5 Things to Do After Buying A Vehicle from An Auction
How to take care of your new-to-you car
Congratulations on buying a car, truck, motorcycle, or any other type of vehicle! Whether it’s your fist car or the latest addition to your fleet, purchasing a vehicle is a big deal. Buying a vehicle from an auction is a great way to save money – you will pay a lot less than you would at a dealership. However, there are a few things that you will want to do before you go for a drive. Used cars can be in great condition, but they still belonged to someone else for a period of time before you bought it. Therefore, it’s important to learn as much as you can about your vehicle, as well as perform any necessary updates for your safety and so that you can be a better car owner!
1. Transfer the Title & Registration
This is any easy process when you buy with us here at Repocast.com! We are required by the State of Michigan to broker all vehicles sold to Michigan residents. We are able to process the title and perform the title transfer between you and the last owner. Read more information about the process here. We can also apply for your plates and registration if you would like us to. If you decide to do it yourself, you will have to work with the Secretary of State Department of Motor Vehicles. This is an extremely important process and should be completed before you even think of doing anything else with your vehicle.
2. Get Insurance
Make sure to insure your new car! If you don’t already have car insurance, check out some of the common providers such as All State or Progressive. You can quickly fill everything out so that you can be confident when you drive. If you already have a provider, make sure to contact them to add your vehicle to your plan. You don’t want to drive a car without insurance, if you get in an accident you’ll regret having to pay out of pocket for repairs.
3. Clean Clean Clean
Even if your car appears spotless, you have to remember that it was someone else’s vehicle. Which means that you should clean it thoroughly – even if it doesn’t look like it needs it. You can decide to have your vehicle professionally cleaned, or you can haul out your own cleaning supplies and
get down to business. Make sure that you use the proper cleaning products for the interior material of your car so that you don’t end up damaging your seats or dashboard. Don’t forget about washing the outside as well! Apply a wax or a sealant for extra protection. Your vehicle will look shiny and new and will be good to go for your first drive!
4. Repairs & General Maintenance
Before you purchased your vehicle you likely noted any repairs that would have to be made. You will want a mechanic to look over your car to catch any internal problems you didn’t see initially, as well as fix the problems you did know about. We would also recommend completing the general maintenance that you would regularly perform on your vehicle. Get the oil changed, assess the tires and potentially change or rotate them, change all your filters and check all your other fluids (you will probably want to replace those as well). There isn’t a surefire way for you to know the care that the past owner gave the vehicle, and you don’t know how long it had been sitting before being sold. You don’t want to drive on bad oil or have to worry about an old filter hurting your engine.
5. Review the Owner’s Manual
Now this might not seem that important, but you need to make sure you know all the basic information about your vehicle so that you can take proper care of it. You should be aware of the correct tire pressure, learn about the recommended maintenance schedule and recognize all the lights on your dashboard. It might sound like something you can do later when you get around to it, but you’ll be regretting your choice when an icon you don’t recognize flashes on during a huge whiteout.
After you’ve checked through these important steps you can take your car out for a drive! Everything is finally sorted out and you are ready to go. And, you can be sure that everything with your car is safe. Make sure to follow all safety laws and get used to your vehicle before heading off on a grand cross-
country trip. You’ll want to get the feel of the vehicle at first as it probably drives differently than your past vehicles. We are so glad that you were able to find the car of your dreams while saving money at the same time! If you have any future questions about buying a vehicle from an auction, please contact us. If you’re looking to buy a car or truck, click the button below to check out our auction site!