Red flags to look out for when buying a used car

Buying a second-hand car can be a great, more affordable way of obtaining one, but you must do your research.

Pashut emphasised the importance of going to verified dealers or consulting quality websites. 

“The best cars attract the best dealerships. If you are going to go on Facebook Marketplace, the chance of that car being right is literally under 5%.”

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He advises insisting on seeing the car’s full history, including how many owners it has had, any accidents or damage, and verifying this information with the seller or dealer.

“If the seller is not willing to share that information, let that be what you refer to as a red flag. Why wouldn’t I want to share something positive?” he asked.

Pashut stressed the importance of checking the service record, which is now typically stored electronically, and warns against buying from sellers who are unwilling to provide this information.

Where electronic records are absent due to private servicing, request the invoices.

He shared his own experience of buying a car with a fake service book.

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“You can take a service book on any older car, go to a printing store and say ‘please make me a stamp that says Toyota ABC’, and it is completely falsified.”

To listen to Pashut in conversation with CapeTalk’s Pippa Hudson, use the audio player below: