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Dear Motor Medics,
I’m in the market for a used vehicle and my budget can afford something in the $10k range but I am a guy who likes a fancier ride like a Cadillac or Lincoln so that means my $10k will buy me a lot less car than if I were to purchase a smaller more mainstream brand vehicle. I have ended up with what I call lemons in the past which have cost me almost what I paid for them in repairs over a few years of ownership. I found out one had been in several wrecks and even was salvaged at one time. How can I protect myself during a purchase? They all seemed so good on the test drive.
Mark in Wyandot Michigan
Dear Mark,
We have several of our listeners in this position. They went with a luxury car that was ten years old instead of a standard car that’s just a couple years old with factory warranty. When you buy an older car the added miles and time take their toll and you are bound to have more problems. To protect yourself as best as you can we strongly suggest you do at least two things in addition to the test drive. Those two things are a title history check to find out if there are damage brands reported and a mechanical inspection done by a professional mechanic. These aren’t fool proof but do catch a lot of faults.
Take care, the Motor Medics