Buying a new vehicle
So you went through the painful process of buying a car and had changed your mind back and forth hoping that you’ve made the right decision. You probably spent between $20 to $30 thousand dollars so you at the very least deserve the exact car you bought and in mint condition…period. You don’t need little imperfections and minor noises in the vents and crap like that. You paid a chunk of cash so don’t settle for anything less.
Before you sign any papers to finalize your purchase you must back your investment and thoroughly check your new car from bumper to bumper, inside and out. Never assume that everything is alright because a dealer says it is, especially if they want you to sign now and promise they will fix any issues later, although they may, they also might not. Before you sign is when they will try to help you so they get their sale, but once you sign they might not be so willing.
Do what it takes to have the dealer include a good road test where you can feel and hear any problems that your new car might have. Take the salesperson with you so if you do hear or feel something wrong, they can acknowledge it in front of you. If they don’t go with you, keep a piece of paper and pen with you to ensure you are taking notes of anything you feel is not working right or something you feel is not right in general. A confident and reputable car dealership will usually let you take the car overnight, if they do, take advantage of that, it will give you some real time to assess the vehicle.
If you feel that you are not confident enough to know if something feels wrong, bring someone who knows and can help you understand if you have an issue or not. They might also pick up something in the appearance that might not be right. Most mechanical issues on new vehicles are usually minor adjustments, but better to get it fixed now. Also, you might find an issue that is considered a factory flaw that is covered by the factory but you’ll know it right away rather than worrying about whether they will cover it or not.
If you see any paint or interior upholstery that has any imperfections point them out right away. These issues are harder for the dealer to cover and they will usually tell you that all cars have minor flaws, it isn’t true. They don’t want to deal with these problems because a small flaw in the upholstery can mean changing a whole seat or a flawed paint issue can mean repainting a whole fender or door. The dealer sees this as a small problem, with a big cost.
Remember that once you sign on the dotted line and drive
Some other things to keep an eye out for:
Always try to pick up your new car in the day when the lighting is good. You can see so much more in the day that would otherwise be completely missed at night. Although the car might look shiny at night, you just can’t see if there are problems with the paint or much of anything for that matter. Avoid picking the car up after work, just take your lunch time to pick it up so you can avoid any hassles later.
Check to make sure that the serial or VIN number on the car match the numbers on the purchase documents and check the mileage on the car to see if there has been any unnecessary mileage put on the car. Many times you’ll see anywhere from 50–400 miles or kms on the odometer. This is usually due to the drive time between car dealerships from where your dealer bought the car; get them to clarify this for you. They don’t always have the exact car you want on the lot, which is another good reason for the pre delivery inspection.
Give the car body and paint a very close visual from top to bottom and back to front. If your car did have any work that required a portion of it to be repainted you might see some overspray in areas like, inside the hood, trunk or around the inside of the gas cap compartment. If you do see something like this make sure the dealer is open to what was wrong and how it was fixed. Although the repair might not be a problem, you might see the paint fade unevenly as the car ages but at least you know.
Check all the lines on the vehicle; check where the doors and hood meet the fenders and the trunk meet the rear fenders for alignment. Check near the bottom of both bumpers as a lot of scratches and scrapes are missed there from high sidewalks or parking blocks in parking lots.
Check out the interior in the front the back and the headliner for stains or tears. Make sure that your windows are sealed well and don’t howl or your vents don’t whistle when running. Be sure that all your options are included and mechanical and electrical components are working properly.
Have your salesperson run through all the features of the car checking everything from your headlights, brake lights, flashers and even make sure that all your fluids are topped off so there are no surprises.
During your test drive ensure that your car doesn’t pull to the left or right and that when you let go of the steering wheel the car stays straight. Even a slight rub of the wheel on the curb in transportation can cause alignment issues, don’t make it your problem. Try your brakes in normal use as well as a heavy breaking situation and it should stop smoothly unless you have ABS which would give you a slight pulsation in the brake pedal on wet, slippery or uneven road conditions.
There’s no doubt that shopping and buying a new car can be a long and nerve racking process, after all you work your butt off for your hard earned cash. So when you make an important investment like a new car, don’t ruin the excitement of picking up and owning your new car by waking up the next day to problems that should have been seen before you signed your final delivery documents.
Follow these tips and you’ll sleep well knowing you won’t have any unwanted surprises with your car in the morning.
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