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Take Out Insurance
If you’re looking for a used car with a reputable dealer like Shelbourne Motors, then the insurance we have will cover you for when you take the car out on a test drive. However, if you do look at cars with private sellers, be sure to check out what the insurance cover is. Check your own policy to make sure that you’re covered to drive any car or ring up to arrange comprehensive cover for a period of time so you’re covered whilst test driving.
Drive Normally
One of the main things to do when test driving a used car is to make sure that you’ve tested it out on a variety of different types of road surfaces. If you spend most of your time commuting to work on the motorway, then test driving a car to see what it feels like on a country road isn’t going to be of much use to you. Try and test drive it for long enough so that you get to experience a variety of different types of roads and get a real feel for how the car drives on each different one to see if it’s the right car for you. Make sure you drive as you would normally, so have a go at reverse parking to make sure you can see properly when doing manoeuvres and can reach all the controls and steering wheel comfortably.
Listen to the Engine
If the engine sounds like it’s struggling, then there could be a problem with the car. When you get in it to test drive, the engine should be cold so always touch the bonnet, if it is warm the seller could be trying to hide a fault. This is the same when it comes to the gears and brakes. Brake as you would normally to make sure that you have confidence in the brakes and make sure that you can engage the gears through the gear box without crunching.
Be Comfortable
Spend long enough inside the car to ensure that you’d be comfortable driving it for long periods of time. Things like getting in and out with ease, whether there’s enough room in the boot for the shopping and whether there’s enough space for the kids all need to be considered before you make a decision on the car.
By following all these top tips when going on a test drive, you can be sure that you’ve got a great deal on the perfect used car for you today.
We can introduce you to a selected panel of lenders, which includes manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent. An introduction to a lender does not amount to independent financial advice and we act as their agent for this introduction. Our approach is to introduce you first to the manufacturer lender linked directly to the particular franchise you are purchasing your vehicle from, who are usually able to offer the best available package for you, taking into account both interest rates and other contributions. If they are unable to make you an offer of finance, we then seek to introduce you to whichever of the other lenders on our panel is able to make the next best offer of finance for you. Our aim is to secure the best deal you are eligible for from our panel of lenders. Lenders may pay a fixed commission to us for introducing you to them, calculated by reference to the vehicle model or amount you borrow. Different lenders may pay different commissions for such introductions, and manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent may also provide preferential rates to us for the funding of our vehicle stock and also provide financial support for our training and marketing. But any such amounts they and other lenders pay us will not affect the amounts you pay under your finance agreement, all of which are set by the lender concerned. If you ask us what the amount of commission is, we will tell you in good time before the Finance agreement is executed. All finance applications are subject to status, terms and conditions apply, UK residents only, 18’s or over. Guarantees may be required.
Shelbourne Motors (Newry) Ltd, Shelbourne Motors (Nissan) Ltd, Shelbourne Motors (Portadown) Ltd, Orchard cars Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Automotive Compliance Ltd, who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 497010) allowing us to act as a credit broker, not as a lender, for the introduction to a limited number of lenders. We are not an independent financial advisor and we act as their agent for this introduction. Typically, we receive commission from the lenders we work with, this may vary depending on the lender, but this does not influence the interest rate you will pay. If you ask us what the amount of commission is, we will tell you in good time before the Finance agreement is executed. All finance applications are subject to status, terms and conditions apply, UK residents only, 18’s or over. Guarantees may be required.
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