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What To Look For When Buying A Used Car

How to perform a thorough inspection without having to hire a mechanic

Allan Milne Lees
9 min readAug 8, 2021
Image credit: AutoInInfluence

Although a lot of people will rarely consider a used car these days, preferring to buy through credit or temporarily have the vehicle via a lease, millions of us will still have to buy something that’s been “pre-loved” or, too often, pre-abused. The difference between a money-saving purchase and acquiring a black hole into which money disappears is crucial, and your assessment of the vehicle is what will determine the outcome.

In many cases, buying a used car is a much better financial decision than buying new or taking out a lease, especially if the model is a prestige vehicle. Buying a car that’s a couple of years old with low-to-moderate mileage means we’re paying the real value of the vehicle and can avoid the horrific depreciation that occurs the moment the buyer of a brand-new car drives it off the lot. If you’re someone who doesn’t mind losing tens of thousands of dollars in this way, please contact me because I have a deal for you…

As those of us operating under financial constraints go to look at older vehicles, our risk increases. As cars age, wear and tear takes its toll. Just like with human beings, things become loose, things wear out, things become unreliable. Minor defects can worsen over time…

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Allan Milne Lees
Allan Milne Lees

Written by Allan Milne Lees

Anyone who enjoys my articles here on Medium may be interested in my books Why Democracy Failed and The Praying Ape, both available from Amazon.

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