When you’re buying a used car from a dealership, the dealer has already evaluated the car's condition to ensure it's sellable. You should still review the vehicle's history and take it for a test drive to determine if the car is right for you, but rest assured all inventory undergoes a vigorous vetting process, even if it was acquired from a private seller. The following are a just a few areas that dealers inspect.

How Dealers Choose Used Cars

1. Fair Exterior Condition

Dealers look for intact paint with matching colors across the entire vehicle. A few scratches or dings can be expected, but there should be no large dents, exposed metal, or rust.

They also make sure the body panels line up neatly and that all the doors, the hood, and the trunk open and close smoothly. Misalignment in the body panels or doors, or mismatched paint, can indicate that the car was damaged and wasn’t repaired correctly.

2. Evenly Worn Tires

When a car’s tires and frame are aligned correctly, the tires should wear out at about the same rate. Crooked axles and steering issues can lead to bald patches or one or two tires being more worn out than the others.

If the treads are worn down so there’s less than 1/16 of an inch left at the shallowest point, that might indicate larger problems. The dealer may recondition the vehicle after a closer inspection, or decline to proceed with the acquisition if the problems are too severe.

3. Clean Ground Underneath

Fluid leaks can be a moderate or severe problem, so dealers check whether the car is dripping. If it is, the color of the fluid can indicate what the problem is and how difficult it is to fix it.

For example, a red or reddish-brown stain is probably transmission fluid—a serious issue. Completely clear fluid may just be water condensation, which is harmless and doesn’t indicate a leak.

For used cars in excellent condition, visit Discount Auto Repair in Mountain Home, AR. With over 15 years of experience, Dealer Principal Jamie Mann is committed to providing quality vehicles in a no-pressure environment. You can also find the lowest prices in Baxter County. Get in touch with this dealer by calling (870) 425-1775, or visit their website to view their selection.