Do your homework when looking for Toyota Prius Cars for Sale

Posted by SharonEvans on December 4th, 2013

Looking for Toyota Camry Cars for Sale or Toyota Prius Cars for Sale has always been a mine field and nothing guarantees success but there are a few things to look out for before parting with your hard earned cash. Keep in mind that the depreciation of used cars is much less than new cars and, therefore, they are a more cost effective purchase. Get your finance in place before choosing your car, this saves time as you know exactly which vehicles you can or cannot afford. Be aware of the current "going rate" of vehicles before purchasing by checking guides available from most newsagents that list the value of most used cars.

When looking for Toyota Camry Cars for Sale or Toyota Prius Cars for Sale make sure you check the engine plate on the car corresponds with that given on the registration documents and that it has not been tampered with or changed. One of the biggest mistakes you can ever make is to buy a car without test driving it yourself. First make sure you are insured to drive it then, if possible, take it on a drive that covers a mixture of conditions i.e. fast motorway driving, slow urban driving, twisting roads and don't forget to check reverse.

You must always remember to inspect the bodywork in good light. Look for corrosion or rust, because rust is probably the most damaging thing of all on cars over five years old. Surface blisters can be relatively harmless and easily treated but corrosion coming from the inside of the body panels is more serious. Look for rust at the top and rear of the front wings, along the side sills, below front and rear bumpers and the bottoms of the doors. Sometimes a rust blemish on the paintwork can indicate more serious corrosion underneath. Press the panel gently with your thumb. If there is a cracking noise it indicates advanced corrosion. It is usually not worth repairing rust that has perforated the bottom of doors, the bodywork around the front and rear screen rubbers, on trailing edges of boot lids or tailgates and leading edges of bonnets and on rear wing panels. These can only be repaired expensively by specialists and subsequent painting is costly. So if you are interested in Toyota Camry Cars for Sale or Toyota Prius Cars for Sale make sure you verify every little bit so you don’t have any headaches later on.

If the Toyota Camry Cars for Sale or Toyota Prius Cars for Sale pass your inspection and test drive here are a few more things to bear in mind before making an offer. You need to ask to see service and repair history and well as repair receipts. Treat a denial that these receipts exist with suspicion. Check the mileage on the odometer tallies with service and repair receipts. Check the car's registration and chassis number matches those on the registration document. If the vendor is not the person named on the registration document ask for written confirmation from the registered owner that the vendor is authorized to sell the vehicle on his behalf.

There are plenty of things to consider when looking for Toyota Camry Cars for Sale or Toyota Prius Cars for Sale. Make sure you do your homework before your purchase the car you want! But there are plenty of nice people out there who are willing to help.