Your roadmap to a better buy – Vehicle History Check and Car Inspections Australia
- Used Cars,
- Feb 20, 2019
Vehicle history checks and car inspections are staple requirements if you’re in the market for a quality pre-owned vehicle in Australia. They are, after all, the best ways to ensure that you get a safe and reliable vehicle. So, before you put up your money, here’s a quick guide on what you need to do to get that sweet ride.
Before you start looking
Before you start looking for a used car, work out what budget you’re comfortable with. You can review used cars online to get an idea of the types of vehicles in the range you want to spend and whether those vehicles would suit your purposes.
Your choice of vehicle should also be based on your needs. What exactly do you need the car for? Or, would a ute suit you better based on the nature of your job? These are just some of the questions you should think about before deciding on the make and model of the vehicle.
Then, decide whether you want to go to a dealer, take the private sale route, or visit an auction.
The ideal vehicle history check?
Whichever route you choose to get your second-hand car, you need to get a vehicle history check when you identify the one you want. This is an online search that offers a detailed report on the history and status of a car.
The reports generally provide information such as:
Written-off status (e.g. was there water or fire damage? Did the airbag deploy from a collision? Etc.)
Stolen vehicle check (Australia has a high rate of car theft, and you don’t want to be the unlucky buyer who gets tricked)
Finance owing (if the seller still owes a loan on the car and doesn’t pay, it could be repossessed from you)
Registration details (is the car registered for road use in Australia)
- It’s recommended that even if the seller provides you with a car history report, you should run one closer to the date/time that you’ll pay for the vehicle. Things can change, and you want the most current information. Plus, with QuickRevs, that report can take you less than a minute to get.
Getting a car inspection in Australia
Another critical part of the car history check is the inspection. For most persons, they assume this means getting a mechanic to go over the vehicle.
But, that’s just a part of the car inspection process.
Car inspections in Australia are a necessity to verify the history and state of the car. And the first step in doing a comprehensive inspection is to get a report online. With a car history report, you can get the basic details first before incurring costs to get a mechanic to check the vehicle.
If the report comes back with no red flags, then you can get your mechanic to come in and give it a go over for you.
So, if you have your eye on a second-hand car but not yet sure, grab a quick online report, and it could help you make up your mind.