Buying a used car online? Here's how to avoid accident or flood-damaged cars

As you would have already know by now, the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting Movement Control Order (MCO) have dampened new car sales by a fair bit; not only are manufacturing plants not allowed to open, but showrooms are also instructed to close. 

While the sale of new cars have gone down a fair bit, the used car market has seemingly bucked that trend, as Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said that used cars continue to record strong sales. 

Also Read: Used car sales continue to fly despite ongoing Movement Control Order

Now, if you want to purchase a used car during this MCO, your only option is to purchase one online. 

As convenient as it may seem, buying a used car without checking it physically is a massive red flag. If there are applications that can apply filters to beautify people, you can bet that photos of used cars are touched up to make them look flawless.

How to avoid an accident car?

First things first. If and when possible, you need to verify if the used car you’re looking at has been through an insurance claim or not.

To do this, you will need to obtain the said vehicle’s chassis number or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and a nifty website called MyCarInfo. Key the vehicle’s VIN into the website, follow the steps and you’ll presented with a Vehicle Check Report.

Also Read: VIN, it's your car's 'IC number' and here's how to find it

Here, you can tell if the previous vehicle owner has done prior insurance claims on the car or not. If you need to find out more in-depth information like insurer at time of accident, or date of loss, you’ll need to pay for a comprehensive report. It costs one credit for a comprehensive report; one credit costs RM 6.

That being said, this is not a guaranteed method, as some owners would have resorted to fix damages out of their own pocket, as opposed to claiming from the insurance company. By doing so, they can maintain their squeaky clean ‘No claim discount’ and the insurance company won’t know any better.

What about flooded cars?

Without physcially checking the car in person, it's not easy to determine if a car has been in a flood or not, but there are some tell-tale signs to watch out for.

The first is to pay close attention to small details; do you spot random bits of mud inside the car? Or do you spot mold stains on the seats or door trim? In fact, if photos of the car's engine bay have mud or sand in it, it could be a sign that it has been in a flood.

Granted, while there are certain tell-tale signs, it's still a much better idea to inspect the car in person. Bring along a trusted mechanic if possible. 

Also Read: Buying used cars: 6 signs of flood damage

Also Read: Buying used cars: 5 signs a car has been in an accident

Also Read: Worried about mileage tempering when buying a used car? Here's how to check

The Carsome Money Back Guarantee

Now, if you are keen to buy a car online but want none of the risk associated with it, enter Carsome's Promise, which includes a 1-year warranty, Carsome Certified inspection, and a 5-day money back guarantee.

Every car listed on Carsome's site comes with high-resolution photos of its exterior and interior, for you to scrutinize from the comforts of your home. Want to zoom in into a specific spot of a car? Now you can.

Carsome also provides a detailed vehicle inspection report. 

The detailed vehicle inspection report is not a Carsome-only feature, but if you're savvy enough to compare against other classified platforms, you'll notice that only Carsome's reports actually mention the imperfections and/or minor repairs needed. Vehicle reports on other classified platforms’ will show all is good for nearly every car (really?).

Carsome also performs a 175-point inspection on the cars they sell, weeding out accident / flood cars from reaching your hands. 

If you've found accident / flood-related defects within five days of purchase, Carsome will return your money and take back the car, no questions asked. How’s that for a risk-free buying experience?

Conclusion

Buying a car during a pandemic has never been a good idea, seeing that it is practically impossible to inspect said car physically before purchasing.

Thankfully, with Carsome’s Promise, there is now an added peace-of-mind even if you cannot physically check the car out. Whether or not other car buying platforms offer such a service remains to be seen, but Carsome is definitely moving in the right direction. Peace-of-mind is definitely something money cannot buy.