If you’re in the market to buy a new car, one of your biggest fears is probably buying a lemon.  If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s obviously not the fruit, it’s a defective car that when purchased used or new was found to have numerous or severe defects that weren’t apparent.  If you find that your car is a lemon, by law, you will be able to return it for a full refund or exchange.

Grab a mechanic or check out the car

If you know a lot about cars, you’re going to want to check out the car yourself.  If you don’t know much about them, I would advise that you either take the car to the mechanic’s shop or have him/her come with you to check it out.  Just like a home inspector, this mechanic will be able to tell you if there are any signs of defects on the car itself.

Always get a car report

With services like AutoCheck, make sure that you get one of these reports before you buy a car.  These reports are going to tell you exactly what went wrong with the car in the past.  It will mark accident reports, odometer readings and more.  This will give you a better idea on where the car has been.

Look at the car exterior closely

One of the best way to check if the car has been in an accident is simply by checking the exterior.  Look for different colors on the panels or ripples or smaller dents.  This may be a sign that the car needed body work in the past.  An accident can generally do more damage than good and that’s why it’s important that you should check for this stuff.

Listen closely when starting the car

When you take the car for a test drive, make sure that you keep the windows up and the radio off.  This will ensure you that you can listen closely for any sounds that may not sound right.  It’s important that you write down every sound that you hear that doesn’t sound right because this sound could eventually turn into more trouble.

Drive the car everywhere

When you’re on your test drive, make sure you reach all the speeds.  Drive on a side street, a main street and the highway.  This way, you’ll be able to reach speeds from 25 to 70 mph.  Sometimes, a car may not make particular noises until they reach speeds above 55, etc.  This is why it’s important to drive at all speeds.

Lemon’s are pretty rare to come by when you’re buying new but always make sure that you do these checks before making a purchase so that you can prevent that lemon purchase.  It’s just going to be more of a hassle in the long run.  Buying your new car should be an enjoyable experience and not a stressful one.