Buying A New Car? Pre Purchase Inspection Is a Must!
When buying a used car, a Pre-purchase inspection is a must. A car purchase is normally the second most expensive item that you will buy, second only to your home.
If you are like me and love that new car smell but can’t justify the new car price, then a pre-loved car is what you are looking for. No matter how low the odometer reading is on the car you should have a pre-purchase inspection done by a reputable and experience inspector. Yes, you are correct in assuming that a low odometer reading is a good thing and the lower the reading the less the vehicle has been driven, which lowers the chances of anything being wrong with the car. However, an experienced mechanic that has worked on a large Varity of makes and models is aware of what cars had issues from new, signs that the car was in an accident, the vehicle had been in a flood or similar or the car has been abused by the owner. These are just some of the things an experience mechanic can pick up during the pre-purchase inspection process that can save you thousands of dollars.
Whilst there are laws that try to protect people from sharks selling dodgy cars to unsuspecting people, they are sometimes to expensive and too drawn out for most people to get a positive result. I have been in this situation myself and the old saying that the law is an ass could not be truer. The sharks out there are very aware of the laws and how to use them or avoid them, depending on the need at the time.
“The law is an ass – application of the law that is contrary to common sense.”
So rather than getting involved with any legal issues you need to take matters into your own hands, this is covered under contract law called “Caveat emptor”
Caveat emptor is a neo-Latin phrase meaning “let the buyer beware.” It is a principle of contract law in that places the onus on the buyer to perform due diligence before making a purchase.
The long and the short of all that legal jargon is “do your homework” before buying a new or used car” That is where the pre-purchase inspection is a “MUST DO”.to ensure you don’t end up with a lemon.
When you’re buying a home, most people have a building and pest inspection done to protect them from expensive surprises with your property done the track. The vehicle pre-purchase inspection is the same principle. A pre-purchase inspection is a look at the current state of the vehicle and future view of what the likely maintenance costs are in the medium/long term, depending on driving conditions.
The number of people that tell their horror stories and bring their cars to us asking our advice and our help to fix the vehicle recently purchased is growing. Mind you we have never had a vehicle come back that we have completed a pre-purchase inspection on. For a couple of hundred dollars, it is the cheapest piece of mind you can buy.
We all can’t be mechanics and although blokes think they know a lot about vehicles, only many years of experience can provide inspectors with the knowledge you require to find the nasty issues that some people try to hide.
Our experienced team know how rust is hidden, we look for prior oil leaks that have been cleaned up, freshly degreased engine bays (trying to wash away evidence of oil leaks). Smelly oil, cloudy radiator water, freshly painted areas hiding rust or cracked parts, service lights that don’t come on until the car has been driven for some time, service booklets that have not been completed properly or stamped, muffled noises from the engine, dark oil and the list goes on.
Booking a pre – purchase inspection for Brisbane and the Gold Coast is simple with East Coast Mobile Safety Certificates. Just call the girls in the office Kim or Kristin and let them know what day you would like the inspection completed, the sellers name, the registration of the car and make. From there we will liaise with the seller and organise a suitable time to complete the inspection.
Pre-Purchase inspections are not limited t cars, we conduct numerous pre-purchase inspections for cars, trucks, trailers, vans, and caravans.
East Coast Mobile Safety Certificates have an experienced team who are very knowledgeable across a broad spectrum of vehicles. We have truck and car specialists with many years of experience and are the go-to company for vehicle inspections.
Don’t run the risk of buying your next car without a pre-purchase inspection. It generally takes an hour to complete and can save you thousands of dollars and lot of stress if you get it wrong. At East Coast we take the stress out of your buying decision and any worries you may have about the condition of the car. All cars require maintenance and that is no shock to anyone, however when a car has been damaged or abused and issues have been hidden, these come as a shock and potentially an expensive one.
Happy and Safe Driving
