AlexNguyen
04-07-2013, 09:32 PM
So I just recently purchased a used Mazda3 from a dealer in Kitchener. I've done a lot of research on different vehicles to insure that my first car wont be junk. I was able to find a silver '07 Hatch with a clean CarProof report, minimal damage, and no rust (because the previous owner Rust Proofed the vehicle :chuckle). Anyways here are some things I did that helped me find my first car.
Tip # 1: Know your Budget
First you need to set a budget, whether it be $5000, $10000 or $20000. In today's day and age, you get what you pay for. So if your budget is $5000, don't be expecting to get a 2011 Mazda3 with 50,000km on it. I would suggest you go on AutoTrader and see what cars you find for around your budget. This will give you an idea of the year model and how many KMs will be on the vehicle. Generally, I would stay under 100,000km if it's going to be your first car. But I would for sure stay away from 200,000km+ Mazda3s as they are more likely to give you more problems in the future.
Tip # 2: Find the model that you need
When I was looking for Mazda3 I was trying to convince myself that I needed the GT version with the leather seats, 17" alloys, moonroof, etc. My budget was around the $10,000 range and it was not a problem for me to get a Mazda3 GT around that price. The problem was that if I wanted to get a GT I would have to settle for something old and with high KMs. So if you want something an older model with higher KMs, I suggest find a model that suits your needs. For me, I for sure wanted power locks, power windows, alloy wheels and it had to be a hatch. So I looked up a Brochure (http://www.jeff-young-design.com/WorldWideWagons/In-Depth/2007-Mazda3-Brochure.pdf) for the Mazda3 and found out which model was suited for me. Once you found the model you need and you know your budget, it will be much easier for you to narrow down your searches.
Tip # 3 : Saving Time CHECK THE VIN
When choosing a car, you want to have several different cars in mind, just in case you don't like the car when you see it in person. Once you have the list of potential cars, you want to call the dealer and ask some questions. The first question I usually ask is if they could provide me the VIN on the vehicle. Following that question I usually asked if the vehicle has been in an accident or if it has any claims on it. Sometimes the dealer doesn't want to tell you over the phone or email and they want you to come to the lot to discuss the car. Make sure you get the VIN though. Once you have the VIN, you can use THIS SITE (http://www.geniusv.in/vin.php) to look at the CarProof. The CarProof will tell you if the car was in an accident, is a salvage vehicle, claims, etc. Note: this website is free to use, just make sure you select a source!
Some things to look for when reading the CarProof
Number of owners - Usually you can tell how many people owned the vehicle by checking the registration city, if there are multiple cities it most likely means there has been multiple owners. This might not true in some cases such as the owner moving to a different city.
Is it a Quebec Vehicle? - If the car was from Quebec or was in a Quebec auction, I would stay away from the vehicle because Quebec has funky accident reporting procedures which allows some accident vehicles to be put back on the road with a clean CarProof.
Bonus Tip: The Vin checking website also tells you the Model and engine of the vehicle. Often times dealers will post inaccurate ads, selecting different models, adding extra features that are not there, etc.
Tip # 4: Inspecting the vehicle
I am no means a mechanic, so I don't know exactly what to look for in a car but there was some things that helped me pick a car. First you want to check the tires and brakes. Often times the dealer will be cheap and not put new tires or brakes on the vehicle as long as it passes safety. I believe to pass safety, the tires only need to be 15%, for brakes I am not sure. But if the brakes (rotors and pads) and tires are almost gone, it may cost you almost $1000 to replace these parts. So make sure the tires and brakes are good, or get the dealer to put on new ones or give you a discount. Other things to look for is the condition of the vehicle, look for dents, rust (check the wheel wells!), interior quality, etc. Check to see if the condition of the interior matches how many KMs are on the vehicle. Also you can check the ignition key area, if there are a lot of scratches from key missing the hole and the vehicle has low KMs, that may be a red flag that the odometer has been rolled back. Check for body panels, make sure the colour matches every panel and all the panels are relatively flush with one another. You can also take the car on a test drive, and listen for weird sounds. You can also take the car to your mechanic and get it checked, but that may cost you.
Tip # 5: Check the dealer's rating
A good dealer will generally be part of the UCDA and should be BBB accredited. You can also search the dealer's reviews and google and read them. You can almost tell how honest the dealer is by looking at their lot, if they sell junk and have a collision shop attached to it, chances are you are not going to a get a good car. Sometimes it might be better to spend more money now than a lot more later, so do research on the dealer you are buying from.
Tip # 6: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is
Last tip, if the car you are buying seems like you are getting an amazing deal, there might be something wrong with it. Usually if the car is really good, many other buyers will also be looking at the vehicle. Remember, you are not the only Mazda3 buyer. When I was looking to buy a car, I found a GT with low KMs, clean CarProof and it was in my budget, in fact it was under my budget. When I went to the lot to see the vehicle, you can tell the car was in an accident but was not reported so it was not on the CarProof. Also the car had quite a bit of dents on it which indicated that the previous owner didn't love their Mazda3. The car was sitting there for a while and you could tell by the rusted brakes (Note: New brakes will develop rust on them quick, so it is not a for sure indicator that the vehicle has been sitting). If no one has bought the car yet, there is probably a reason why no one wants to buy it.
