Hello Ladies and Gents,

I'm a 23 year old male looking to buy my first car and I need some advise. I'm looking for a 2nd hand VW citi or a Opel Corsa by the looks of it. Can you guys please advise me on what it is that I should look out for in terms of knowing if the car was in a accident or to spot the dreaded 2 cars welded together scheme. I have a rough idea of what the millage on the car should be and I will take a friend along who should be able to spot some things but any additional info would be great.

Thanks in advance!

Where do you live and is there a Carmax in your area? Used cars from a dealer cost a hair more but they usually offer some warranty and they shy away from two cars into one and the like. Buy from someone in the newspaper and you are on your own. Private party sales are "as is" sales so you get no warranty or even an assurance that something won't fail tomorrow.

I live in Cape Town South Africa so Carmax and the sort is out unfortunately. I agree on the dealership part and it's hard to get vehicle financing around here if it's a private sale because of possible theft. I plan on taking the car to the AA (some motor organization around here) and having them test the car for me. It's a couple of bucks so I won't do it on every car I see but at least I know what I'm looking at.

Sorry but I am not familiar with your part of the world so I can't help any further but what I have already said is still valid.

Any idea on what I can check on a car to see if it was in a accident? Anything universal should help.

Generally a good mechanic should be able to spot a repaired/rebuilt car. If you know where and what to look for it becomes very obvious. To the untrained eye it can be easy to hide though. Once you have a car you think will work for you, I would suggest that you take it to a good mechanic and have them do a thorough inspection. Might cost you a little money, but it also might save you a lot of money in the end. Remember also that any dealer that will not let you take it to your own mechanic might be trying to hide something.

I always carefully inspect under the hood and trunk as well as wheel wells. Many body shops do a great job on the parts you see but in these areas the telltale signs of over spray can tell you about repair work. Also inspect door hinge bolts and hood bolts, if they have been unscrewed you will see tool marks on the bolts and slight misalignment of the washer to the body.