How to buy a used car... and live happily ever after

I just came from the used car market. Like the vast majority of Filipinos, I’d be hard-pressed to buy a brand-new car. Sure, the peace of mind of having that new-car reliability is always worth the price of admission. And if anything does go wrong, you have the protection of a three-year warranty. Plus, that new-car smell is great!

But you have that small matter we call "bills." Groceries, utilities, rent or monthly housing payments, tuition fees, cell phone loads, new underwear — our everyday living expenses conspire against our never-ending quest to park that gleaming new sedan/minivan/SUV inside our forlorn garages.

So what are we to do? Scan the classifieds as what I have been doing every weekend for the past couple of months. (I wasn’t really in a hurry, which is good if you want to minimize the chances of buying a lemon.)

There are basically three good publications for used cars: Car Finder magazine, the Buy & Sell tabloid, and — with apologies to this paper — The Manila Bulletin’s classified ads. First thing I learned: the cars in Car Finder are frequently higher priced than in the other two publications. Somehow the owners of these cars probably think that seeing their cars’ colored picture in a magazine is enough reason to jack up the price. But, hello, this is a magazine about used cars for sale, not C! Magazine or Top Gear. You’d even occasionally come across a photo of a car with its owner (or his son or daughter) posing beside it, perhaps to show their friends that they and their cherished rides came out in a magazine. Funny, but I half-expected a few disgruntled spouses to have their partners pose beside the car with the caption "buy the whole package" under the photo.

Buy & Sell, on the other hand, has the best system of arranging the cars. Not only are the cars arranged by brand, but the body types are separated from each other and the individual models are lumped together. For example, under "Nissan," you see all the Cefiros lumped together, the Sentras form another group, while the Altimas yet another. Look for Vanette and you’ll find it under "Vans." Very convenient. Buy & Sell also consistently has the most number of entries to choose from and, most importantly, they all — like Car Finder - have prices.

Of course, Bulletin’s Sunday classified ads is pretty much an institution. Unfortunately, the fact that prices are not required to place an ad necessitates that extra step of calling to ask if you can afford the car in the first place. I wonder why the car owners would want to subject themselves to this, too. Are they ashamed of their asking price? Or do they just want to play hardball with the buyers and other sellers (in which case it’s a waste of time for everyone concerned)?

At this point, you might be wondering what I think about car exchanges or used car lots. Well, I did try out my luck there only to find out that the car I was looking for was, more than half the time, not in the lot. What you would find is a smooth-talking salesman trying to convince you to dump your choice in favor of whatever model he has that fits your budget. All in all, a waste of time and not worth the aggravation — unless you live or work near one or find one along your daily commute.

So now let’s assume you’ve found a prospect whose price falls within your budget. What do you look out for now? First, the mileage on the odometer (the lower, the better). Needless to say, some unscrupulous sellers tamper with the odometer but you can tell if the digits (on analog odometers) are misaligned. There are also telltale clues like excessively worn steering wheels, shift knobs, carpets or pedals. You can also extrapolate the level of reasonable wear by comparing at least two cars of similar makes and benchmarking their mileages. The more samples of similar cars you check out, the better you can gauge which example has had the best care.

Meticulous owners would have complete service records and it’s always a good idea to ask for them. This should also give you an idea of what items you’d have to replace in the near and long-term future. If the owner doesn’t have records or can’t even remember when his or her car had its last tuneup or oil change, then it’s safe to assume that the car has had less than ideal preventive maintenance. Don’t even bother to ask if the car’s timing belt — a most critical engine part — has ever been replaced.

The upside of poorly maintained cars is that the owners are often willing to let go of them for much less. This gives you the opportunity (read: the extra budget) to replace everything necessary to give you that new-car reliability — which, in the real world, is actually the best way to go about buying a used car. (More about this in my next column on Aug. 24.)

The second thing you have to watch out for is if the car has ever been in a major accident. This is one area where any seller will try his or her best to conceal. The old trick of knocking on the panels or placing magnets on doors or fenders to detect the presence of body filler or masilya can be counteracted by body panels. The door or fender might feel new — "latang-lata" in used-car parlance — but it would only hide chassis damage in a major crash. (Fender-benders that require new panels or bumpers are acceptable as long as the chassis or suspension components were not affected.)

How to detect major crash damage? Short of stripping off the paint on the inner panels like inside the engine bay, the trunk’s floor or the middle pillar so you can check if the metal has been repaired, there are precious few ways to uncover major chassis damage. On the engine side, you can check if the radiator looks a lot newer than the other engine components. The part of the body that holds the radiator should also be checked to show signs of repair or replacement.

Pop the trunk and check the floor (remove the spare if necessary) to see signs of repair also. Ditto the door openings and the pillars. Once everything checks out, then you’ve got yourself a car that should be able to provide you with lots of happy, trouble-free miles. Next month, I’ll show you which parts to replace first to give you that brand-new car reliability and performance.

The traffic texting forum continues as Backseat Drivers all over keep sending in their comments. Here are some from last week…

At Marcos Highway corner. Fernando Avenue in Marikina, the PNP is setting a checkpoint at 5am to 8am which causing heavy traffic in the area. — 09209112070

Mandaluyong enforcers entrap motorists at the Shaw-Gomezville area for one-way shakedowns, but allow PUVs to use the busy Shaw-Kalentong area as a terminal! — 09178459239

Why is there a ban on motorcycles less than 400cc when the enforcers themselves are riding only 175cc motorcycles? — 09175407803

Sa Cubao EDSA corner Aurora Blvd, sadyang malaki ang kita ng mga traffic enforcer doon dahil areglado na yun ng mga jeepney driver doon. — 09209148040

To Mr. Dong Magsajo: You comment about Filipino sensibilities in the matter of Audi but ignore the German ones. I’m quite sure Audi has been admonishing Auto Prominence to get its act together. But AP has either ignored the directive or is unable to comply. The notoriously prickly Filipino nature shouldn’t come into play here. Saving face remains the prerogative of the deserving. — 09178495849 (Unfortunately, Auto Prominence’s problem with the Germans — at least according to them — is the fact that Audi AG did not admonish them at all. Instead, they feel they were dropped like a hot potato all too quickly.)

If the MMDA can’t install traffic lights at the intersection of Road 3 and Mindanao Ave. in Project 6, Quezon City, there should at least be a traffic enforcer. — 09183998014

The area of SLEX under the Magallanes fly-over has become a jeepney terminal. — 09189178067

I thought there is a ban on the use of sirens, but even tricycles are using them! — 09165885780

Ford should bring in its Mustang and the motoring press should look at the buses too (CMC, Hino, Isuzu). — 09167660911 (There is a wait list for the Mustang in the US, tough luck of us getting any units here, given that kind of demand in its home base. Very sound suggestion on the buses, though.)

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