When you purchase a used vehicle in Kent or other nearby cities, it can be tough to know what you’re getting. Regardless of area, people sell their cars for a lot of different reasons. If you’ve ever sold a car before, think of your reasons. Did you just want something new, or were there problems that you didn’t want to deal with anymore? Maybe it was a little bit of both.
Used cars with 25,000 to 35,000 miles on them are often lease returns, corporate program cars, or vehicles that have done duty in rental fleets. You can feel pretty confident that newer cars are often still under warranty, but how well have they been maintained?
If someone plans on owning a car for a long time, they know it’s essential to keep up on the maintenance so they can avoid expensive repairs down the road. However, if they know they’re only going to have the car for two or three years, they may not be so committed to maintenance. It would be easy to think that skipping an oil change here and there wouldn’t ruin a brand new engine. After all, it’ll be someone else’s problem when it comes time to pay for the damage later. Following this line of thought, it would be very tempting to skip the 30,000 mile service if you knew you’d be turning in your leased vehicle in a couple of months anyway.
If your new-to-you vehicle didn’t come with maintenance records, you need to assume the worst. It’s very possible that the transmission and coolant systems have never been serviced. The cabin air filter has probably never been changed, and a fuel system cleaning may be in order.
After you purchase your car, you’ll want to bring it in to a trusted auto shop to check the air conditioning, battery, engine air filter, serpentine belt and hoses. If the seller will let you, you may even want to have it done prior to purchase. An inspection at Central Avenue Automotive is well worth the cost.
If your “new” used vehicle has a lot of miles on it, an inspection is even more important. In older vehicles, parts like the timing belt may need replacing before they cause bigger problems for the engine. Check your owner’s manual or talk with your service adviser at Central Avenue Automotive (call 253.854.6762) about what sort of services the car should have had and when.
We’re always happy to help you create a plan to take care of critical services and get the rest caught up. If your budget won’t allow you to take care of everything right away, we can help you prioritize your needs and get it taken care of over the next several months. Always remember to keep your maintenance records for future sellers. They’ll help you get top dollar when it’s time for you to sell.
