Buying a one-year-old car is a challenging task regardless of the attractiveness of the offer. It’s always worth thinking about why a fresh, just-like-new vehicle with low mileage is suddenly being sold. The Indianapolis used car dealer, Indy Auto Man, offers examples of frequent cases when owners try to get rid of newer cars.
Reason 1: serious accident
A traffic accident with serious consequences is one of the most likely reasons for the urgent sale of a car. Impacts of the body against an obstacle or another vehicle can disrupt the auto’s geometry or affect the engine performance. That’s why one must check the vehicle history report before a purchase.
Plus, if the owner saved money and carried out subsequent repairs not at a licensed service center but in a garage, then problems are guaranteed with such a “just-like-new” car. So, the owner gets rid of it.
Reason 2: frequent breakdowns
Yes, new cars can break down often. Find out why this happens on the indyautoman.com.
The dealership that sold the car solves many problems under warranty. But the owner is left without a vehicle during this time and takes a taxi (not all dealers provide replacements), at the same time, thinking about selling the unreliable auto that they bought, flattered by advertising.
Reason 3: legal problems
Another common reason for selling a one-year-old car with low mileage is legal problems:
- The car is financed or leased, and the owner does not have the money to pay off the debt.
- The owner took out a loan against the car.
- The car owner is running a risky business, and his property is seized by court order.
- In the event of a divorce, one of the spouses filed for division of property and claimed the car.
In all these cases, the law prohibits selling seized or protested property. Some car owners are trying to circumvent the law and get at least something for a property that does not belong to them.
Reason 4: high mileage
And finally, a frequent reason to sell a one-year-old car is high mileage. An average car owner drives 12-14 thousand miles per year, but for many citizens, a car serves as a means of earning money, and they use it to the fullest. The mileage during the year can be 30-60 thousand miles.
After such exploitation, cunning businessmen carry out the operation of twisting the mileage, applying a cosmetic gloss, and trying to sell the car with the least losses for themselves.
It will not be difficult for an experienced motorist to determine the approximate mileage of the car and expose the sly one. Nevertheless, some buyers are attracted only by the date of manufacture, not by actual condition.
Before purchasing a one-year-old car, it is necessary to check its legal purity.
Other possible reasons for selling one-year-old cars
The seller can explain the sale of a one-year-old car for the following reasons:
- The urgent need for money – to buy real estate, for treatment or education of a child.
- Change of residence – moving to another region, another country.
- The owner does not like the car.
- The couple gets divorced and sells the vehicle they bought together.
- The owner was not ready for the cost of its maintenance.
In such cases, selling a one-year-old car seems justified, but one should not take a word for it.
Skip it or buy it
Buyers should not categorically reject a one-year-old car with low mileage. It is worth addressing a reliable dealership and checking vehicle history reports, considering most reputed dealers offer it for free. The future owner may also take it for diagnostics to a specialized service if the history does not show serious problems.
The diagnostics will immediately reveal twisted mileage, cheap sensors, and other defects. Service policy often allows obtaining information about warranty repairs and spare parts replaced. If the seller refuses to diagnose, it is better not to risk it and look for something else.
If the car turns out to be legally and technically clean, the buyer can congratulate himself on a successful purchase. Most motorists wish to buy an almost new car with significant savings, already run-in and serviced.
