Buying A Used Car

Used cars are in hot demand these days. People have started to realize that they can be a better buy, in some cases, than going brand new. The values of used cars are also reflecting this higher demand. All the more reason to know what you are buying before it is too late.

Speidell Body Works has been around for over twenty years and we have seen many cars come in with prior damage that was not fixed correctly or rust that was painted over and much much more. We have seen the use of cheap paint and substandard repairs that cause a lot of headaches to us and to the vehicle owner.

A couple of things you should look for when you are buying a used car are:

1. Look for paint imperfections such as sand scratches, dirt nibs, color variant differences between panels, runs, tape edges,among a few others. That is a sign it has been repaired but not necessarily a poor repair.

2. Look for body work imperfections such as varying gaps between panels, pinholes, and just plain bad body work.

3. Make sure the car drives straight and does not dog track.

4. Big panel gaps on one side and small gaps on the other can indicate major frame damage.

5. Bubbling paint will normally indicate rust underneath.

If you are still not sure what to look for or just want a professional opinion, you can always bring the vehicle to one of our locations and have us take a look.

We don’t want you to get stuck with a vehicle that you are not happy with or worse, costs you lots of money down the road.