When you’re in the market for a used car, there’s a seemingly endless list of things to keep in mind, options to weigh, and ways to go about the process of finding the right fit. Certified Pre-Owned or used? Trade in your current vehicle or sell privately? What kind of mileage are you looking for? It can be a real relief to finally find a model that interests you enough to take it for a test drive.
That said, the test drive itself comes with its share of important considerations. Today we’ll give you an overview of what to check for when test driving used cars that we hope will streamline the process for you a little and help you make sure you’ve got your bases covered.
Do your homework
Of course you’ve researched enough about the model you’re test driving to have a good feeling about its reliability. That said, it’s good to dig a little and find out what some common issues are with the particular make, model, and specific model year so you know what to pay a little extra attention to during your inspection and test drive.
Arrange for an inspection
Whether you’re buying used at a dealership or privately, it’s important that any work needed is assessed so that you can decide if the “as-is” price is fair with those considerations taken into account. While it’s unethical for someone to knowingly sell you a car as-is with undisclosed issues, it’s been known to happen and it’s up to you to ensure you don’t get taken for a ride (the bad kind).
Test Drive
After you’ve given the exterior an interior a full once-over, looking for signs of wear and tear, defects, and cosmetic flaws, it’s time to take the wheel. Make sure you’re taking the vehicle through a variety of situations, from city stopping and starting to merging onto a highway, and ideally you’ll also be able to find a rough patch of road to go over as well to see how the car handles bumpy areas, listening carefully for rattles and clunks and other sounds.
Make sure you get a good sense of how the vehicle brakes, shifts, turns, and whether it veers over to one side if you let go of the wheel ever so slightly and cautiously. Listen to the engine — should be quiet and smooth. Check all the interior functions like heat, air conditioning, radio, and cruise control.
If you’d like to take any of our vehicles here at Holiday Ford for a test drive, just let us know and we’ll get it set up!
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