How to Buy Used Cars for Sale?

Looking to buy used cars for sale but do not know where to start? Whether you are interested in buying privately or from a used car dealership, it is important you understand your options clearly so you can make a more informed decision. We have heard plenty of horror stories of car owners buying lemons because they simply did not know better. This guide will help you better learn how to buy used cars for sale in Australia.

What Car Should I Buy?

The type of car you decide to buy will depend on your needs and budget. For example, families with young kids may lean towards larger SUVs. Young professionals may opt for hatchbacks, sedans and sports cars. Tradies may opt for utes that can double up as family cars. So many options, so how do you decide what car to buy?

Look at what you need now and, in the future, and choose something that fits into your lifestyle needs. Then try and break down the vehicles that match your lifestyle to your budget so you don’t end up overextending and paying more than what you can afford.

Should I Buy from Used Car Dealerships or Private Sellers?

This is a great question. In Australia, you have the option of buying from used car dealerships or private sellers. This choice is entirely yours. But there are some fundamental differences between the two to help you make a better decision.

Private sellers may seem like the more cost-effective option. And it’s possible, they are! But they don’t offer the legal protections that used car dealerships are mandated to provide. For example, used car dealerships must guarantee you a clear title by law. What does this mean? If the car was bought on finance, the lender will register a security interest for it until it is fully paid. The lender will effectively own some part of the title until there is no more finance owning on the vehicle.

Car dealerships are also mandated by law to provide you with statutory warranties. This varies by state. For example, any vehicle driven less than 160,000km and under 10 years old comes with a warranty of three months or 5,000 km after purchase in NSW, whichever comes first.

While the choice is yours, there are definitely a few advantages to buying from used car dealerships that you may not have realised before.

Why Do I Need a Car History Report?

A comprehensive car history report is a good way to protect yourself from making the wrong choice. You get detailed information about a vehicle, including odometer reading, finance owing, stolen checks, written-off checks, service and maintenance information if available and plenty more.

These reports are the only real way to tell if the seller is being genuinely truthful or not. And when you are forking out thousands of dollars on a vehicle, a $36 car history report is worth its weight in gold. Some car dealerships will even provide these reports to you for free, so you don’t have to pay every time you want a report on a vehicle you are interested in purchasing.

Should I Buy a Car Online or In Store?

Again, the choice is yours when it comes to buying used cars for sale. There are plenty of online websites with used car listings so you can do adequate research on the Internet to begin with. But then you typically may want to visit the dealership to test drive the vehicle before making your final decision.

A good place to start is on different car listing websites including Shop for Cars with plenty of vehicle options at your fingertips. This is a great way to compare between different makes and models so you can then decide for yourself the best vehicle and budget for your needs.

Should You Get Car Finance?

It is entirely up to you depending on your budget. There are many car lenders in the market so it pays to do some homework before you finalise your loan. Another smart way to make sure you don’t go overboard on a vehicle is to get pre-approved for finance.

Getting pre-approved allows you to shop for cars within your budget and can speed up the buying process. You can choose finance experts like Drive On Finance that can give you access to over 40 lenders through one loan application – making the whole process easy and completely streamlined.

If you’re looking to buy used cars for sale in Australia, start your search on Shop for Cars, Australia’s first dealership-only website with over 11,500 vehicles listed online from licensed car dealerships near you.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. To read more articles like this, please visit the Shop for Cars latest news page here.

About Shop for Cars,

Shop for Cars is Australia’s first car dealership-only online classified. Shop for Cars brings you the best quality new and used vehicles from trusted motor dealers Australia wide. Shop for Cars currently has over 12,500 cars listed for sale all from licensed Motor Vehicle Dealers ONLY.

Click here to begin your search.