Buying a car is never exactly relaxing, except maybe if you’re got wads of disposable cash to throw around on a whim. Buying a used car, though, really takes the cake among life’s little stresses. It’s knowing that the seller is unlikely to tell you whole story, if there is one to be told, that puts me on edge.
How do I know this, you ask? Well, it’s because I’ve sold cars myself and withheld information from prospective buyers – significant information regarding the car’s breakdown and usage or service history. I’ve never lied about it, exactly, but I have strategically avoided mentioning certain things – like that my ute hadn’t ever been to a mechanic, let alone had an annual car service. Coburg buyers, evidently, aren’t too fussed about that, given that nobody asked. So, in my defence, I didn’t have much incentive to disclose it.
Okay, sure. Just because I’ve done that myself doesn’t mean all sellers are going to. I just can’t help but expect the worst. At the end of the day, I guess that’s why roadworthy certificates are a thing. The car I’m looking at buying, for the record, has a very recent one, which looks good for the seller.
What I want to know is this: why is it that every time I’ve bought a used car, something always goes wrong with it a week later, even when the RWC is present and accounted for? Maybe, instead of asking the internet, I should find a mechanic. Northcote has a workshop that’s on my way home; I wonder if they’ll mind if I stop by to pick their brains?
I mean, they’re unlikely to be stoked about it, especially if I’m not paying them for anything. Perhaps I can feign interest in getting a quote for a tyre service, and slide my questions in around that.
Uh oh… there I go again with the plans for getting my way in the used auto market. No wonder I’m suspicious.