Ten Things You Need To Do After You Buy A Used Car
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Congratulations on your new (old) car! Don't get too excited yet – make sure you do these things first.
10.) Get It Licensed, Registered, and Insured
This is obvious, but don't drive around in an unregistered car. It may be tempting to put on the old plates from your mom's 2006 Chevy Uplander but it can wait.
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9.) Get It Inspected By A Mechanic
You really should have done this before you bought your car but if for whatever reason you didn't I won't judge, just make sure you see a mechanic and get an idea of what's wrong.
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8.) Change All Filters
Air, fuel, transmission, oil, the one in your water purifier: all these filters will most likely need to be replaced, and even if they're ok it's still a good idea to replace anyway.
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7.) Read The Owners Manual
I know it's not cool to read the manual but how else are you going to learn your new car's service intervals, or how to set the clock when daylight savings time rolls around?
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6.) Clean Thoroughly Inside And Out
It's important to make sure your new car is nice and shiny on the outside, but arguably more important you thoroughly detail the interior. The previous owner could have left behind dead skin, snot, trash, food, or even drugs and you need it out of your car ASAP.
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5.) Change All Fluids
Changing all your cars fluids is obvious, but absolutely necessary. Your car will work much better than it did with all the dirty fluid that hadn't ever been changed.
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4.) Do All The Quick Fixes
You're not going to want to be attempting anything crazy the first day you get the car, but you should do simple fixes like lights, trim pieces, spark plugs, etc. right away. There's no reason not to tackle the quick little problems.
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3.) Check The Brakes
You can't go if you can't stop. Brakes are one of the most vital safety components of a car so you need to check and replace if necessary before you start using your car.
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2.) Check/Change The Tires
Tires are the only thing that connects a car to the road, thus their importance cannot be overstated. Make sure they've got good tread depth and that all four match, otherwise change them.
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1.) Drive
Right, now that you've got everything in order for your used car it's time to enjoy! Take a road trip, go for a spirited back road cruise, or do whatever it is you like to do with your car.
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