LEARN HOW TO BUY A CAR...

(Kms, maintenance, travel, model, year, wind back, treatment)

If your only question to a seller is age and kms, then it is possible you have a lot to learn.  Some manufacturers and models are better than others, so age in this instance becomes irrelevant.  For example, a 1999 Daewoo with low kms may not be a reliable and robust as a 1992 Toyota with higher kms, even if the Daewoo is cheaper.

Kms mean nothing. If as an example you have two identical cars, say a 1998 Falcon, one owner, a country driver, warms his car up prior to driving and drives 20 kms a day on a freeway to work, his car will be in top gear, nominal revs and the best operating temperature, so the wear will be at a bare minimum.  The other owner is in a rush and a city driver, starts and drives the car instantly, endures heavy traffic on his 5 kms journey.  His motor in traffic runs at higher temperatures, he stops and starts, the transmission works harder with more gear changes, his brakes and suspension endure much more work.  Combine that with those little dents and scrapes of city parking and even if both cars are serviced regularly, say 10,000 kms the country car will have more servicing as services are based on mileage. Therefore, after 10 years the country car may have mileage of 240,000 on the clock and the city car approximately 110,000 kms but the country car usually is in much better condition.  The mechanics, suspension, bodywork and interior generally will show less wear and it will be cheaper to buy as the uneducated will pay more for the lower k vehicle, believing it to be more reliable.  NOT TRUE!   Furthermore this also allows the dishonest sellers to modify the Speedo reading, i.e. 240,000 down to 160,000 to obtain $2000-$4000 more for the vehicle.  Believe me this does happen.

Maintenance and general treatment of the vehicle also comes into play. Two cars with identical kms driven in similar conditions can be vastly different in their overall condition, depending on their maintenance regime and treatment. This situation is further hampered by the way vehicles are driven.

Even the choice of oils alone can alter a motors condition. So the questions you ask must go much further than age and kms and should include condition, previous owners and their location (i.e. country vs. city), and indication of service history.   Does it have a new engine or trans?  To be honest you must see the vehicle and feel comfortable with the honesty of the seller.

Inspections are a good idea but only if you understand how to read them.  RAA inspections of cars over 5 years old tend to be too critical and result in a failed purchase.  Where as other inspections where the mechanic is known or where he or she will explain the report are much more informative and allow the purchaser to better understand the cars true worth.

Yard warrantees are costing you money and do not cover wear and tear items. So consider a discount of $500-$1000 instead and keep this money to cover future maintenance, if you don’t need it take a holiday.

My wife and I are honest people and as such have trouble selling cars, as we will let you know any faults or wear the vehicle has and they all do!  So when buying keep some money up your sleeve to cover maintenance and repairs.  If you do not want to do anything BUY NEW, but you will loose thousands the first day you drive it home!  From our point of view cars 5-8 years old are the best value as they have already lost the most value by then and will remain at a similar price for another 3-4 years. For example new Falcon $30,000, Falcon 1998 model now $6000, 1998 Falcon when another 3-4 years old $3500, cost to own per year about $800.

Once the vehicle is over 10-12 years old it must be seen, as kms will be no indication of condition as parts do wear by age alone.  Better models i.e. Toyota, Holden and Ford will be have handled the wear the best.  By now most parts have been replaced even engines and gearboxes, so if you first question is mileage you are in big trouble.

Note:  We as honest dealers have regularly had identical model cars with huge a difference in the kms. Where the cheaper high mileage vehicle is much better then the low mileage one.  Should the higher mileage one come to have problems down the track, the thousands you saved buying it will more than cover you.  So shop smart, the seller saying his is perfect vs. the seller saying his is good but has minor blemishes may simply be being honest, give you business to the honest one, it will be cheaper in the long run.