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Consider This Before Purchasing a Pre-Owned Car

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Owning a car is a great experience and we all want the process of acquiring one to be simple. As you plan to buy a car consider these criteria.

Plan your budget

When you buy a car, buy one which is more reliable to you in terms of expenditure. Consider the purchasing cost, maintenance cost, and running cost. For maximum fulfillment, let not your car lead you to financial depression.

Some cars are more expensive to buy and maintain than others. Other cars can be more affordable during the purchase but are expensive to maintain. Do detailed research on the vehicle model you want and ascertain that it will be reliable to you.

Imported or Locally used

When purchasing a used car, find out whether a locally owned unit or a used imported one will satisfy your wants.

With used imported units, the importer should follow all regulations imposed by the country. In Kenya’s case, KEBS protocols should be heeded and the car should pass the safety and mechanical inspection. Import Declaration Fee (IDF) has to be paid to clear the vehicle from the port and other custom duty rates should be cleared. All these processes can delay the car’s delivery to the owner and additional costs will be incurred.

A locally used unit would be simpler to purchase and the cost would be cheaper than an imported unit.

Identify reasonable car dealers

When purchasing a used unit whether locally or internationally used, be sure to deal with a dealer who is eligible. Some car dealers are scrupulous and you might end up with a unit that you didn’t ask for or a vehicle that is tampered with.

Shortlist some of the best dealers from various platforms and go through their reviews and ratings. Reach out for a dealer whose policies are clearly outlined and sensible to both parties.

Inspect the car

Make sure to inspect the car before coming to an agreement with the dealer. If you aren’t familiar with cars, you can hire a car expert to perform an evaluation for your sake.

Check whether there are any major repairs done before. How can you tell this? Look for the gaps between the car’s body i.e bumper, headlights, tailgate, hood, fenders, and doors. Manufacturers design the gaps to be exact on either side of the car. The presence of gaps/ uneven gaps gives you an idea of the car’s actual condition. Also, these gaps show that the body part was removed to either fix or extract some internal parts.

Also check out the condition of the airbags, car paint quality, mileage, car history, and paperwork. The car should have the original registration and documents. Furthermore, inspect for rust underneath the car and on its parts.

Take the car for a test drive, and feel the comfort level and the conditions of the dashboard. The foot pedals (accelerator, brake, and clutch) should also press smoothly to ensure a safe drive. Also, check the condition of the car fluids.

Vehicle Model

This prepares you to know the cost of spare parts and estimate service costs. Ensure that the model you are buying is in the market. Some vehicle models have complex and uncommon parts thus it’s hard for mechanics to work with them.

Initiating payment

The process of initiating payment should be convenient for both parties.

Conclusion

Conclusively, there are way more things you can consider when purchasing a car. However, when purchasing a locally owned unit, the client is prone to experience more hazards with the car than with an important unit.

 

 

 

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Computer Engineering Student
Entrepreneur and Free thinker.

#SpaceYaMagari
Harrison Meshak
the authorHarrison Meshak
Computer Engineering Student Entrepreneur and Free thinker.

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