Increase your car-ma

Spot the good vibrations from the bad, and get car buying savvy.

Buying a car can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t know a lot about vehicles. For Margot, helpful advice couldn’t have come sooner following her brush with a dodgy dealership deal. “I thought my $22k appraised import was a sure thing,” she says. However, a strange noise soon emerged, prompting a string of investigations during her rst week of ownership. “It turns out the car had been involved in a major accident and was put back together poorly,” she explains. “The mechanic described it as a shambles and refused to let me continue driving it.” Stressed and disheartened, Margot returned to the dealership with a detailed report provided by the mechanic and asked for a refund, but the dealership refused. “At this time, my partner was overseas, I was seven months’ pregnant, and I didn’t know anyone in the city,” Margot recalls. Like many people buying a car, Margot had assumed the checks and paperwork she sighted at the dealership meant she had done her due diligence. “I made the mistake of thinking the appraisal document that came with it, and the fact that the dealership was backed by a recognised association, meant that my car was a safe buy, ”Margot says. Had she purchased through Trade Me, Margot would have had the bene t of a free Background Check, which would have agged her car as a damaged import, saving her the stress of trying to get her refund. “After three weeks and several mentions of lawyers and Fair Go, they nally refunded me.” As well as checking the vehicle’s history, Trade Me Head of Motors Alan Clark recommends taking the car for a test drive without the radio on. “This gives you a chance to feel how the car drives and take note of any unusual noises, burning smells, vibrations, fumes or anything else that seems strange,” he explains. Jen also learnt the hard way when she bought her rst car. “I paid $3500 for it, drove home and the water pump blew up the next day,” she says. “It was a nightmare! I took it to a mechanic and discovered the odometer had been wound back and I had to re-register it!” Trade Me understands there are many options out there, so by providing the Background Check on its site you get assurance around your purchasing decisions, Alan explains. “Our car buying checklist has all these tips and more to help ensure you don’t buy a lemon.”

“I made the mistake of thinking the appraisal document meant my car was a safe buy.”