Be careful when buying a used car: How do I recognize a bad car?

Used cars are currently more expensive than ever.

Be careful when buying a used car: How do I recognize a bad car?

Used cars are currently more expensive than ever. If you don't want to pay too much, you should follow a few tips. A motor vehicle expert gives advice on how to avoid a bad buy.

You want to buy an older used car, but you are not an expert yourself. How do you avoid a bad buy? Stefan Ehl, motor vehicle expert from the expert organization KÜS (motor vehicle monitoring organization for freelance motor vehicle experts e. V.), advises the following: Even if you are not a motor mechanic, you can identify obvious problems with a used car. First of all, the data from the ad should match that of the actual vehicle. Is the mileage correct? Is the equipment correct and does the announced general condition appear reasonably accurate?

You can take your time with the external inspection of the vehicle. And get down on your knees too. Check for rust on doors and wheel arches, lift the trunk liner, look into the engine compartment and see if there are any puddles of oil under the car. In the case of private purchases, it is therefore worth taking a look at the previous parking space.

The condition of the tires is also important: if they are too old or too worn, they need to be changed, and uneven wear can indicate chassis problems. It is not always easy for a layperson to assess the seriousness of the defects found in this way, but it is possible to get a first feel for the car and a little bargaining chip for pricing.

It is also important to check the papers. It starts with the oil change note in the engine compartment - does it match the seller's information? - and does not stop at the registration certificate. It's also worth taking a closer look at the service book - because not every seller uses the term "checkbook maintained" in the narrowest sense. Not infrequently the booklet was only filled out in the first few years and then neglected. If you want to be sure, you can get a used car history of the desired car from a service provider for a reasonable fee. However, due to relatively strict data protection regulations, the meaningfulness in Germany is lower than in other countries. However, the certificates can often uncover very crude attempts at fraud.

A brief inspection of the vehicle in the workshop is not only worthwhile when the visual inspection of the car and papers raises questions. Many testing organizations and car workshops offer such used car checks for little money and often at relatively short notice. The perspective from under a lifting platform has already exposed many a beautifully made-up scrap carrot. The small investment is not only worthwhile for more expensive used vehicles, where the profits from cheating are high.