Welcome back to our series on what to look out for when buying a used car! We went over two very important things in the first part of our series, but we aren’t done yet. So before you hand someone or a dealership your money, be aware of these tips we’ve mentioned, and the additional tips we are about to mention…

Be careful about what you buy, and inspect it with your own eyes and be sure to test drive before purchasing a used car.

Be on the lookout for things like broken head lights and tail lights first and foremost. Things like cracked tail lenses are also easy to spot on the surface, but should always be checked and accounted for. While you should always, always test drive a car that you intend to drive, be sure to get a good feel for the drive itself. If it is not particularly smooth, the tires might be bald, meaning you’d have to purchase an entire set down the road in addition to what you spend on the vehicle.

Always remember to make sure that the car has undergone a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) to ensure that the mechanics of the vehicle are intact. This means a full under hood inspection, where the fluids, engine, and charging system analysis are up to date and working well. Most dealerships will already have a person on hand to perform this type of inspection. While they should always be truthful and honest about the specs of the vehicle in question, sometimes the information you receive is false, or might be a half-truth. However, this is better than not having the vehicle inspected at all.

If you are buying a car off of an individual, always be sure that they have had the car inspected with a PPI at an independent company.