what should I do after buying a pre-owned car?

[4minivan]

1 how to clean interior? I mean the carpet and seats?
2 should I have it tuned-up?
3 the dealer told I do not have to go to mechanic. he is an experienced car-driver. should I beleave him?

thanks

[C4S]

Take it to shine factory ...etc for a good clean / polish / detail ..

If you don't hv service record, then jsut do the tune up / timing belt anyway ...

Of course, any used car before you buy it, do a full inspection, and cheack the service record !

By the way, if you buy it from a dealer, they ave to do the inspection, and they will do all the clean up, polish for you !
How old is the car ? if it is 1 or 2 yrs old . then .. may not need to do a pre-purschase inspection .. :)

[4minivan]

94 mercury villager

i saw the carpet and seats are dirty. i will call them tomorrow and have it cleaned.

i only worry about tune-up


thanks

[AllGoNoShow]

I'd recommend getting one if they dont do it, then go get it done, just to save you some trouble later, its always nice to have a tune up on a used car. you neve rknwo what the previous owner has doen to it service wise.

[xrayvsn]

Is this a private sale or through a dealer? Have you had the car inspected? It doesn't matter what the last owner said, you need to get it inspected and at least a lien check done on the van. There may be a nasty surprise that the last owner does not tell you about, like the car having been written off because of a bad accident, or major mechanical work that needs to be done, etc. So, bottom line is, buyer beware. It isn't like you need to go into the deal distrusting the guy, but you do need to protect your own interests.

Are you getting a fair price on the van, since it is 10 years old? The average mileage ranges on older cars, but I think around 25,000 a year is average. More than this, and you may be able to bargain the guy down a bit.

Also, ask to review the car's repair/maintenance records with the owner. You can get an idea of its relative state of tune. (ie. if he has records of an oil change every 5,00 km, and everything seems to be done regularly, it is better than if he has huge gaps in the maintenance of the vehicle).

Good luck!

[4minivan]

thanks

I bought it from a dealer.

it was inspected and repaired. i just wonder if tune-up has been down.

i found the exhaust-smoke is grey and the smell is irritated. i am not sure if it is normal.

it seemed the previous driver did not have regular maintenance in a service station. between 2001 and 2003, the car was sent to some service center 4 times. the latest time is 2003 first month. that is all the service records.

please give me advise. the dealer promised me that i do not have to do anything to it. "just drive it" is what he told me.

[xrayvsn]

Did you get a warranty on it? It is one thing to say "the only thing you need to do is drive it", and back that up with a warranty. If its a dealership pre-owned car they may give you a short warranty on the major stuff. Who did the inspection, was it the dealership, or an independent garage, and what did they say about the exhaust?

[4minivan]

yes, i got 3 month warranty.

they told me the exaust is normal.

inspection had been done by an independent garage. i do not know if they have some kind of relationship.

thanks

[xrayvsn]

Ah, I see.

Like you say, the last time you saw a repair/maintenace receipt was in 2003. The dealership will often do a quick tune up on their pre-owned cars to get them ready for resale, so it may be that all you need to do is drive. If you can't find out from the dealer what has been done for maintenance while being prepped for resale, it wouldn't hurt to get a tune-up. If they uncover anything, then you will still be within your 3 month warranty. Better this way than to find out 4 months from now that you have a major repair to do.

[4minivan]

thanks!

is service center fair? do they over charge you?

i am new here so that i ask so many question.

appreciate