I'm from Muar and I'm currently purchasing a Rexton 270 from a dealer in KL. After 1st time test drive , I feel this car overall is in good condition after I tested for about 5-6 cars before. So I decided to buy it. The problem now is I wish to send this car to a good and trustworthy workshop for detail checking and I'm not familiar with KL. So it would be appreciate if someone could recommend or accompany me to test the car as well.
I'm going to take the car next Monday.
Hope this helps those who are planning to buy a used car from owner or dealer.
Note : This is not fool proof guide that cover everything but I tried to share as much as possible within my knowledge (lots of them from Bro byebye2u) and experience in buying mine. Welcome everyone to share and contribute to the list.
1. Monitor AdvertisementHelp to be familiar with the market price, registration years, spec and optional accessories. Some ads may be repost from time to time, so will give you background info if the car is worthy buy. These can be easily and quickly checked online at following websites
i. AutoWorld.com.my
ii. MotorTrader.com.my
iii. Mudah.my
iv. Carlist.my
v. TheStar.com.my
2. Shortlist AdsShortlist several ads that meet your requirements and budget. Call up to enquire more especially on the model spec, condition and owner history.
3. View CarOn external viewing, examine carefully on following
i. painting condition and if repaint is done (check the reason as it could possibly due to accident).
ii. Tire condition. Each Rexton tire cost from RM400~RM750.
iii. All electronic lighting indicator is functioning.
iv. Black smoke and engine sound. Rexton engine in good condition is smooth, almost no vibration and quite quiet.
v. Mileages and service records that matched. Milesages meter could be tampered, so service records is a good reference.
vi. Oil leaking at engine area. Some of the leakages could be hidden underneath that is impossible to be seen without jacking up the car.
vii. Oil leaking at absorber and shaft.
4. Test Drive Important to select the right road to allow optimum testing and get an experience Rexton owner to test drive together if possible.
i. U-turn Test will reveal if there is problem with its Electric Power Steering which very light on low speed and firmer on high speed.
ii. Acceleration Test will reveal the engine, gear transmission & turbo condition at fast acceleration
iii. Highway Test will reveal the engine and suspension condition at high speed.
iv. Brake Test to check out ABS functions.
v. Cornering Test to check out traction control
vi. 4WD Test - try out both 4WL and 4WL to test is functioning well.
5. JPJ Check You can just call up JPJ branch at
http://portal.jpj.go...=...=97&lang=ms and provide the car registration number to check for
i. the car's insurance company history
ii. Owner & transfer history
iii. Current title ownership
6. Insurance ClaimCall up the insurance company to check for claim history. This is the safest way to confirm if the car met any accidents.
7. Ownership CheckIf the car is still under bank loan, call the Bank/Finance's Hire Purchase Dept to check if there are pending issues with the title ownership. This will avoid difficulty in ownership transfer and hidden surprise.
8. Check SamanYou can check saman via the following
i. www.myeg.com.my - it may not be up-to-date and some older saman may not be listed.
ii. Local branch of traffic police
iii. Local town council of surrounding council for parking saman.
9. Mechanic CheckAfter going thru all the check that the car is indeed in good order, you should bring the car to the service center or workshop familiar with Mercedes engine for detail checking. It is good to mix around with other owner to gain more knowledge, tips and experience too.
10. Puspakom InspectionImportant to be presence to witness the inspection if possible. Standard ownership transfer inspection do not include most of the 10 points inspection as listed at
http://www.puspakom....inspection.html that is important to ensure the car condition is legal.
11. Buying InsuranceInsurance coverage of more than a year. If you get the insurance on your own, you may save upto RM100 (dealer commission) and you can also transfer NCB discount if your current car is of cheaper value. This may save you RM100 + upto 55% of the insurance fees. Do consider the option to add coverage for windscreen.
12. Ownership Transfer at JPJThis can be done by runner who charge a service fees of RM250 (inclusive of transfer fees). If you plan to handle on your own, check out
http://portal.jpj.go...secara-sukarela .
This may looks lengthy and troublesome, but you don't buy a car too frequent to save the trouble. Buying from direct owner maybe a little more hassle but it worth all the time and effort because you get to know the previous owner directly and most importantly, you save quite a bit. An experience and friendly bank loan officer would be able to guide and facilitate ownership title.