When it comes to buying a truck these days, many people are choosing toBUY
a used truck. The main reason for someone wanting to buy a used truck is to save money, which can be quite substantial when compared to the cost of buying a brand new truck. Although buying a used truck can save you quite a bit of money, it’s important to perform a truck inspection in order to make sure that the truck has been well maintained so that you’re truly getting the best deal.
Your Truck Inspection Checklist
Firstly, you should have a price range in mind, and you need to stick to it. If you go over your budget when buying a used truck, you may not have enough money to put into the truck in order to make it your own. Next, it’s important that you do a little research so that you have a good idea in mind of what kind of used trucks are currently up for sale. If there happens to be five or six trucks that you’re interested in, then there’s no need for you to feel pressured to buy the first used truck you look at. Once you have a list of all of the used trucks your interested in buying, it’s time to start taking a closer look in order to see if they’re going to meet your strict standards.
The following is a truck inspection checklist that you should follow when buying a used truck:
- Only agree to see the truck if it’s either daytime or in a well lit area. It’s important that you’re able to easily see the truck in order to inspect it for any body damag
- Are there any raised areas on the roof of the truck? If there are, it can mean that there’s rust underneath, which is going to require further inspection.
- Make sure that the door panels fit properly and aren’t out of joint by running your hand along the bottom of the panels.
- Check the tires closely, looking for any signs of leakage or extreme tread wear.
- Open the hood, take off the radiator cap and look at the coolant fluid in order to make sure that it is its proper greenish color.
- Thoroughly inspect all electrical switches, lights, etc.
- Start the engine in order to make sure there are no unusual sounds that can indicate an engine problem. The truck should have a high idle setting, with fuel injected engines automatically setting this high idle and carbureted engines needing a lot of gas to get it to that fast idle.
- Take the truck for a test drive, driving at least 10 to 15 miles. Pay close attention to how it drives and make any necessary notes Once you shut the truck off, allow it to cool down for a minute and then start it again. If it hesitates, it may need to be seen by a mechanic.
- When driving, be sure to test the brakes in a safe location (i.e. an empty parking lot) in order to make sure that they’re working properly. It’s a good idea to step on them gently, as well as step on them quickly in order to get a good feel for how they’re working.
