Making the decision to sell your old car is obviously different from when you need or want to buy yourself a new car. Parting ways with your trusty old four wheeler and browsing the shops and the internet for a new one could not be more different. However, there is one thing that is similar no matter what you are doing with cars, selling one, or buying a used one, and that is the documentation. If you want to keep everything legal and within the rules, there are certain guidelines that common practices that have to be fulfilled.
Agreeing on a price and shaking the other person’s hand can only happen after both sides are happy with how things turned out after the deal. And for that to happen, both sides need to be honest with what is being sold and bought. With vehicles this is, or it is at least supposed to be, quite straightforward. It should be simple and quick mainly due to the existence of car history reports. This piece of document, or a collection of documents, is by far the best information one can get about the car in question.
Think of it as a ledger of everything the car has ever been through, documented for everyone who may be interested in buying the car to see and browse. A car history report is of the upmost importance when both buying and selling a used car, and the reasons for it are many. In this article, we talk more about this topic so that you are completely prepared the next time you have a car to purchase or get rid of. Read on to learn more and be sure to check out quickrevs.com.au to find out more about car history checks.
What is in It?
From the very name of the document, it can be understood what it is all about. However, the history of something is usually vast and full of details, meaning multiple things matter when looking back and remembering. For a vehicle like a personal car that belonged to someone else, or multiple people, the next buyer simply has to be familiar with every detail. It is safe to say that car history reports have everything you need to know before the buyer either proceed with the purchase or decides to step away.
First of all, a car history includes information on the previous owners that used the car. In there you will be able to find who and when owned it and when the transfers of ownership took place. Next up, there should be data on any and all accidents that the car has been involved in. This is important for numerous reasons, most of which revolve around the general safety of the new owner. Knowing that some parts of the car have been damaged and fixed is crucial for remaining safe on the roads. Speaking of damages, car histories also contain info on changed parts and services the vehicle has gone through over the years. Odometer readings are also in there for you to know exactly how much it has been used.
Not a lot of people know this, but title information and the liens that were held on the vehicle are also in the car history report. This includes brandings of the vehicle being salvaged and declared a total loss after an accident or following a theft. When a car is deemed totaled, it means it cannot be fixed or that it needs extensive repairs that go over what the insurance policies are willing to cover. Driving a car that has been salvaged and then repaired is even illegal in some places. However, the most important thing about the title info is determining whether the seller is the real owner of the vehicle and if the car had been stolen. If there is a lien, it means the current owner still owes some money on the car and that it can be repossessed at any time if they do not cover the loan.
How to Proceed if There is None?
It is rather simple. If the seller of the used car you are trying to have a deal with lacks any kind of history report, it would be best if you skipped the purchase entirely and check another car. Not only could the car be stolen, but it could not even be road legal. There is no saying what it might have gone through without the report. From hidden damages to underlying mechanical issues that not even the seller knows about, paying money for such a vehicle and driving it yourself on the roads could be a catastrophe waiting to happen. The reports exist for a reason, and the reason makes sense. Drivers should know their vehicles, and you cannot begin to know it if it has had multiple owners before you. In order to continue caring for it and
It does not mean that you should buy the vehicle even with a full history report in hand. It may be filled with unfavorable information that you should not be dealing with for years to come. It can also turn out that the car is not what it seems on the surface. If you like what it says, there are still steps that have to happen before you finally shake on it and buy the vehicle. A full inspection from a mechanic that you know and trust is in order, as is a test drive during which you can feel if the car is the right fit for you.
Learning how the car drives right now is equally as important as that history says. Take it on the highway, off the beaten path, and check how well it turns, handles, and breaks. Make sure all of the systems work and that the steering and suspension do not cause concern. Acceleration alone could be enough to understand how good the car really is. The bottom line is that the history report is crucial, but it is only the first step in the whole research. Without it, you should never buy a car. With it, you only move to the next step in the overall inspection.
