How To Determine If Your Car Is Safe To Drive

• Mar 09, 2023

Buying your first car in Australia is made simple because of lots of financing options available in the market. But you may not access those options if you are an international student or tourist. Heck, you may even need to lower your expectations if you are in Australia on a temporary working visa which isn’t acceptable by the lenders.
If you are a foreigner or a temporary resident, you may have to rely on your savings to get a car. And that may prompt you to lower your expectations from your first Australian car. Even with budgetary constraints, you wouldn’t want to get a car that isn’t road-worth, would you?
Getting revs check for your car and checking it for physical flaws is the best way to determine if the car will support your commute in the coming months and years. Go for a complete car history check to eliminate uncertainty.
Here are a few points you should check to determine if the car is road-worthy or not.

Engine Start is Not Smooth

You need to test drive the car or get help from the mechanic to do so. A damaged car would start with lots of noise and vibration when you turn the key in the ignition. At the same time, if the smoke from the exhaust is dark, understand that the engine has experienced irreversible damage.
These indicators show that your car will likely break down with the slightest overload on its engine and you should continue your search for other vehicles.

Check the Tires

Before you get your car on the road, make sure to check its tires. They pose a serious accident threat when they are worn out. And this threat increases in intensity when you are driving on a rainy day. Note that aging tires don’t prevent you from buying a car but they decrease the resale value of the car considerably.
In other words, you are in a bargaining position if the tires are worn out. But you will have to later use these savings to change the tires after purchasing.

Physical Appearance

In this inspection, look out for signs of accidents such as dents and broken glass. Note that besides telling the accident history of the car, broken glass also increases the chances of another one – especially when it’s the windscreen that’s broken.
Also, make sure to check the lights, indicators, and mirrors of your car before you take a ride in it. Any malfunctioning of these parts can land you in a serious accident.
Also, when taking a test drive, pay attention to how promptly the brakes respond.

Take Away

This post discusses the major factors you should consider while buying a car to ensure its roadworthiness. Note that malfunctioning and poor condition of some of these factors should prevent you from buying that car. Still, other issues will only lower the price of the car and you can buy it and later get these parts changed.