You’d never purchase a house without a home inspection. You should follow the same approach to purchasing a car, especially if it’s a used car. Take the time to inspect any car purchased from a Calgary used car dealership.
Even if you’re not a mechanic, you’ll be able to spot issues through your own inspection. There may be issues that rule out the car or suggest you should get a professional inspection done or perhaps give you some leverage when negotiating the final price. If you’re uncertain, don’t skip the inspection step. You can always pay for a professional inspection. Inspect a used car in daylight. Take along a flashlight and a toonie.
Look for rust
Use your flashlight to look closely at the metal underside of the car’s floor (the floor pans) and the structural elements around the outside of the car’s body (the frame rails). Also, look in the wheel wells, on the muffler, and on the pipes leading all the way from the muffler into the engine. New and shiny parts might indicate recent repairs. Recent repairs to structural elements like the frame rails could indicate the car was in an accident. Was an accident disclosed to you?
Were there any leaks?
Did you notice any leaks from any part of the car while you were on the ground? Even if you didn’t see any drips happening, were there any puddles or stains under the vehicle?
Check the tires
Ask your Calgary used car dealership what type of tires are on the car, how long they’re rated for, and how many kilometers they’ve been driven.
Check the tread. The best-used car dealerships in Calgary may even let you borrow a tread depth gauge, but you don’t need one. Insert a toonie on its edge between the treads of each tire. If the surface of the tread approaches the paws of that polar bear on your coin, the tires are nearly new. If only the outer ring of the loonie is covered by the tread, roughly half of the tire’s tread has been worn away. If your tread only reaches the bottom edge of the lettering on the coin, those tires are worn out and should be replaced.
Take a closer look
Walk all the way around the car, looking for the following things.
- Is there any rust, and are there any dents or cracks?
- Do the doors, hood, and truck all close securely and flush to the body?
- Open, shut, lock, and unlock each door and the hood and trunk.
- Open and close each window.
- Check the trunk, including lifting the carpet to look for rust and to see if there are spare tires and jack.
Check out the engine compartment
Even non-mechanics can learn a lot from a careful look at the engine of a car.
- Is it generally clean?
- Look closely at the round plate-sized parts at the corners of the engine compartment near the windshield — the shock or strut towers —are they rusty?
- Look at the underside of any visible rubber belts. There should not be cracks.
- Check the oil. Is it clean and at the right level? Watch for any signs of moisture or water on the dipstick.
- Are the other fluid levels — steering, brake, washer fluid, and coolant — where they should be? If they’re low, is there a leak?
Start the car
You’ve done all these things, and now is finally the time to start the car. What should you watch for?
- Did it start right away and does it idle smoothly or roughly?
- Test the lights, signals, horn, air conditioning, radio, four-way flashers, mirrors, emergency brake, hood latch, trunk latch, wipers, and all the car’s interior systems.
- Test the seat adjusters to ensure they work properly.
If the car feels like a possible fit, ask for a test drive and for full disclosure of the vehicle’s history. Don’t be hesitant or shy. The best-used car dealerships in Calgary will support you as you do this and will be eager to provide you with the information you need. They want you to be satisfied with your purchase so you’ll be a repeat customer and their brand and reputation will be respected.