I have never bought a car in the showroom. However, today the situation with new models is so difficult that such an experience for many will not happen soon. Nevertheless, not so long ago, I bought my third personal car in the secondary market. Each time I faced a wide variety of additional costs that were not originally planned. Therefore, for all this time, I was convinced that it was impossible to buy a car on the secondary market for the last money. For a good option, you probably still have to go to another region of the country, anything can happen along the way, and, perhaps, the first trip will not be crowned with success at all. However, there are other additional costs.
High-quality diagnostics are never free
It is important to understand what they mean today when they talk about high-quality diagnostics. The fact is that many cars that came out in the last 15–20 years are quite crammed with a wide variety of electronics – especially models of German brands. That is why it is important to diagnose them not only on a lift, but also when connected to a computer. Special software will make it possible to determine the real mileage of the vehicle, as well as help to understand the state of its engine and gearbox. However, you still have to drive the car onto the lift to diagnose the state of the chassis elements during a preliminary check before buying.
You may need to buy a set of new tires
When purchasing a car on the secondary market, it is important to check with the current owner of summer and winter tires. It is likely that he may not have tires, or they may be in extremely poor condition. As practice shows, if the current owner simply does not have one of the sets of tires, he will most likely buy some cheap one in the secondary market in order to increase the sales value of the car. It is not a fact that it will be safe to ride at all, so it is important to be prepared for the need to spend money on new tires.
- To this topic: How to prepare a car for sale. All this will greatly simplify the process of selling the car on the secondary market.
All cars from the hands are best dry-cleaned immediately
A stained ceiling, stains on the seats, crumbs of unknown origin in the cup holders, spots of some kind of glue in the air deflectors of the climate control, yogurt rolled under the seat at least six months ago are not all the surprises that I recently bought from a used car. In general, I doubted about its acquisition, but the very low mileage and low cost tipped the cup in a positive direction. As a result, immediately after the re-registration, the car went to dry cleaning, within the framework of which it was brought to an almost pristine appearance. It is a pity that all this was not visible from the photographs – otherwise I would have tried to drop the price in advance.
Some interior elements can be replaced.
Even at a relatively low mileage, some elements of the cabin can already be quite “tired”. Yes, it is quite possible that their complete replacement or partial restoration can be postponed a little, but this process in the end will still require cash injections. In order to bring a used car to the form that it was pleasant to use, more often than not, you will need to spend money. This is especially true for pedantic owners who will be annoyed by a rip in a leather seat or a pair of worn buttons. Fortunately, today, for most car models, there are a lot of parts for disassembly at a very reasonable cost.
You will probably need to polish the car body
The darker the car, the more all kinds of scratches are visible on it. The body of my previous one was white, and I myself did not think about polishing it even on a run of almost 130 thousand kilometers. But now I have, like a classic, a black BMW, and already at 60 thousand, traces of operation are clearly visible on it. It’s a pity, the body glows strongly, so I didn’t manage to catch at least some scuffs in the photo. However, this does not negate the fact that the body directly asks for polishing. Fortunately, the paintwork of the “Germans”, unlike the Japanese, is quite thick, so it will probably survive this procedure more than once.
Main components are usually very expensive to repair.
It is also important to understand that the preliminary diagnostics of a car does not always make it possible to understand what is wrong with it. Sometimes multilevel malfunctions of key vehicle units come out already in the first months after the start of operation. For example, when I bought the Volkswagen Passat B7, I didn’t really think about potential problems with its DSG gearbox. However, in the end I ran into them – there was a crack in the mechatronics hydroaccumulator, which did not allow to build up the necessary pressure. The repair cost more than tens of thousands of rubles, which I did not initially plan to spend on a car.
Body elements are also sent for replacement.
After buying my penultimate car, I noticed that it had a small crack on the windshield. As a result, I glued it with special glue to avoid enlargement, and decided not to replace it. However, this body element could well be changed to a new one so as not to annoy. And this is a small example that I have encountered personally. But in practice, there are a lot of options when any body elements need restoration or complete replacement. It is interesting that the need for such manipulations is far from always immediately obvious, so it can be a real surprise.
Sometimes the car still has to be completed
After purchasing a used car, the nuances of the equipment may also come out, which no one immediately paid attention to. For example, when buying my last car, I did not even notice that it does not have parking sensors or a rear-view camera from the factory. It turned out that without them it is sometimes not so comfortable to park in cramped urban environments. It was in my head that such comfort elements in high-end cars are installed by default, so I didn’t even bother about this when choosing a car. Installation of original parking sensors and a camera will cost more than a hundred thousand rubles. Now I am looking for substitutes of decent quality.
It is best to change all fluids in the car.
The previous owner of the car can tell you anything, but it is important to understand that his words will not always be true. That is why, immediately after purchasing a new vehicle, I always highly recommend replacing absolutely all fluids in it. This primarily concerns the engine oil in the engine. It would also be nice to change the oil in the gearbox, even if this is not regulated by the car manufacturer. You can also change the fluids in the all-wheel drive system, if any. The same applies to antifreeze, brake and other fluids, the last replacement of which cannot be controlled.
After buying the car, you still need to insure
Immediately after purchasing a car, you must also buy insurance. The minimum program is OSAGO. It would also be nice to acquire a CASCO, but this is optional. A compulsory insurance policy is unlikely to hit your pocket hard, but these funds are also important to consider when buying a car. The cost of full vehicle insurance is quite high. That is why, if you plan to acquire one more and one, do not forget to take into account the corresponding costs in calculating the purchase price of the car.
You will need to buy additional tools for the car
I already wrote that my latest purchase is a BMW in the back of an F30. The cars of the brand do not provide for self-replacement of wheels, so they have neither a stowaway nor the tools that are necessary to install it. At first I thought that I could do without all this. Nevertheless, I have already punctured a tire on the track at night in the middle of the field. Repairing it turned out to be an adventure that lasted for several hours. As a result, I came to the conclusion that it will not be possible to do without a stowaway and tools, therefore, without fail, I will have to spend money on all this in the very near future.
There may be other incidental expenses
All of the above is not a complete list of possible additional costs, for which it is important to be prepared when buying a used car. For example, he himself was still faced with the absence of a second key or the extremely poor condition of both, lost secrets and even the loss of a complete jack, which the previous owner carefully pulled out of the car before buying. It is important to understand that you are not purchasing a new vehicle and cannot be 100% sure in what conditions it was used before.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
