Sports cars are a classic status symbol, though this is because they are so expensive. Buying a used sports car is one way to afford such a vehicle. Yet it is easy to make a mistake during the purchase process, because most of us aren’t familiar with these cars. Here are a few pointers on how to avoid getting burned on your used sports car purchase.
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Only Buy What You Can Drive
Fifty years ago, most cars were manual transmissions. Today, almost none of them are. Nearly ninety percent of new car models don’t even come with a manual transmission option, resume builder and you typically have to ask for that. This is why 97 percent of cars sold are automatics. Sports cars are the exception to this rule. Many sports cars are manual. Yet many people under 40 have never driven such a car. We don’t recommend buying a car with a manual transmission without knowing how to drive it properly. You don’t want to wear out the gear box or get in a wreck in a car that is expensive to insure and hard to repair.
Know Which Makes and Models to Avoid
A sports car brand may have a great reputation, but they may still have hits and misses. Borrow copies of magazines like Consumer Reports and read the reviews of the vehicles. Learn what issues were identified in the year it came out, and more importantly, read the used car reviews. You may learn that the first generation with a given transmission was especially problematic, but cars built one to two years later run fine.
Run a Background Check on the Vehicle
If you are considering hiring an employee, you could run a criminal background check on the employee. You can run similar “background checks” on vehicles. A title search may show that the car is stolen or if it was previously flooded or salvaged. You don’t want to buy a car with anything like this in its history. Only buy cars with a clean title, so that it isn’t hard for you to sell it down the line.
You should also run a vehicle history report. Has it ever been in a major accident? This information allows you and more importantly your mechanic to inspect the quality of the repair job done. You don’t want to run the risk that the car will fold like an accordion because it wasn’t properly repaired after the last accident it was in. Have a vehicle history report run on all used sports cars for sale that you’re considering buying.
Have a Mechanic Check It Out
If you were buying a house, you wouldn’t think twice about having a home inspector go through it and note all of the issues with the property. Cars are the second largest purchase most of us ever make, and sports cars are more expensive than the average car. So, hire a mechanic to give the car a once-over, so that you don’t buy one with major problems. If nothing else, the mechanic may find custom work, modifications to the computer and after-market parts that make the car especially hard to service.
Don’t Sign Unnecessary Contracts
Is the car new enough to be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty? If so, that’s great. If not, you shouldn’t bother signing up for an extended warranty. These are rarely worthwhile. Instead, ask the car dealership what their warranty is. What will they do if the car breaks down after you’ve driven it for a thousand miles
Rachael is a content writer at Pearllemonproperties.com, who has written on a Ultimate Resume Guide, from colored diamonds to SEO software. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, sketching, cooking, and video games.
