How To Properly Test Drive a Car

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When you are buying a new or used car, one of the most important things that you can do before you decide to purchase it is test drive it. Test driving a car allows you to be sure that it is the vehicle for you, and allows you to check for anything that seems immediately wrong with it. Even if you buy your car from a reputable place like Affordable Cars, testing driving is essential, but it can be even more important if you are buying a car from someone online. Here are a few things that you should look out for when you are test driving your new potential car:

Examine the car first

There are many things to look out for when buying a used car. When you see the car for the first time, you should take the time to walk around it and look out for any scratches, dents, cracks, and rust on the bodywork that wasn’t pictured. You should also check the windows and windshield for any cracks or chips that could potentially get worse. The tyres of the car need to be safe to drive, so the tread should be above the minimum tread depth, and there should be no signs of uneven wear. Also, check that the lights, brake lights, and turning signals work. 

Some of these may not be elements that stop you from purchasing the car, but you could use them to negotiate the price down, especially if you will need to get them fixed yourself. 

Test all the electrics

When you get into the car and turn the engine on, take the time to test that all the electrics work. Test the radio, the windows, air conditioning, and heater. These are all things that you will need to use at some point when you are driving.

Listen and wait

When you first turn the engine on, you want to make sure that it turns overs correctly and starts straight away. Once it has started, sit and listen for a while. Make sure that you can’t hear any rattling or other troubling sounds that would lead you to believe that there is a problem with the car. 

You should also study the dashboard to make sure there are no warning lights, and that the temperature gauge isn’t too high.

Taking it for a drive

When you take a car for a test drive, it is a good idea to try and test it at different speeds, on different types of roads, and doing other things that you would usually do on a regular drive. This means checking your brakes, making sure that they feel okay, and bring you to a stop safely. Make sure that you can accelerate the car smoothly when you’re on a road with a higher speed limit, and that the car doesn’t struggle with those higher speeds. It is also an excellent chance to check that all the gears work correctly along with your clutch.

If there is anything that you are unsure about, bring it up with whoever you are buying from. If it is from a good dealer, then they might be able to fix the problem there before you buy the car. 

Flush the Fashion

Editor of Flush the Fashion and Flush Magazine. I love music, art, film, travel, food, tech and cars. Basically, everything this site is about.