6 things you absolutely must do before you sign an offer to purchase a second-hand car

List-en Up! Consumer Smarts @ a Glance

• Ask the dealer what steps they’ve taken to verify the service and accident history of the car. Hearsay is not good enough. The industry has access to professional background checks, much like doing a credit check on a person, and if they fail to make use of them, their professionalism is questionable.
• Get the VIN number and ask a dealership representing that brand to enter it into their computer network, which will flag service history, or lack of it, and any major accidents.
• If it is sold "with a warranty", call the manufacturer or warranty company and find out if the warranty is still valid - failing to get a car serviced at the correct intervals is a common reason for warranty invalidation, as is vehicle modification.
• Ask to see both the service book and spare key. Do not sign until you see both (and check that they both belong to the car you’re interested in). Don’t fall for promises that they will be provided later because that seldom happens.
• Contact the previous owner/s if you can to find out if there were any major problems with the car. Having sold the car, they have no incentive to mislead you.
• Test drive the car, properly, and make sure the route includes hills.

GET IN TOUCH: You can contact Wendy Knowler via email: consumer@knowler.co.za or on Twitter: @wendyknowler. She's In Your Corner for consumer issues.