Need some advise
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 939
Likes: 1
Need some advise
This probably isnt the place to post this but wasnt sure where to post...
Need some used truck buying advise
About to call on a couple of used trucks, 1 at a dealer, 1 private party. Ive never bought a used truck before. I will need to call first as both drives will be a good 2 hrs one way.
Besides asking exactly what is on the truck for options, mileage.
Besides running a carfax and a oasis on the truck.
What are some good things to ask the seller about the vehicle to determine if its worth while? So I dont get stung.
Thanks
Need some used truck buying advise
About to call on a couple of used trucks, 1 at a dealer, 1 private party. Ive never bought a used truck before. I will need to call first as both drives will be a good 2 hrs one way.
Besides asking exactly what is on the truck for options, mileage.
Besides running a carfax and a oasis on the truck.
What are some good things to ask the seller about the vehicle to determine if its worth while? So I dont get stung.
Thanks
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 6,948
Likes: 44
Good idea to know who the primary driver was, and how it was used, obviously this may only work for the private party, since the dealer will have no idea about it. (or they will lie to you anyway)
The private party may be able to provide reciepts to show maintenance history.
While you are at the dealership, you may pay a visit to the service dept., and with some help of a service advisor, or service manager, you may run the VIN for service history, or warranty repairs. If any of the vehicles have had 5 transmissions in the last year, (you get the idea) you might be able to tell from a dealership shop history. This would be info. that you would want to know about. If you tell the service dept. that you are considering the purchase of a vehicle from their dealership, they are pretty accommodating. Try to do this without the salesperson present, may not even let him / her know, you are doing this. The relationship between you and the service dept. should be the best it can possibly be, now is the time to start a good one.
you may also request a copy, or ask to see the original report of the vehicle inspection from the dealerships reconditioning dept. This is where the re-con dept. creates a list of needed repairs, to be charged against the initial cost of the vehicle. Some items get fixed, and some do not. This is a valuable piece of information, because it will give you an idea of the condition of the truck before it was all cleaned up,and dressed for supper.
Always be a little concerned over items like new bumpers, or missing tow hitches. Look for new paint at the differentials that might indicate a recent repair. This may not be a bad thing, but, it will be some thing you will want to know about.
Guess that is about all I have. Good luck.
The private party may be able to provide reciepts to show maintenance history.
While you are at the dealership, you may pay a visit to the service dept., and with some help of a service advisor, or service manager, you may run the VIN for service history, or warranty repairs. If any of the vehicles have had 5 transmissions in the last year, (you get the idea) you might be able to tell from a dealership shop history. This would be info. that you would want to know about. If you tell the service dept. that you are considering the purchase of a vehicle from their dealership, they are pretty accommodating. Try to do this without the salesperson present, may not even let him / her know, you are doing this. The relationship between you and the service dept. should be the best it can possibly be, now is the time to start a good one.
you may also request a copy, or ask to see the original report of the vehicle inspection from the dealerships reconditioning dept. This is where the re-con dept. creates a list of needed repairs, to be charged against the initial cost of the vehicle. Some items get fixed, and some do not. This is a valuable piece of information, because it will give you an idea of the condition of the truck before it was all cleaned up,and dressed for supper.
Always be a little concerned over items like new bumpers, or missing tow hitches. Look for new paint at the differentials that might indicate a recent repair. This may not be a bad thing, but, it will be some thing you will want to know about.
Guess that is about all I have. Good luck.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 750
Likes: 0
From: Weimar,TX
SDTruckMan,
In addition to what 75F350 said above, I always ask an individual why he is selling the vehicle. The more you talk to him, see if you get a good feeling about what he is saying or if he is feeding you a line. I am sizing up the seller every bit as much as I am looking at the car.
If buying from a dealer, ask him when he got the car. The longer he has had it, the more eager he will be to sell it.
Also, in either case, pay close attention to the interior. It is hard to cover up excessive wear or abuse on the inside.
Good Luck,
Jack
In addition to what 75F350 said above, I always ask an individual why he is selling the vehicle. The more you talk to him, see if you get a good feeling about what he is saying or if he is feeding you a line. I am sizing up the seller every bit as much as I am looking at the car.
If buying from a dealer, ask him when he got the car. The longer he has had it, the more eager he will be to sell it.
Also, in either case, pay close attention to the interior. It is hard to cover up excessive wear or abuse on the inside.
Good Luck,
Jack
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 23,174
Likes: 1,678
From: Stephensville WI
Generally you will get a better deal with a private party. They don't have to worry about profit margins and overhead.
Ask for known issues, ask for service records, ask if it has ever been wrecked. Do not be surprised if you are lied to here.
If you are at a dealer, ask what they want for the truck. If they reply with "How much do you think it's worth?" tell them they have one more chance to answer your question. if they fail twice, turn around and leave. You want a dealer who doesn't play games.
Have a good mechanic check it out, pay for this service. If the owner will not let you do this, walk away.
When looking at a vehicle, never go alone. Take a friend with you. Tell that friend to smack you if he thinks you're doing something stupid. Also, when you take a test drive, have that friend watch you drive away and return (instead of riding with you) to see if anything outside of the truck does something odd.
Examine the bed. This can tell you a lot on how the truck was used or abused.
Look at all 4 tires carefully. Sometimes the dealer or the owner will rotate the tires to move uneven wear to the rear axle. You look at the front tires and decide the front end must be tight and in alignment, but the real story is on the rear axle now.
Above all, always be ready and willing to walk away. Do not let anyone pressure you. Do not fall in love with the truck. They need your money worse than you need the truck.
Ask for known issues, ask for service records, ask if it has ever been wrecked. Do not be surprised if you are lied to here.
If you are at a dealer, ask what they want for the truck. If they reply with "How much do you think it's worth?" tell them they have one more chance to answer your question. if they fail twice, turn around and leave. You want a dealer who doesn't play games.
Have a good mechanic check it out, pay for this service. If the owner will not let you do this, walk away.
When looking at a vehicle, never go alone. Take a friend with you. Tell that friend to smack you if he thinks you're doing something stupid. Also, when you take a test drive, have that friend watch you drive away and return (instead of riding with you) to see if anything outside of the truck does something odd.
Examine the bed. This can tell you a lot on how the truck was used or abused.
Look at all 4 tires carefully. Sometimes the dealer or the owner will rotate the tires to move uneven wear to the rear axle. You look at the front tires and decide the front end must be tight and in alignment, but the real story is on the rear axle now.
Above all, always be ready and willing to walk away. Do not let anyone pressure you. Do not fall in love with the truck. They need your money worse than you need the truck.