Useful sites:
http://www.autotrader.ca/
http://www.geniusv.in/vin.php
http://www.carpages.ca/
http://www.bbb.org/
These are the tips I have right now, I'll add more when I think of more.
Tip # 1: Know your Budget
First you need to set a budget, whether it be $5000, $10000 or $20000. In today's day and age, you get what you pay for. So if your budget is $5000, don't be expecting to get a 2011 Mazda3 with 50,000km on it. I would suggest you go on AutoTrader and see what cars you find for around your budget. This will give you an idea of the year model and how many KMs will be on the vehicle. Generally, I would stay under 100,000km if it's going to be your first car. But I would for sure stay away from 200,000km+ Mazda3s as they are more likely to give you more problems in the future.
Tip # 2: Find the model that you need
When I was looking for Mazda3 I was trying to convince myself that I needed the GT version with the leather seats, 17" alloys, moonroof, etc. My budget was around the $10,000 range and it was not a problem for me to get a Mazda3 GT around that price. The problem was that if I wanted to get a GT I would have to settle for something old and with high KMs. So if you want something an older model with higher KMs, I suggest find a model that suits your needs. For me, I for sure wanted power locks, power windows, alloy wheels and it had to be a hatch. So I looked up a Brochure (http://www.jeff-young-design.com/WorldWideWagons/In-Depth/2007-Mazda3-Brochure.pdf) for the Mazda3 and found out which model was suited for me. Once you found the model you need and you know your budget, it will be much easier for you to narrow down your searches.
Tip # 3 : Saving Time CHECK THE VIN
When choosing a car, you want to have several different cars in mind, just in case you don't like the car when you see it in person. Once you have the list of potential cars, you want to call the dealer and ask some questions. The first question I usually ask is if they could provide me the VIN on the vehicle. Following that question I usually asked if the vehicle has been in an accident or if it has any claims on it. Sometimes the dealer doesn't want to tell you over the phone or email and they want you to come to the lot to discuss the car. Make sure you get the VIN though. Once you have the VIN, you can use THIS SITE (http://www.geniusv.in/vin.php) to look at the CarProof. The CarProof will tell you if the car was in an accident, is a salvage vehicle, claims, etc. Note: this website is free to use, just make sure you select a source!
Some things to look for when reading the CarProof
Number of owners - Usually you can tell how many people owned the vehicle by checking the registration city, if there are multiple cities it most likely means there has been multiple owners. This might not true in some cases such as the owner moving to a different city.
Is it a Quebec Vehicle? - If the car was from Quebec or was in a Quebec auction, I would stay away from the vehicle because Quebec has funky accident reporting procedures which allows some accident vehicles to be put back on the road with a clean CarProof.
Bonus Tip: The Vin checking website also tells you the Model and engine of the vehicle. Often times dealers will post inaccurate ads, selecting different models, adding extra features that are not there, etc.
Tip # 4: Inspecting the vehicle
I am no means a mechanic, so I don't know exactly what to look for in a car but there was some things that helped me pick a car. First you want to check the tires and brakes. Often times the dealer will be cheap and not put new tires or brakes on the vehicle as long as it passes safety. I believe to pass safety, the tires only need to be 15%, for brakes I am not sure. But if the brakes (rotors and pads) and tires are almost gone, it may cost you almost $1000 to replace these parts. So make sure the tires and brakes are good, or get the dealer to put on new ones or give you a discount. Other things to look for is the condition of the vehicle, look for dents, rust (check the wheel wells!), interior quality, etc. Check to see if the condition of the interior matches how many KMs are on the vehicle. Also you can check the ignition key area, if there are a lot of scratches from key missing the hole and the vehicle has low KMs, that may be a red flag that the odometer has been rolled back. Check for body panels, make sure the colour matches every panel and all the panels are relatively flush with one another. You can also take the car on a test drive, and listen for weird sounds. You can also take the car to your mechanic and get it checked, but that may cost you.
Tip # 5: Check the dealer's rating
A good dealer will generally be part of the UCDA and should be BBB accredited. You can also search the dealer's reviews and google and read them. You can almost tell how honest the dealer is by looking at their lot, if they sell junk and have a collision shop attached to it, chances are you are not going to a get a good car. Sometimes it might be better to spend more money now than a lot more later, so do research on the dealer you are buying from.
Tip # 6: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is
Last tip, if the car you are buying seems like you are getting an amazing deal, there might be something wrong with it. Usually if the car is really good, many other buyers will also be looking at the vehicle. Remember, you are not the only Mazda3 buyer. When I was looking to buy a car, I found a GT with low KMs, clean CarProof and it was in my budget, in fact it was under my budget. When I went to the lot to see the vehicle, you can tell the car was in an accident but was not reported so it was not on the CarProof. Also the car had quite a bit of dents on it which indicated that the previous owner didn't love their Mazda3. The car was sitting there for a while and you could tell by the rusted brakes (Note: New brakes will develop rust on them quick, so it is not a for sure indicator that the vehicle has been sitting). If no one has bought the car yet, there is probably a reason why no one wants to buy it.
Useful sites:
http://www.autotrader.ca/
http://www.geniusv.in/vin.php
http://www.carpages.ca/
http://www.bbb.org/
These are the tips I have right now, I'll add more when I think of more.