The Complete Car Buying Guide
By the Auto Dealer Team
Buying a car is likely to be one of the largest purchases you will ever make. This means that it is important to not only find the right vehicle for your needs, but also to do the appropriate legwork to make sure that the car you are buying will give you years of reliable service. In order to make sure you have all the facts you need at hand to make the right decision, Auto Dealer Kenya has put together this guide which will walk you step by step through each stage of the buying process.
There are many steps involved in buying a car, ranging from doing the initial research to find a vehicle in your area, to arranging for a test drive and inspecting a vehicle to deciding how you will bargain for and then pay for an automobile. This guide features some tips and tricks to help you make sure you get your money’s worth and don’t end up regretting your purchase decision.
As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When it comes to cars, a small amount of time invested in preparation is worth far more than the potentially lengthy number of days that a “mkebe” could spend sitting in a mechanic’s garage.
Do Your Research
The first step in buying a car is figuring out what kind of vehicle best meets your particular needs. Do you need a van with space for the entire family and their luggage? A truck or an SUV to help you with work, or driving in off-road situations? Or maybe a sports car or convertible to have fun with on the weekends?
Once you have narrowed down the type of vehicle you are looking for, it is time to consider other important criteria. Fuel economy, the colour of an automobile, whether you require all-wheel or four-wheel drive, and the mileage you are willing to accept are all factors in the buying decision. Deciding how crucial each of these attributes are to you will help you create a template against which you can evaluate each particular car or truck that you come across.
At this point, you will probably have narrowed your list of choices down to just a few vehicles, and you can use the internet to research not only the opinions of automotive critics and journalists regarding the cars you are interested in, but also the experiences of those who actually own the cars you are considering buying. This will help to flesh out the final stage of the research process.
Identifying Your Car
It is now time to find the actual car that you will purchase. One of the most popular tools for finding a used car in
Once you have short listed a number of cars from our website, you might also want to visit a car showroom in person in order to identify the vehicle that you want to buy. Some people prefer to actually see a car with their own eyes prior to initiating contact with the seller. You can find cars for sale at showrooms and facilities run by importers and dealers, as well as bazaars populated by a mix of dealer and private seller offerings.
Contacting the Seller
Contacting the seller can be either the easiest or most difficult part of the car buying process. In the instance of buying a car from a dealer, it can be as simple as sending them an email from their website, giving them a phone call or actually visiting their place of business in person. Most car salesmen will work very hard to make sure that you buy a vehicle from them, and this can mean that they will do their best to remain in contact with you even after you have decided against purchasing from them. Make sure when you contact a dealership that you are very clear about the details of the car you are interested in purchasing, and that you don’t get sidetracked by other ‘deals’ that you might be offered.
Individual sellers pose a bit more of an issue when it comes to contact. Given the schedules of others, it is not always easy to get in touch with someone whose vehicle you are interested in purchasing. It pays to be persistent and to leave detailed contact information on the seller’s voice mail or email if possible. If you really want that particular car, you will most likely have to work hard to get it.
Inspecting the Paperwork
When buying a used car, it is of course crucial to make sure that it is sold with all of the accompanying – and correct – paperwork. The seller should be able to provide you with a number of documents regarding the legitimacy of the vehicle and any claims made about its condition, age and provenance.
The majority of the paperwork that you need to inspect is related to the importation of that automobile. First, you must be provided with copies of the Import Declaration Form and the Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Center (JEVIC) certificate. The former indicates that the car or truck has been declared to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), while the latter proves that it has been inspected for roadworthiness. The seller may also present you with an alternative inspection certificate, which must be issued by the car’s country of origin. Any vehicle that you intend to purchase needs to have undergone a recent Roadworthiness Inspection (RWI), which plays a substantial role in protecting you from buying an unsafe, previously damaged or stolen vehicle. This inspection paperwork, or something similar, must be made available for any vehicle which has been imported from
Next, the bill of lading, along with the invoice and release order from the Container Freight Station where the vehicle was stored and then cleared from should be given to you. This is given along with the Import Entry document which summarizes the above documents as well as lists the various taxes and customs fees that have or haven’t been paid upon import. Finally, the seller needs to provide you with something called a Customer Transaction Voucher, which proves that the required taxes have actually been taken care of. As with the above documents, these will all be copies of the originals, which are archived by the KRA.
In addition to any inspection paperwork, you should ask to see the car’s current logbook, which should be an original and not a copy. It will contain detailed information about the vehicle you are interested in purchasing, and it should match exactly what you have been told – and can observe – about the vehicle. The logbook also indicates the current registered owner of the car or truck. If the seller isn’t listed as the current owner, make sure to ask for an original copy of a “Letter of Authority” or a “Letter of No Objection” from the actual owner. This helps protect you from fraud and ensures that the person selling you the car is actually authorized to do so.
Inspecting the Car
Even if the car in question has been certified as “roadworthy” by JEVIC, it is important to inspect it yourself prior to committing to a purchase. There are a number of different things you can look for when checking out a car for the first time. The most obvious areas to examine are the vehicle’s paint and body work. Check for any dents, scratches or missing trim pieces that might indicate that the car has been in a previous accident or was perhaps not maintained to a very high standard. Get down on one knee and take a quick look under the car – there shouldn’t be anything hanging down from the chassis, nor should there be any puddles or stains that could indicate a fluid leak of some kind.
