Buying a Used Vehicle: 3 Powerful Tips To Remember

Researching the pros and cons of a potential used vehicle purchase takes a bit of digging but can pay off for the diligent shopper.

Just as they do on roads and highways, cars and trucks also generate a lot of traffic online. Where you might check your local news outlet’s website every morning to learn what’s happening in your city, car enthusiasts take to the web to learn about the newest cars and talk about the cars they own, the cars they want, and the ones they think are best avoided.

Here are three simple but perhaps overlooked tips when shopping for your next pre-owned vehicle.

how to buy a used car ultimate guide for shoppers

1. Check Online Car Forums for Vehicles Issues

You may not consider yourself a car enthusiast, but it’s worth paying attention to some of that car-related chatter. The Web is rich with discussion forums dedicated to just about every make and model of car or truck, and among that talk are clues you can use to make a smart used vehicle purchase decision.

Among all the discussions about aftermarket wheels and lowered suspensions, you’ll find conversations about what’s gone wrong with people’s vehicles.

On the surface, many of these exchanges will look like little more than griping, but you can bet that if one person has had a specific problem with their car, other owners of the same make and model will have experienced it, too.

Throw in a few passionate vehicle owners, and the discussion will eventually come around to what causes the problem and how to fix it, even if the car in question isn’t a typical target of car lovers. Know how to look for these discussions, and you’re well on your way to learning what often goes wrong with any given vehicle.

According to this Consumers Reports reliability survey, even the best cars develop problems as they rack up the miles. Here’s an interesting look at particular things that go wrong over time:

consumer reports vehicle trouble spots chart

2. Seek Repair Issues for the Used Car You Really Want to Buy

But what if you have your heart set on a particular model, only to discover that several potentially expensive problems could crop up on a car with no remaining warranty coverage?

Knowledge is power: the key is not necessarily to avoid a car you discover has a less-than-perfect reliability record; after all, no car will be flawless. What we suggest is to learn as much as you can before you buy so that you know what you’re getting into, as with these examples.

Example 1

Say you’re an urbanite who likes the Smart Fortwo for its small size, low fuel consumption, and neat design cues. Do a little digging, and you’ll find evidence of a few common quirks, like a transmission that won’t shift into reverse or a failed heater fan.

And sometimes, you learn how to fix one of those common problems yourself: some Fortwo owners have heard this unpleasant noise coming from the clutch, which is caused by a lack of lubrication.

Not all problems will be that easy to fix. BMW’s turbocharged engines are known for fuel pump failures that cause serious driveability problems or a car that won’t run at all.

Example 2

Any repair involving an engine’s timing chain promises to be labour-intensive and expensive.

In GM’s 3.6L V6, a stretched timing chain is caused by too-long oil-change intervals recommended by the car’s oil life monitor, and in Nissan’s 4.0L (VQ40) V6 engine, a pair of timing chain guides can wear out, causing a whining noise and potential driveability problems.

3. Leverage Insights from the Automakers Directly

Technical Service Bulletins (TSB)

Many of the issues listed above have been addressed through technical service bulletins (TSB), documents issued by manufacturers to help their dealer service technicians diagnose and repair common faults in a vehicle. These are distinct from recalls in that they don’t entitle you to a free repair; instead, they’re designed to save the technician (and, hopefully, you) time that would otherwise be spent on a lengthy diagnosis.

Once a manufacturer recognizes that a significant number of vehicles are coming into dealer service bays with the same problem(s), it will have its engineers come up with a process to help technicians identify the fault and then lay out a repair procedure, which may include redesigned parts. (Unfortunately, this indicates that many vehicles are reaching the marketplace without undergoing sufficient durability testing, but that’s a story for another day.)

Bulletin Resources:

NHTSA’s bulletins

These service bulletins are available to everyone but usually not for free. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) maintains a searchable TSB database but only provides summaries of the bulletins.

AllData and EautoRepair.net

A company called AllData runs a subscription service that gives you access to all service bulletins related to a particular model but doesn’t grant access to specific TSBs for research purposes.

Various private discussion forums

That said, you will see bulletins in discussion forums, but usually only if someone posts them as they relate to a discussion about an issue with a particular vehicle.

Your best bet on a budget?  Use the NHTSA’s database to look up TSBs for the vehicle you’ve got on your mind, and then search the web for the document number (all TSBs are numbered). If you’re lucky, that TSB will have been discussed and posted in a forum where you can see the details.

Takeaway: Online Car Research is a Powerful Tool

The online world is an imperfect medium but can be a powerful tool when used correctly. Researching the pros and cons of a potential used vehicle purchase takes a bit of digging but can pay off for the diligent shopper.

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Author:
Chris Chase
Chris Chasehttps://chrischasescars.com/
Chris has been writing professionally about cars since 2004, in print and online. He lives in Ottawa with his wife and two feline tyrants. In rare quiet moments, he can be found travelling or playing one of his way-too-many guitars. Chris is also a journalist member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).