Thinking of buying an aftermarket or used car?
The advantages are obvious as you will lose money as soon as you drive a car out of the showroom. If you decide to buy an older car then be sure to know what kind issues you might encounter, Moneyhub recommends following our guide. It also essential to do your financial calculations and research in advance. Buying a car is one thing but keeping on the road is another.
MoneyHub is in conversation with Andrei Mäting director and founder at Mercedes maintenance and repair specialists MB Abi OÜ.
Firstly we recommend you buy well. Things to look for.
- Low mileage we recommend under 50,000 km
- 2-3 years old is a nice range. If you decide to look for much older models then you may find your dream car but take into account the costs of keeping it on the road.
- Look for higher specification extras Tiptronic Heads up display for example.
- Bigger engine cars like s-class Mercedes may be difficult to sell on when you want to.
- Check a cars history what country has it mostly been in? Germany is a good choice as local cars will suffer often from rust high level of chemicals being used on the roads.
- Avoid cars that have been used for work. Taxis are one to avoid
- Always check for Full Service History and that the VIN and chassis numbers match
- Older cars can be harder insure so check with a provider first.
- Do your research for known issues ask the person you are buying from what they have repaired.
- Many garages will offer a pre purchase check of a car before buying this is highly advisable
Keeping it on the road. What to expect.
- Its recommend to use a specialist maintenance center if possible. Especially for high end performance cars, Its also reasonable to ask for advice and maintenance charges in advance of any purchase.
- Buying parts online may seem like a cheap option But it has many issues in Andres experience 7 out of 10 of parts bought be the owner are the wrong part or unusable
- Please note in general specialist do not like to work with parts they haven’t sourced.
- Parts from chinese websites might seem like a good idea but they are quite often poorly made and don’t fit.
- Incorrect parts or non OEM may invalidate any warranty or insurance.
- Changing parts yourself can be cost saving and fun to get to your car better but stick to easy jobs If you get something wrong you may cause more serious problems
MoneyHub thanks Andre from MB Abi OÜ for his time and advice
