If you’re searching for a used car, you have a long road ahead of you to find a car that will last a long time on the road. The first step to determining the car you’ll purchase is to determine your budget, as well as the type of car you want. The budget is probably the most important part, as it will likely determine the rest. If you have a budget of $12,000, you probably should stray away from the Mercedes. If you have a low to medium budget, however, and you’re looking for a quality car, you may decide to go with a Subaru. If you do decide on Subaru, here are just a few of the things you should look for when browsing through the Subaru inventory.
Price
The first thing you are going to need to look at when used-car shopping is likely going to be the price. It’s best to give yourself a budget range rather than a fixed budget, and to keep in mind that a car that will last you longer will end up costing you less in the long run.
Year
Next you’ll probably want to look at the year of the car. While it isn’t always true, the older the car, the more likely it is to have problems. If you happen to find a Subaru 1500, Subaru’s first car, you might be looking at a high value car, but a high value car with a lot of problems! If you’re lucky, however, you might find an older car that was owned by someone who rarely drove it, thus saving you money and saving the car miles.
Color
If you have no preference when it comes to the car’s color, you can skip this part. However, many people have a set color, or colors, in mind when they go car shopping. Similar to the budget, it’s best to give yourself a few options when it comes to color so you don’t turn down a great car.
Mileage
While at one of your local Subaru dealers, you’ll want to compare the cars’ mileages. Like age, cars in the Subaru inventory with higher miles are more likely to have problems.
Accident history
Like all dealerships, your local Subaru car dealership is likely to have a few cars with accident history in their Subaru inventory. An accident in the car’s history doesn’t automatically mean you shouldn’t buy it; however, you should be cautious.
Other features you deem necessary
There are many other features you may decide to look at when purchasing a used car. While you may not find a car with all of your dream features in your budget, one of your local used Subaru dealers is bound to have a car that fits the ticket well enough. You may decide to look for a car with speed, such as the Impreza WRX, or a car with a sunroof and A/C. If you’re looking for a Subaru with a boxer engine layout, however, you’re in luck, as this is their most common engine layout. You’ll also want to check out the tires, the type of transmission and the drive line to make sure they are what you’re looking for.
