I'm buying my first car, second hand, should I get the vehicle inspected?

Question

Is a Nissan Micra, 1999, 998cc, MOT valid for 10 months & Tax road valid for 3 months, the seller is the registered owner and has had it for 3 months. All seemed to be ok when i test drove it, but it's my first car and I'm not a mechanic... help! :/

Answer 1

No doubt!

Answer 2

it depends how much the car is and how much the check costs, becasue you do not want to spend 100 pounds on a car worth 1000 pounds, further more the Micra should be a simple car if the car does not drive right, walk away since there are many around, always try and buy from respectable dealers if possible, you may want to corner the car fast and listen if there are any weird sound and if the chassis does not feel as tight as it should, always test several and may be one or two from the nissan dealer to make sure what you should look for.

Answer 3

If the log-book is OK, and the car has a full service history, and you are buying it from the seller's house (so you know where he lives) I'd say you should be fine. Japanese cars are reknowned for reliability and long-life, and a Micra isn't the type of car to be driven hard or stolen to sell either. If you want to check for any outstanding finance on it, or whether its been a write-off ever, get an HPI check on it. http://www.hpicheck.com/newfrontend/

Answer 4

If you do not know anything about cars - get a buyers inspection - if it is an expensinve car - might consider having the dealer do it since they know where the particular car has problems - remember - many people trade off cars because it had a problem they were trying to wash ..IE an expert said loose the thing before what ever was wrong breaks ..

Answer 5

Always take a friend along who knows a bit about cars and can tell you if it is a good deal or not. With any second hand car you may find you have to do something major on it. If you ant a bit more more of a guarantee then purchase off a garage where they may give you a six month or twelve month guarantee as well.

Answer 6

Give the seller the money for the inspection and tell them to take it down and inspect it or you won't buy it. It may cost you a few bucks up front but if they back out be very suspicious. Inspections in most if not all states are non owner specific.

Answer 7

It's always a good idea to get it inspected but I'm guessing if it's your first car you might be on a budget and this of course costs money. If you don't want to splash out on this, then it's a good idea to at least take a friend along who knows a bit about cars and can have a look under the bonnet etc and give you their opinion.

Answer 8

in the journey that your objective here is to ask the employer 15 questions and get 15 elementary solutions, that's extremely unlikely. After doing a radical walk-around and take a verify outpersistent, take it to a mechanic which you have confidence. Pay for a diagnostic value and enable him/her inform you what they think of. If it get a sparkling bill of well being, bypass domicile and pay $20 for a Carfax checklist with the intention to discover identify issues/twist of destiny historic previous/flood harm etc. in certainty, do not placed your faith in the honesty of the employer. bypass forward and ask any questions you like, yet do you very own study to be certain if what the employer instructed you replaced into precise. in the event that they are attempting to tug a quickly one on you, you would know quickly sufficient!

Answer 9

Using the vehicles VIN # check via www.carfax.com to verify any accidents. There were a few other good websites listed to check on the finance history of the vehicle in the other answers I read here. The seller should be able to physically produce maintenance records as well..... IE: oil changes, major servicing, if they don't have them or seem reluctant to provide this info, skip it, you don't want that headache.

Answer 10

You definitely need to get an expert report on the general condition of the car. there are many things out of sight from the drive that might just be on the verge of letting up. You always better over-informed when it comes to used cars, especially if it has gone through a few drivers and it's that old (7yrs)
I wouldn't take a chance with my money.

Answer 11

Absolutely have it checked out by a mechanic, preferably one at a Nissan service center. The money you spend to do this will be well worthwhile, particularly if a serious condiition is found in the car.