#1 Reason People Buy a Used Car with Hidden Problems

Hello, my name is Hanru Reyneke, founder and CEO of Car Inspection.

Today we’re talking about the number one reason why people buy a used car with hidden problems.

Fifteen percent of our Car Inspection business comes from people that already bought a used car.  Then they realized two or three months later that the car has got major mechanical, electrical, or cosmetic problems and then they contact us for help. The big problem is when you’ve already bought the vehicle and paid for it, your options are very limited. You know you have basically two options left.

• First option is to fix the vehicle, you know take it somewhere so you know the damage can be assessed and the repair work can be done.
• Second option is to fight the fight, to take the car back to the person you bought it from or the dealership you bought it from and try to get the car fixed or try to get your money back.

The problem with that is, it’s going to cost you. It’s going to cost you a lot of time, it’s going to cost you a lot of effort you know, it’s going to be blood sweat and tears. It’s going to be an arm wrestle between you and whoever you bought the vehicle from. You’ve got a couple of options on your side. Know the consumer protection act. Know there’s so many loopholes in the consumer protection act. It’s a long process and you know you’ll have to involve lawyers. You’ll have to involve the ombudsman who is already so full of similar cases like this. Cases where somebody bought the vehicle, the vehicle is giving problems. They are following the legal process to help them out but it’s going to take you a year. It’s going to take you maybe two years to resolve that. In the end of the day those two options, either fixing the car or fighting whomever seller was is really not where you want to be.

It’s what I call a quicksand death trap.

You want to buy a reliable second-hand car that you know you can drive out and it’s not going to give you problems and you can go on holidays, you’re going take your kids to school, you’re going to commute to work and back and have no problems and that’s what you want. You don’t want to have a car that’s leaking oil, a car where the gearbox is making a noise and leaking, the 4×4 is not engaging properly, you know the one tire is kind of wearing out, you don’t want these problems.

You want to have peace of mind.

The question begs now how do you as the used car buyer avoid this (as I call it the quicksand death trap), what can you do to prevent exactly what I explained happening to you? It is actually really simple and the advice I’m going to share with you and the tips is really regarding to all aspects of life not just buying a used car.

In the end of the day, you need to own up and empower yourself, and the best way to do that is through knowledge.

Knowledge is power that the more you know about something the better decision you can make, to make sure you avoid buying a used car with hidden problems. That the more you know about the process of buying a used car the better you’ll be equipped to decide in order to avoid buying a used car with hidden problems. We at Car Inspection call anybody who wants to buy a used car, they go through what we call “the used car buying journey”, where you start from the first step, is I’m going to sell my car and I’m going to buy a new car or if you’re a first time buyer, I’m going look for a car and buy a car and there’s a certain journey you have to follow that makes this process very easy and helps you to avoid the snares along the way. You need to know first of all if you find a car:

• Is the price right?
• Does it relate to the market value of the vehicle, the book value?
• Is there a big oil leak underneath the car?
• Does the car make a big noise when you turn the steering wheel to the left or to the right?
• What is a mechanical warranty?
• What is a cosmetic warranty?
• What is dent and scratch warranty? Should I take a warranty?
• What does it cover?
• What’s the process to insure the car?
• Where’s the best deal to get insurance?
• What insurance do I need?
• What are the options on the insurance?

The more you know, the better you can understand what car the right car for you is before you buy.

Part of what we at Car Inspection is really to look out for the consumer, to empower the consumer. You’ll see that our website is really an information generating machine, so we’ve added lot of information on the website that will help you to understand that they used car buyer journey easier. It’s all about practical things:

• What are the latest scams when it comes to buying a car?
• What do I do if I test drive a vehicle?
• How and what do I look for when I test drive a car?
• What noises do I listen for?
• Practical inspection tips.
• Valuation tips.
• We’ve included practical steps on what to look for when a car has been in an accident you know or look for rebuild on a vehicle.
• Overspray under spray on the vehicle, so that you can identify whether the car has been resprayed or reworked on.

We’ve really put a lot of effort in bringing you as much knowledge of the used car industry and the used car buying process, so you can understand it much better and then make a better educated decision and avoid my “quicksand death trap”, so as you can see by this video and if you have a look at our website (www.carinspect.co.za)

This is not a sales call!

This is free advice, free information that we’re giving the consumer, the used car buyer so that they can understand what to look out for, what to do, and how to do it. I’m not here to waste my time or to waste your time. The proof is in the pudding. If you go onto Google, hit “car inspection” and look at our reviews. See what people have said about the information that we provide and how we give the information to the person who doesn’t necessarily have the technical skills and read for yourself and see. In the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. I want to make sure that you make a good decision and get a reliable used vehicle. If you like this video or the content in this video or you want to find out more, please go to our website. There are videos, there’s checklists that you can download, e-books that you can download. Delve into the website and find as much information as you can, so you can negotiate the best deal for you. Hanru Reyneke – Founder @ Car Inspection