Test Driving a Used Car
One of the most important things you should do before purchasing a used car is a test drive. After you have thoroughly checked out the exterior and the interior of the car take it out for a test drive. You should allow as much as a half hour for this.
Start by getting a feel for how comfortable the car is. Will all passengers be comfortable? If you often have people in the back seat make sure that getting in and out of the back seat is easy, particularly for the elderly. If you have young children you should bring your car seat and make sure it fits well in the back. Check out the visibility from the inside of the car. Can you easily see out all of the windows? Check the drivers seat out to make sure it is comfortable and that the seat buttons work well. Check all power window and seat buttons and mirrors, cruise control buttons and steering wheel adjustments.
Turn the heater and air conditioner on and make sure they work properly. Check the air conditioner first and it should blow in cold air in less than a minute if it is working properly. Make sure the air vents work properly and get in the backseat and make sure the vents work back there as well.
Start the car and make sure it starts easily. Once driving test the transmission making sure it shifts easily and if it is a manual transmission that the clutch works smoothly. If you hear any loud noises you may want to have a mechanic look at it. Try and drive a route that offers a lot of different driving scenarios. For example, try entering an expressway and see how well the car accelerates on the entrance ramp. See how well it handles in stop and go traffic and on different types of roads be they smooth or rough. How does it handle potholes and speed bumps? There definitely shouldn’t be any wiggling.
Check the alignment by taking your hand off the wheel when it’s safe, to see if the car pulls in one direction. Try a couple different type of roads, smooth and rough, to make sure it doesn’t need a front end alignment.
Check the brakes under a number of conditions. Find a place where you can get the car up to a high rate of speed and then slam on the brakes to see if the car pulls to the right or left. Soft or squishy brake response usually means the brakes aren’t in good shape.
It pays dividends to hire a mechanic to check anything out you might have noted or questioned during your test drive. Whether you are buying from a private seller or a used car dealer they should allow you to have a mechanic check the car over for any problems.
Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV's. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.
Start by getting a feel for how comfortable the car is. Will all passengers be comfortable? If you often have people in the back seat make sure that getting in and out of the back seat is easy, particularly for the elderly. If you have young children you should bring your car seat and make sure it fits well in the back. Check out the visibility from the inside of the car. Can you easily see out all of the windows? Check the drivers seat out to make sure it is comfortable and that the seat buttons work well. Check all power window and seat buttons and mirrors, cruise control buttons and steering wheel adjustments.
Turn the heater and air conditioner on and make sure they work properly. Check the air conditioner first and it should blow in cold air in less than a minute if it is working properly. Make sure the air vents work properly and get in the backseat and make sure the vents work back there as well.
Start the car and make sure it starts easily. Once driving test the transmission making sure it shifts easily and if it is a manual transmission that the clutch works smoothly. If you hear any loud noises you may want to have a mechanic look at it. Try and drive a route that offers a lot of different driving scenarios. For example, try entering an expressway and see how well the car accelerates on the entrance ramp. See how well it handles in stop and go traffic and on different types of roads be they smooth or rough. How does it handle potholes and speed bumps? There definitely shouldn’t be any wiggling.
Check the alignment by taking your hand off the wheel when it’s safe, to see if the car pulls in one direction. Try a couple different type of roads, smooth and rough, to make sure it doesn’t need a front end alignment.
Check the brakes under a number of conditions. Find a place where you can get the car up to a high rate of speed and then slam on the brakes to see if the car pulls to the right or left. Soft or squishy brake response usually means the brakes aren’t in good shape.
It pays dividends to hire a mechanic to check anything out you might have noted or questioned during your test drive. Whether you are buying from a private seller or a used car dealer they should allow you to have a mechanic check the car over for any problems.
Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV's. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.
Labels: test driving, test driving a car, used car austin, used car dealers austin
posted by Greg Chapman Motors at
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