Finding a real gem of a pre-owned car doesn’t depend solely on luck. You’ve got to know what to look out for and how to spot potential trouble. If you’re not a car-savvy person, try to bring along a friend who is, when you go car shopping.

Never, ever buy a car without driving it first, and also go through these crucial points when considering a vehicle:

Car body: Look at the car in bright light to check for uneven or distorted reflections and mismatched colours or poorly aligned body panels. Look carefully at each panel for ripples or overspray. Viewed from afar, the car shouldn’t appear lopsided.

Tyres: The four tyres should show even wear. Check the condition of the spare tyre too.

Oil and other fluids: Look for signs of oil leaks underneath the engine. Use the dipstick to check the amount and colour of the engine oil. The level should be in between the maximum and minimum marks, and the oil should not be black or have a burnt smell. Do the same check for the power steering and auto transmission dipsticks, if any.

Radiator: Remove the radiator cap and look for rust and oil in the coolant. The coolant should be clear in appearance. Squeeze the hoses to check for cracks or holes, and make sure there is no fraying.

Rust: Look under the wheel arches, doors and the floor of the boot for signs of rust or blistering and peeling paint.

Interior: Check the car seats, door handles and foot pedals for wear and tear. Look up at the ceiling to see if there are watermarks which might indicate a leaking roof. Turn on every switch to make sure all the electrical components like windscreen wipers, power windows, side mirrors, air-conditioning and lights are working.

Starting: Start the car when the engine is cold. The car should start immediately and the warning lights on the display panel must go off. Listen for odd noises from the engine.

Gears: In a manual car, depress the clutch pedal in neutral and listen for noise. Use all the gears. The clutch pedal should “bite” between the top and middle of the pedal's range of movement. If you’re driving an automatic, gear shifts should be smooth, quiet and barely noticeable.

Other cautionary measures

Mr Raymond Tang, Honorary Secretary of the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association, advises potential customers to send the car they are keen on buying to Vicom or STA Inspection to evaluate its road-worthiness.

The other way of smart shopping is to do business with car dealers who are part of the CaseTrust-SVTA (Singapore Vehicle Traders Association) joint accreditation scheme. This programme is administered by Case and was just launched at the end of April.

Currently, 49 car retailers are on the scheme. Mr Tang explained that not every dealer who applies to be on the scheme is accepted. Companies who want to be part of the scheme have to be evaluated and approved by Case, taking factors such as cancellation and refund policies, and dispute resolution procedures, into account.

Customers of these shops can be confident about enjoying more transparent sales processes. Such shops also avail themselves of mediation and other dispute resolution services if the need arises.