How to check a car before buying: 10 tips for residents of Cyprus

Do you want to buy a car on the secondary market in Cyprus? According to statistics, buying used cars prevails on the island: new cars are more expensive as they must be brought from the mainland. Therefore, the most budgetary and easy way is to buy a used vehicle (TC).

The main danger in buying “second hand" is the unknown. The buyer can not guess what happened to the car until the very end, what faults it has, whether it was repaired, or whether it requires replacement parts. In reality, even a layman can inspect the vehicle before purchase and understand whether the seller is deceiving him.

Step 1: Careful inspection

You can detect most of the mishaps at the stage of visual inspection. This does not require any clever devices or special knowledge: attentiveness and banal logic are enough.

Lifehack No. 1: Check the paintwork and bodywork

You have the right to take with you a thickness gauge and a magnet, but without them, you can also make a quality check. The first thing to do is to put the car in the light. Optimally daylight, but not direct sunlight (it can give glare). Also, the car should be in an open space - on the street or in a large garage. A dark small room will not allow a good check of the TC for appropriate appearance

The car should be thoroughly washed. On a dirty and dusty surface, you can simply not recognize suspicious signs. If the owner refuses to wash the car - something is wrong with it.

Walk around the entire car, then squat down and look first at the right fender, then the left fender. From this angle, the bumps, dents and chips are perfectly visible, as well as fractures in the reflection. The latter indicates that repainting has taken place.

You can run your hand over questionable areas. Any irregularities and roughness - a reason to think and ask the seller about the repainting. Also, color differences can be noticed with the bare eye.

Check all gaps and joints: for evenness, symmetry, uniformity, and lack of nicks. Doors, hood, and trunk compartment should open and close easily.

Lifehack #2: check the condition of the interior

The first thing you can assess is the odor. If it is musty, unpleasant or damp - it is likely that the auto may have been flooded. This sometimes happens during heavy rains in Cyprus. It is also worth refusing a car that has a cigarette odor inside - it is very difficult and time-consuming to remove, so if it is unacceptable, it is better to look for another option.

Inspect the interior for sweat and traces of dried stains. This will tell you if any fluids are leaking.

Important: Be sure to check if the airbags have been deployed. You can tell by the replacement of the windshield or plug, as well as non-original seat upholstery.

Lifehack #3: glass and wheel inspection

Any crack in the glass is a reason to walk away from the deal or ask for a discount on the cost of new glass. Even the smallest crack can spread at any moment, so turning a blind eye to such seemingly small things is not worth it.

Stickers on the glass can also tell a lot. For example, if the glass is "younger" than the car itself, it means that it has definitely been changed. Different stickers will also indicate this.

Wheels and tires - an important detail that can tell about how the previous owner used the car. Check for scuffs and tread depth. Too old tires may indicate that the vehicle has been used carelessly.

Step 2: Getting to know the "stuffing"

Even if you are not very well versed in the "insides" of the car, you are able to perform a basic inspection. Just follow the instructions below, but if it scares you, bring along a friend who is well-versed in the question.

Lifehack #4: Inspect the engine

The "heart" of a car is its engine. So a visual inspection should be the place to start. Check the internet for pictures of what the engine of a given model of a given year should look like. What you see should match them. Traces of heavy wear, deformation, sweat, lack of protective parts - all this is a reason to suspect that the car has been in an accident.

Be sure to listen to the internal combustion engine: ask the owner to start the engine with the hood open. The sound of a gasoline engine should be smooth, without knocks, interruptions, and suspicious noise inclusions.

Lifehack #5: checking the battery

A multimeter will come in handy here, but if you don't have one, you can do it without inspection. The battery should be free of dents and damage, the presence of plaque and rust is inadmissible. You can also check for electrolyte levels, but this will require some knowledge and action.

Lifehack #6: ignition system

Be sure to check how the car starts: smoothness and ease, without extraneous sounds, is highly called for. Get out of the car and walk along it, assessing the level of sound in different parts. Knocking, "broaches", unevenness and other suspicious signals will indicate problems. If the car stalled on its own, you should either abandon the purchase or set yourself up for a serious repair.

Lifehack #7: what you can check without an elevator or a pit

You can assess the condition of the steering rack, shock absorbers, and bearings. If the first and the second is clear, how to check the bearings? It is very simple: you need to shake the car up and down with force. If it makes pronounced pendulum-like movements, it is time to change them. Approximately the same applies to the shock absorber springs.

Step 3: Test drive

It is worth getting behind the wheel of the car only after its internal and external parts have undergone a visual inspection. Then everything is based not only on the detection of defects but also on personal feelings. It is quite possible that the car is not suitable only because the new driver feels uncomfortable in it.

Lifehack #8: terrain will show everything

It's best to choose to drive on streets that have tight turns, uphill and downhill grades, and speed bumps. Cyprus has plenty of these. It may be worth driving on a dirt road if there is one in the immediate vicinity. A flat road is certainly good, but it will not show all the nuances of the car's behavior, the relief is another matter.

Lifehack #9: assessing your comfort level

Even if everything is fine with the car, do not rush to buy it if you are not sure of your comfort. The difference can be strongly felt when changing the brand of the car or a big "jump" from the old car to the new generation.

The driver should be comfortable sitting, looking in the mirrors, and turning the steering wheel. You can test drive with a passenger if it is important - the passenger seat should also be comfortable. Electronics should be understandable. If it takes time to get used to it, you should take this into account.

Step 4: Inspection by a specialist

Ideally, a specialist should be involved in the purchase, and even better - the car should be driven to a car service. In practice, this is not always possible, but if there is an option, then be sure to consider it.

Lifehack #10: A good specialist is worth his weight in gold

If this is your first car, or you have a hard time understanding the technical characteristics of the car, or you are not confident, you do not know how to bargain - be sure to take a helper. If none of your relatives or friends is suitable for this role, turn to a paid specialist.

It is also worth resorting to professional help if you take a premium-class car - not cheap by any standards of transportation. You need to be especially careful here, as any defect may require a very costly fix.

You can find a large selection of cars on the DOMCar website.