3 Smart Shopping Tips For Used Car Buyers

Recently, ABC's 20/20 aired a story reminding us why it's so important for consumers to exhaust all resources when shopping for a used car. Unfortunately, many people are unsure of where to even begin. Without taking the proper steps, they may end up buying used cars with previous damage, fraudulent or bad repairs, open recalls or other issues.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Take a thorough test drive
  • Go on highways and secondary streets for different driving conditions.
  • Leave the radio off to listen for sounds that might indicate a problem.
  • Give the car a once-over yourself before and after the test drive.
• Get a Carfax Vehicle History Report
  • Damage details, total loss/branded title information, open recalls and more are reported to Carfax from over 92,000 sources.
  • Have the seller provide one or get your own at carfax.com. Used cars listed for sale atwww.carfax.com/cars-for-sale all come with free Carfax Reports.
• Have the car inspected by a qualified mechanic
  • Many people skip this important step.
  • If you know of previous damage, a body shop might be better to confirm proper repairs.
  • Don't forget to look up crash tests and safety ratings, too.

A used car expert from Carfax is available anytime via Skype, satellite, phone, or in-person to help consumers successfully navigate the used car shopping process and purchase safe, reliable used cars.