5 Things to Check Before You Buy a Used Vehicle

1. Service history. Ask for whatever records exist. Gaps aren't automatically a dealbreaker, but a vehicle with no history at all deserves a more thorough mechanical inspection before you commit.

2. Panel gaps and paint consistency. Walk around the vehicle in daylight and look at the gaps between body panels — uneven gaps or slightly mismatched paint can indicate prior accident repair, even on a vehicle that otherwise looks clean.

3. A cold start. If possible, ask to see the vehicle started from cold, not after it's been running for an hour. Unusual noises or rough idling are more obvious on a cold engine.

4. Tyre wear pattern. Even wear across all four tyres is normal. Uneven wear on one side can point to alignment issues or suspension wear that's easy to miss on a quick test drive.

5. A test drive that includes rough road, if you can manage it. Smooth showroom-adjacent roads hide a lot. A few minutes on an uneven road will tell you much more about suspension and steering feel than a straight, flat stretch.

None of these replace a proper inspection, but they're a reasonable first filter before you invest more time in a specific vehicle.