Hi - found this stuff but found people concentrating more on the paper work.
Here are some 21 tips I can think off to quickly get off the ground.
1. Cars - new kind of 3 years old, would have made an average of 25, 000 - 45, 000 kms. Beware of the dealer who says car belongs to some doctor who is migrating to the US and the car was not much driven. The speedo is definitely tampered.
If dealer claims there is a robo-device, fm-radio and remote, CHECK IT OUT and see for yourself. OFten, you find after the buy these parts have been removed.
check for oil spouting from exhaust, and drones from engines while driving. This means there is a boring job coming up - that means 50k down the tube 6 months down the line, 6 weeks in garage, especially if car is uno - daewoo
4. cars of 3-5 years have various auto components, digital parts etc in the emission. These hve a life of 3-5 years and each cost around 2K - 6K. Buyer beware, budget 6-8 K for these.
Look at bushings, springs, sounds from the bearings. Wheel bearings can be expensive, especially if the car was a distress sale made due to water logging in rainy season and u are making a new year or diwali buy. The car would look brand new as dealer would have made a nice exterior paint job.
check service details - and not just the first 2 free servicing done in first year.
7. be very very careful of diesel cars 2-3 years old. Most diesel cars need a lot of maintenance after 2-3 years on filters etc. Sumos(older ones) always had wear and tear on their tyres and a replacement of all 4 tyres will hit you badly.
8. You can always bang down a price of 225, 000 down to upto 180, 000. Insist on a 1 year guarantee on engine, gear-box if purchased from a dealer. If he acts evasive, u can be sure that particular piece is screwed up.
9. check for musty smells in case of post-rains purchases. There could be leakages in beadings around the windshield or windows.
10. open bonnet, look for dents, wirings(if wiring plastics look brittle - the car could be older than what it looks). Check for acid wear and tear around the battery areas, a sure sign the car has not been mintained by earlier person.
11. Check papers, 2 or 3 owners means lafda hai.
12. if daman-diu registration types, most probably the vehicle could have been tour operator kind of vehicle.
13. always a premium on parsee owned vehicles - no need to tell u why. Most sold vehicles are those pre-owned by gujus - don’t need to tell u why. u are warned. So unless u know this guy personally, factor the risks in your buying decisions
- always budget 10-15% on upkeep and costs u need to invest to examine, test and carry immediate repairs within 1-3 months of repair. That way, u have lesser disappointments. Let ur dealer be aware u intend to bang him down on price, as part of ur budget u want to set aside for such maintenance till u get used to the vehicle and its behavior. He will co-operate and may give the low-down on some things u need to fix, or he would spend a bit more on his own to ensure the vehicle is off his premises.
15. Most vehicles on second-hand are claimed to be of doctors. Most belong to gujus(i am from bombay, your realities could be different in whatever town). Parsis normally want to sell vehicle directly and not thru dealers. Direct sale-purchase cuts down the overheads, but u would need a garage person to help out in tranfer and follow-up. RTO and transfers will take around 3 weeks. U will hve to spend full amount on insurance as in the case of a totally new vehicle i.e round 4000-6000 rs. though the pre-owner would have last spent around 1500-3000 in last on the insurance. That is the rule and insurance company policy - check how long the earlier insurance is valid
16. if vehicle is old, check the road tax payment details, whether paid on annual basis or one time fully paid. This could be an irritant later when u have to visit BMC and suddenly get slapped due to non-payment of road tax with fine and back-payments.
17. check battery servicings records - most regular guys would hve this
check on electrical components, lightings and dippers, cabin lights, hind lights and reverse lights and their workings, Check the AC by taking a round in the afternoon, check how it functions with a/c on / off climbing a slope.
Check up incline drives by parking the vehicle nd then starting off.(important) - a slippage in gear - clutch - gearbox problem will surface immediately. Don’t touch this vehicle even if the dealer promises a repair or insists this is something minor and is to do with ur driving skill. If he still is upto some further talks, GO TO SOME OTHER DEALER.
20. No second-hand car dealer is honest - none will give u the low-down on status. It is always ur responsibility to obtain the most, and depend on your technical rater and take his technical inputs as the final word on your buying decision. Pay him around 150-500 depending on your budget and need. This money is well spent, as even 10% repair on a bought car of 150, 000 is substantial.
- take ur wife along for the purchase - a dissatisfied wife or spouse will make more noises on second hand vehicles and will invariably give u s*it when u want to do some initial repairs and maintenance immediately on purchase. So even if the buy was good, the bai can mke ur life miserable and scrounge on auto expenses.
well - that is 21
should provide adequate savings - appreciate additions to my commercial situations based on these tips, but hope all these inputs give u best value for your money should u want to go for purchase.
and work ur negotations around these tips - don’t kill the dealer by over-bargaining. let him mke his profits - as long as u are reasonable, he will be co-operative.
Make a planned purchase of the vehicle by taking it around 2-3 times or making 5-6 visiits to the dealer. He will change his tack and u will not be saddled by a lemon.
alex