A few other quick things to look at: tires (proper tread depth, no gouges), a clean engine bay and interior, and a proper level for each of the critical fluids like oil, coolant and automatic transmission fluid. It’s also a good idea to inspect a car on a bright, sunny day in order to make sure you get as clear a view of everything as you need. If the car isn’t clean, ask to have it washed to make sure that a layer of dirt isn’t hiding any possible defects.
A final word – it’s best to present yourself alone, or perhaps with a single companion when examining a vehicle. It can be tempting to bring along friends who are car experts, family members or even a mechanic in order to help you determine if the car is worthy of purchase. However, a group can sometimes be intimidating or even be considered disrespectful by the seller, and as such it can cast a pall over any future interactions.
The
The test drive should be thought of as an extension of the inspection process that you began when you first started looking at the car. It is certainly important to get a feel for whether the car provides the type of driving experience that you are looking for, but don’t get caught up too much in the euphoria of an imminent purchase – there is still work to be done. When driving, you should be attuned to any vibrations, strange noises or sounds coming from the vehicle’s suspension, transmission or engine. Driving along familiar routes that you usually use can help you separate “normal” sounds from “unusual” ones. Make sure you cover as many different types of road surfaces as you typically encounter in your daily driving, which can include anything from smooth urban roads to harsh off-road terrain.
You should make sure that the brakes respond quickly, without any sogginess, and that the engine responds immediately when you depress the gas pedal. The CV joints shouldn’t sound or feel worn when the wheel is cranked all the way to the left and right when driving in a small circle. Make sure too that all of the lights, turn signals and interior features work properly – everything from the parking brake to the radio to the hazard lights should be switched on. Just remember to turn the radio off once you’ve verified that it is working, so that it doesn’t drown out any important noises from other parts of the car. Finally, with the car parked but running, check the tailpipe to make sure there isn’t any white or black smoke coming out. If there is, walk away – it’s not worth hearing a salesperson’s explanation as to why that might be occurring.
Bargaining
If the car passes your inspection and test drive, it’s time to bargain the final purchase price. This can be an intimidating step in the buying process for many car shoppers. After all, the person sitting on the opposite side of the table does this every day for a living, which gives them a slight edge when it comes to knowing the ins and outs of bargaining a vehicle’s price.
In order to get the best possible deal, you should keep in mind the market value of the car that you discovered during the research phase, as well as any aspects of the vehicle’s condition or mileage which you could use as a way to lower the price. Some sellers will give you a better price if you agree to use their financing agency in order to pay for the car, but some won’t, so it might be a good idea to keep the details of your payment method to yourself until the very end of the bargaining.
One of the strongest tactics you can employ when bargaining is to be completely willing to walk away from the table at any time. There is nothing obligating you to buy a particular automobile from a particular seller – you are free to move on should the other party be unwilling to offer you the deal you are looking for. Do make sure, however, that the seller has your contact information so that they can get back in touch with you if they decide to offer you a better deal.
Closing the Deal
One you have arrived at a price and purchase agreement that is acceptable to both sides, it is time to close the deal. This means that you are now responsible for paying the seller in the agreed upon fashion, and they are responsible to furnish you with all the necessary documents to enable you to transfer ownership of the vehicle to you as quickly as possible.
At this point, it pays to have an eye for detail. You will need to make sure that the seller provides you with all of the paperwork you will need to transfer ownership, as well as insure the vehicle and pay any taxes on it that are owing. If you are buying from a private seller, you will need a copy of their national I.D. card or passport, while dealers must provide you with their certificate of registration. You will also need the seller’s PIN certificate and a signed KRA Form C Transfer Form. This is in addition to all of the paperwork mentioned in the ‘Inspecting The Paperwork’ section.
Always take the delivery of the vehicle as soon as you seal the deal. However, if you are not taking delivery of the car or truck immediately, then make sure to get a solid delivery date commitment from the seller before leaving their place of business. When you come to pick up the vehicle, it is important to inspect it to make sure that it is in fact the vehicle you paid for – checking the chassis number can confirm this – and that it is in the same condition as it was the day that you bought it.
Safety First
Many people focus almost exclusively on price when they are buying a car. While the cost of a car or truck is obviously a crucial factor, don’t let it blind you to the other details that are just as important. Of paramount importance is safety. First, consider your own personal safety. Be wary of any sellers who insist that you pay for the entire car in cash, on their premises. It is always safer to pay for a vehicle with a transfer of funds either in person at a bank or through an account to account transfer. Banker’s cheques are also a good option, and you can quell any fears of fraud that the seller may have by asking them to accompany you to the bank where the cheque will be drawn up.
Next, just because a vehicle has all of the proper JEVIC and RWI documentation doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it is in excellent condition. There are cases of vehicles which are borderline when it comes to the condition of their safety and mechanical equipment, but which meet the minimum standards required for importation. This is where keeping your eyes and ears open during the inspection and test drive stage of the car buying process can really help you identify a car or truck that might not be safe to drive.
Unfortunately, there are also unscrupulous car dealers out there who are more interesting making a quick profit than in selling a quality vehicle. Although the majority of sellers you will encounter – especially if they are registered with the government – are honest, you must be aware of the potential for ‘bad eggs’ to jeopardize your car buying experience. Don’t be afraid to trust a dealer when it comes to safety, but make sure to verify all of their claims about each car independently.