Are you in the market for a used car? First of all, you should know that you are making an excellent decision. While brand new Subaru sales in Oakland CA might be attractive to you, you can get everything that you need at a much lower price if you spend the time looking and asking the right questions. There are three very specific questions that you should be asking before you sign on the dotted line and drive your car home.
Question 1: How Many Miles Does it Have on It?
If you had two identical cars side by side the one with more mileage on it would have a lower resale value. Take a car with 20,000 miles and a car with 100,000 miles. While they might both be good vehicles the one with 100,000 will have more wear and tear, more plate changes, and more owners. The one with 20,000 might as well have just come off the factory line. Always ask and always make sure.
Question 2: What is History?
All used cars have a history and companies like Carfax keep track of it. VINs can be traced to accidents, police reports, and even criminal records. If the car has been in an accident then you need to know about it.
Question 3: Is it Certified?
A certified pre-owned vehicle is going to be worth a lot more to you; it will be guaranteed by the manufacturer to be defect free and essentially just as good as a new car, save for a few extra miles. This also means that you have a limited warranty, giving you the peace of mind that you need with any large purchase.
These are three critical questions that you need to ask, so make sure you have them written down and that you’re ready to get the best-used car on the market.
