What to do when buying a car

Lawrence Mothibi | Tuesday April 12, 2022 06:00

So before making that final decision, it is a good idea to consider a few things to ensure that you are in a position to purchase the car. These factors include what type of car you want (new or second hand), the condition, how much you are willing to spend, financing for the car, the insuring, and the car dealers you wish to buy your car from.

Here we will go over the three considerations to ensure that you make the most informed choice possible.

1. Affordability The first thing to consider when deciding to buy a car is your budget. What you can afford and how much you are willing to spend on the car. A larger budget will expand your choices significantly. When it comes to second hand cars, dealers offer flexible prices, which means that even if your budget is constrained, you can still get something. Although budget tend to be the determining factor when it comes to making purchasing decision, you should not only factor in the cost of the car. You need to consider other factors including but not limited to the following: the cost of down payments, service cost, maintenance costs and cost of insurance.

2. Finding the car you want Once you have made a decision on how much you want to spend on the car, the other important decision you will have to make include among others the colour of the car, usage needs, model of the vehicle, the age of the car, mileage of the car.

3. Working with trusted dealerships Owing to the mushrooming of second hand car dealers also known as dealers in grey imports (“car imports”), it has become critical that one makes a sober decision when it comes to deciding where you buy a car. In recent times, we have seen a rise in the number of dealers of car imports especially in urban centres and peripheral areas. While this is good development as consumers are spoilt for choice , the experience of dealing with a dishonest car dealer, unlicensed business can be a horrible one when you find yourself parting with money and having no car to show or worse a car that would not even reach home due to mechanical problems.

It is common to see cars parked in backyards where they are used as a chicken coop owing to these dishonest car dealers. Dishonest car dealer use a range of tactics such as unfair, unreasonable or unjust contract terms to deal with consumers. Some go to the extent of selling cars to the consumer when they do not have rights to pass ownership to consumers as the registration documents are under the name of a different person with whom they have a side arrangement. They are also car dealers that play the role of agents only to go away without trace once the money is credited into their account and thus leaving consumers empty handed. Some of the so-called agents would even skip the country and find safe haven in neighbouring countries. Consequent to the above, it is important that one needs to take time in choosing who you deal with when you buy a car.

Carry out some research or due diligence to establish if the dealers are of a good repute, and are licensed to sell cars. This can be done by talking to family friends or checking consumer reviews or by visiting numerous dealerships who have what you want, hopefully finding them at the right prices. The more you shop around, the better chance to strike a deal that will satisfy you. Trusted dealership can be referred to dealership that are registered, licensed and trading and observing all trade legislations. Tips to consumers when buying second hand vehicles in no particular order

• Do a full car inspection (exterior, interior, underneath and under the bonnet). You can engage someone knowledgeable in cars at minimal cost to assist with expert view on the quality of the car.

• Check catalyst converter

• Look for any signs of body damage which could indicate a previous accident

• Check the available safety features, alarm, central locking etc

• Inspect the car and its papers thoroughly.

• Transfer Registration Certificate in your name.

• Take it to DRTS to certify road worthiness

• Get insurance, if any, in your name.

• Adequate test driving required and a must do

• Fix a car thoroughly before the first drive

• Negotiate warranty, which should not be anything less than 6 months before paying.

• Be careful of unfair, unreasonable, unjust contract terms.

• Ensure that the seller possess the right to pass ownership by requesting to see the car registration documents before paying