The prospect of buying a used car can be very exciting: looking through private and trade magazines, trawling through websites, visiting showrooms and going for test drives. But amidst all of the fun you should always be a wary consumer because it is likely you will be spending a reasonably large amount of your hard earned money and you do not want to buy something without making sure you have properly checked out the vehicle first. Imagine yourself proudly driving down the high street in your shiny new car when all of a sudden one of the back wheels falls off. Not cool.


Ideally you should take a car savvy friend or mechanic along with you to check over the car, but if this isn't possible, here are some important things you can look for yourself.


Service History


You should try and buy a car which has a complete or nearly complete service history. This is a book of stamps or a bunch of receipts which show that the car has been properly serviced throughout its life. Without this your car may not have been properly looked after and have some serious internal frailties.


MOT & Tax


Don't buy a car without an MOT or a good amount of tax on it. Whoever is selling a car without an MOT or one which is untaxed may be trying to palm it off as they know it will fail the MOT and be due a big repair. Most dealers should give you a car with at the very least, 6 months of each.


Body Work


Check the body work of your chosen car thoroughly for bumps, scrapes and discolouration. While anything will give you bargaining power when haggling price, it can also give you an indication of any accidents the car may have been in. If you suspect it has been resprayed or had a major repair, be very wary.


Boot


Check inside the boot for water pooling or any rust. Also, excessive ware may tell you a lot about the car.


Hoses in Engine


Check all the hoses in the engine for cracks and splits. And make sure the radiator hose isn't soft.


Test Drive


When test driving, test the brakes with a good solid emergency stop. Any shuddering or squealing indicates the brakes need work. Check out the upholstery, interior features, stereo, windows and anything else included for damage.


Odometer


Check the odometer reading matches the mileage the salesman has quoted. A car should do about 10,000 – 15,000 miles a year.


Of course you don't always need your own car, sometimes it is more convenient to let someone else deal with the traffic and the hassle of navigating an area that you don't know. For example, if you were on holiday in Belfast then using one of the many Belfast taxi firms to navigate this city would be an ideal way to get around. Also to get to and from the airport then using one of the Belfast city airport taxis provides a handy way to get yourself to the airport without needing to worry about parking.

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