When you’re looking at used cars, you should spend some time inspecting the vehicle. While it’s easy to look at tires and the interior, many people forget to take a good close look at the body. Looking at the body of a used car can help you know if there are structural problems, or if the car has been in an accident.
There are several steps to checking the body of a used car:
- First, look along the side of the car. Are the lines straight? If not, that can be a sign that there’s been an accident. You’re especially looking for ripples as you go.
- Take a look at the body from different angles and from different distances. Make sure the color of the paint matches everywhere.
- You also want to look at the quality of the paint. If a section looks shinier than the body around it, it can mean the car has been painted recently.
- Inspect the gaps between the panels. They should be even, and around the same width. If a gap seems off, check it on the other side to see if it matches.
- Watch out for rust, of course. Even if you repair rust spots, they will corrode again later.
While you can’t guarantee that this kind of inspection will catch every flaw, it should help keep you from buying a vehicle with major body problems.
Filed under: Buying a Used Car
Tagged ,Buying a Used Car, used cars
