| We are back with part three of the series, | | | | data. |
| Questions to Ask When Buying a Used Car. In | | | | I like to take a blank sheet of paper and begin |
| part two, we covered the questions about the | | | | each entry with the year, make, model, price, and |
| drive train, service history, and accident history. In | | | | phone number from the ad while I am dialing. That |
| this part we are getting right down into the finer | | | | means I am writing about that vehicle before I |
| details of what questions to ask when you are | | | | even have the person on the line. From there I |
| interviewing used car sellers over the phone | | | | just add the details and then make a line across |
| before you travel out to see their car for sale. | | | | and call another one. After several calls have been |
| It's worthwhile to ask the seller how much rust | | | | made, it's easy to look back and see which ones |
| their car has. Let's talk about rust. Even a car that | | | | look the best. Take your notes with you on your |
| is only a few years old can have a little rusty | | | | actual visit and compare what the seller has told |
| spot or two. An older automobile that is for | | | | you with your sheet to see if they were being |
| example 10 or 15 years old can potentially have | | | | straight with you over the phone. |
| anywhere between no rust at all and a serious | | | | Ask the sellers if there are any problems that |
| cancer condition. No one likes a rusty car, but it's | | | | they are aware of with their car? Again make |
| obvious that the less there is the better. | | | | notes on their answers. It's okay to spend a little |
| It is always interesting to ask about rust over the | | | | time on this one. You can subtly remind them |
| phone with a used car because everyone has a | | | | that it's important to be truthful here by telling |
| different perception about how much rust their | | | | them what you want the car for and why you |
| car has. It is difficult to quantify, and it's all relative. | | | | are concerned about its future reliability. Ask them |
| Some people have told me that their car is very | | | | if this car needs anything in order to be safe to |
| rusty, and when I went to see it I found that it | | | | drive right now, in the near future, and in the |
| had almost no rust at all by my standards! The | | | | distant future. |
| opposite scenario is more typical. | | | | You should always ask them what they have |
| The answers to the rust question are often | | | | done in terms of maintenance or repairs to the |
| misleading, but ask anyway and write down their | | | | car lately, and if they have the receipts to prove |
| responses. If you do go out to look at the car | | | | the work. If they have no receipts, then be very |
| later, you can learn more about the seller by | | | | skeptical of the maintenance history. No service |
| referring to your notes. Speaking of notes, it's a | | | | records usually mean incomplete maintenance |
| really good idea to take careful notes when car | | | | which spells trouble for any used vehicle later in |
| shopping over the phone. It is possible to gather | | | | life. |
| so much information in a relatively short period of | | | | That wraps up part three. In part four, I'll cover |
| time, that if you don't record what you've learned | | | | some more specifics including |
| in a systematic way, you will end up with | | | | expensive-to-replace critical-car-components! |
| confusing, incomplete, or just downright incorrect | | | | Thanks for reading. |