September 2020 25 www.bahrainthismonth.com interview 4. Zero-in on a specific make, model and type of vehicle: This is something that I keep repeating to those who come to me for advice on buying a used car; select a specific make and model that’s within your budget and have another similar car from a different brand as a back-up. For example, if your budget is BD4000 and you need a reliable daily driver, you ought to be looking at a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord. That›s it. Let’s expand on the same example with BD4000 as the hypothetical budget; if you didn›t have a specific car in mind, pretty much every single make and model out there is a potential buy. Does that make a BMW 5 series a great deal because it has low miles and is a newer model? No it doesn›t - especially if your budget can›t cash those monthly repair bills. Stick to looking for that Camry. 5. Ask the seller questions outright: Are you a car dealer? Send me a photo of the ownership card. When did you buy the car? Why are you selling it? Has it had any accidents? Make a mental note of the seller›s responses and cross-check the car›s history. If the seller was dubious, you’ve now added ammunition to your negotiation arsenal, or are able to walk away from the deal. 6. Run a VIN check through the Traffic Department and the local dealership: Prior to physically viewing the car, always use the VIN and the license plate number to get the car›s history through Bahrain.bh or the traffic services app. 2. Get a price index online - even if those prices are from the US market: Get a ball-park estimate of what the car you›re going to be buying is worth in the global market. The final figure may vary a few points but in general those values are a great yardstick to go by. Simply Google (insert car make and model here) followed by the word «price» or «value» and you›ll be able to see the going rate for that specific car. 3. Test-drive multiple variants of the same car that you intend to buy: If you›ve never really driven the car you›re considering, look up a few and test drive those back to back, preferably on the same day. This will give you excellent insight into how a good example runs and drives versus a poorly maintained or wreckedand-repaired one. If the car you’re planning to buy is significantly newer than the car you’re currently driving, I highly recommend going to the dealership and test driving a new one. You will be surprised at how better a car that’s just three years newer drives. Use that as a “Noise, Vibration and Harshness” benchmark when test driving the potential used car that you’re about to buy.
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