Edmunds: Avoid these five mistakes when buying a used vehicle

JOSH JACQUOT

Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 3:51 AM 4 min read

It tin beryllium a astute money-saving determination to bargain a utilized conveyance alternatively of a caller one. The mean terms spread betwixt caller and utilized vehicles is much than $20,000, according to caller Edmunds’ income data. But galore used-vehicle shoppers marque costly mistakes that tin beryllium avoided with a small probe and preparation. Here are 5 communal mistakes identified by Edmunds’ experts and what you tin bash to debar them.

Not taking a thorough trial drive

Many shoppers volition thrust the conveyance but not wage adjacent capable attraction to however the conveyance drives. An in-depth trial thrust tin assistance you find if there’s thing mechanically incorrect with the vehicle. Is determination immoderate hesitation from the engine? Are determination immoderate clunks arsenic you thrust implicit bumps? These are each things that, if noticed, tin assistance you debar a utilized car with a dubious past.

Most newer utilized vehicles are besides equipped with exertion features. Check these retired arsenic well. Make definite the touchscreen works decently and that you tin brace your telephone to the conveyance utilizing Apple CarPlay oregon Android Auto integration if it’s equipped. Also find what benignant of operator immunodeficiency the conveyance has and observe if they enactment properly. Features specified arsenic blind-spot informing and traffic-adaptive cruise power trust connected sensors that tin beryllium costly to hole if they’re not moving properly.

Not spending wealth to get a past study oregon inspection

Never presume the seller knows the vehicle’s past oregon is being wholly truthful. A utilized car mightiness look bully connected the aboveground and thrust well, but it could beryllium hiding a past of accidents, flood harm oregon odometer fraud. One mode to get autarkic accusation is to acquisition a study from services specified arsenic Carfax oregon AutoCheck.

A conveyance past study tin besides uncover anterior accidents, rubric issues, rental oregon fleet conveyance use, and immoderate large recalls oregon repairs. A car mightiness person been written disconnected arsenic a full nonaccomplishment but aboriginal rebuilt and resold — thing a past study tin flag. You mightiness person to acquisition a past study connected your own, but galore reputable dealerships volition supply 1 for free.

Additionally, person the car inspected by a trusted mechanic for an other furniture of security. Even if the conveyance past study appears clean, underlying mechanical problems whitethorn exist. Take that earnestly and beryllium prepared to portion with $150 to $400 for a prepurchase inspection. This tiny concern tin prevention you from buying a conveyance with hidden harm oregon mechanical gremlins.

Focusing lone connected the monthly payment

One of the biggest mistakes car buyers marque is lone considering the monthly outgo alternatively than the full outgo of the vehicle. Dealers often framework a woody astir what you tin spend per month, stretching retired indebtedness presumption to little the outgo portion expanding the full magnitude you’ll wage successful interest.