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Tips to Follow When Buying a Used Car

When buying a new car, a thorough inspection of its condition is key to getting a good deal. In this post by AMSOIL: Huff Oil Group in Fayetteville, we’ll dive into three ways you can ensure you’re getting your money’s worth.

Get Information From the Vehicle History Report

When going to a dealership to look at cars, it’s essential to get as much information as possible about the vehicle you’re looking at. One way of doing this is is to look at the vehicle’s Vehicle Identification Number or VIN. There are many sites on the internet where you can use the VIN to search for different aspects of the car, from maintenance, to owners, to accidents the vehicle has been in.

Where Can I Find a Car’s VIN?

A car’s VIN can be found:

On the engine
On the car’s door
On the car’s dashboard
Under the spare tire.

Take a Look at Maintenance Records

An excellent way to know how well cared for a car is would be to look at the vehicle’s maintenance records. If the car’s previous owners were diligent in recording its maintenance history, it’s probably because they were careful in following through with service appointments. This is a good sign and could mean that the car is in good shape. Let a professional mechanic look at the records to decide if everything looks up to par and if this is the right vehicle for you.

Once you buy your used car, make sure to have a synthetic oil change in Fayetteville to help it run as smoothly as possible. Get assistance from the professionals at Huff Oil Group by calling (978) 259-5463 or learn more about AMSOIL’s excellent products in their online shop.

Look Up Previous Owners

Another way you can determine if the vehicle is well cared for is to look into previous car owners. If a car has had more than one owner, there are more chances that one of them didn’t care properly for the vehicle. Another important thing that could show up when doing an owner look-up is to make sure the car isn’t stolen, which could get you into legal trouble if purchased. Looking up the VIN can save you a lot of legal trouble.

Check for Accidents

When doing a VIN search, you can also check for the vehicle’s accident history. This is a crucial thing to look at because a car that has been in an accident could have structural and mechanical damage, which could be a red flag. Consider that a car that has been declared a total loss, is a car that an insurance agency decided that it would cost more to repair than what the car is worth.

Get a synthetic oil change in Fayetteville for a smoother running engine. The oil pros at Huff Oil Group are ready to answer any questions you might have about products like AMSOIL's Signature Series 10W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil. Call them today at (978) 259-5463 or place your order online 24/7.

Inspecting the Car’s Condition

Inspecting a used car’s condition is essential in deciding whether a vehicle is the right one for you. An excellent way to determine the car’s condition is to have a certified mechanic do an inspection. One way of doing this is to take the vehicle into an accredited mechanic’s garage or take a mechanic to the dealership to inspect it before deciding. Another way you can tell if a car is in good condition is to see if it’s a certified pre-owned car (CPO). Having a CPO car means that the dealership has inspected it following the manufacturer’s specifications. It usually extends the warranty to cover bumper-to-bumper incidents or cover certain miles. The only downside is that CPO cars can be more expensive, but having an extended warranty can be worth the markup.

Mileage and Age Can Indicate a Vehicle’s Condition

Two final aspects you can look at when deciding on a vehicle are age and mileage. These two aspects can help you determine how well cared for the car was by previous owners. A good number to keep in mind is that a vehicle accumulates around 12,000 miles per year of use. A red flag could be a car with very low mileage compared with years of use, and unless you can compare mileage and age to maintenance records, it might be a bad purchase.