When buying a used car from a dealer or a private seller, you might skip the professional inspection in favor of a test drive. While a test drive will let you know how comfortable you feel behind the wheel and if the vehicle has all the head and leg room as well as storage space that you need, it won’t tell you how long that car will last or how much maintenance you need to do in the future. After taking that car for a test drive, you can learn more about it with a professional inspection done by a local mechanic.
Save Money on Future Repairs
The biggest reason to pay for a professional inspection before buying a used car is because it can help you save money on future repairs. When you meet with the seller, that seller may not tell you everything you need to know about the car like how it starts sputtering after a few minutes on the highway or how the AC doesn’t work. The mechanic who examines the car will tell you everything that is wrong with it and how much it will cost to fix.
Find Hidden Damage
Never take what a seller says at a face value. You might hear that the former owner was a little old lady who only drove the car to the grocery store and church a few times a week. A professional inspection can reveal whether the car has such low mileage because the odometer already went over or if there are signs under the car that it went through a flood in the past. The mechanic may even find evidence that the car was in a fire and needs some extra work.
Learn About Maintenance
Getting a professional inspection done can also help you learn about what maintenance the car needs and how often you need to pay an oil change Addison TX shop to check out your car. During the inspection, the mechanic may find evidence that the car went too long between oil changes, which caused some significant damage to the engine. You can ask questions about the tread on the tires, whether it needs new tires or a rotation, the types of fluids it needs and how often you need to replace those fluids. If you want to avoid headaches in the future, it’s smart to pay for a car inspection before you buy.
