Looking to buy a preowned vehicle? These are things you should look for!

Looking to Buy a Preowned Vehicle?



When you're in the market for a preowned vehicle, making an informed decision can potentially save you massive amounts of money and stress. We recommend paying a reputable mechanic shop that does PPI (known as a Pre-purchase Inspection) to check it out before purchasing, however if you like to do things yourself, check out the list below for some things to watch for:


  1. Odometer rolled back to show less KM than what the vehicle actually has on it.
  2. Undocumented accident repairs
  3. Missing / faulty key components
  4. Absolutely no records of any recent repairs.
  5. Major oil and coolant leaks


1. Odometer Roll Back: Most vehicles that are newer don't necessarily have this problem but it's still something to look for.

2. Undocumented accident repairs can be spotted simply by looking at doors and fender gaps where the fenders meet the doors. An inconsistent gap means that the door or fender was replaced; this should lead to the questions of why it was replaced and how much damage was there.

3. Missing components; As funny as this is, there can absolutely be missing components in a vehicle and we've seen it. Simple things like air-conditioning compressors to catalytic converters can be removed and if you don't know what you're looking for.

4. Maintenance is very important for a preowned vehicle, so there should be records. Ask if there are any records present and just go over them to see when things like brakes were replaced, tires changed, oil changed etc.

5. If there are any oil leaks, this could be an expensive fix depending on where it's coming from. If it's a "rear main engine seal" prepare to spend BIG money to fix it as this (for some models) involves taking the whole engine out of the car or removing and reinstalling the transmission.


Further to these things, you'll want to look for flood damage, as well as proper suspension. If you visit CarFax Canada, you'll be able to see most records but we still recommend doing the above steps to know what you're getting into.


As always, any questions? Give us a call at (604)398-8866 or send us a message on our Social Media accounts!
Location: Richmond, BC, Canada

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