Common issues with ‘new’ cars

If you put up your car for sale today, chances are very high that prospective buyers will inquire about its number plate first before anything else.

Few interested parties, if any, will ask about its current mechanical condition and later on a test drive to find out the car’s condition. Many ride on the popular belief that the newer the number plate, the newer the vehicle.

This is very wrong.

There is more to the car than just the number plate it carries.

According to Peter Amadi, a mechanic at Dalas Auto Limited, some motorists want to drive the latest number plates because the businesses they run entail that they do so.  Others tend to just be showy.

Amadi however, argues that there are some vehicles with old number plates that could command higher resale prices than those carrying the latest number plates because of how they have been maintained.

For instance, the mechanic has maintained his Turbo Subaru Forester - registration number UAJ ***S - he nicknamed ‘The Bullet’, with a maximum speed of 240km/hr since 2006.

Almost 15 years later, he is proud that it is in a better condition than cars with the latest number plate series because of how he regularly maintains it.

One of his clients offered him Shs25m for the 1999 model.

“People wonder how I have maintained it since 2006. I overhaul the engine every year and replace all key parts such as the suspension system. I use it as an example to show motorists how to take care of their cars.  Some cars from bonds look new with new number plates but when they are mechanically old,” Amadi says.

Timothy Muhereza, a motorist, advises that it is better to divert your fascination to keeping your car as good as new by regularly servicing it. 

“I drive a Toyota Premio bearing UAZ number plates. It looks old but it has the performance capability to outgrow very many other cars fitted with newer number plates. You will run after new number plates until you get tired and give up after realising that there is no difference between a car with the latest number plates and one that has been well maintained,” Muhereza explains. 

What to know before buying a car

Rather than concentrate on the number plate, Amadi advises one to carry out a road test and understand the condition of the car as this will help you understand what you are buying before sealing the deal.

“Do not be deceived that a car is new judging from its number plate.  I have serviced cars with number plates that have complex mechanical problems than those that are older. The secret is in service and maintenance,” Amadi argues.

Ronnie Kyazze, a motorist, agrees arguing that most motorists or prospective car owners think that the newer the number plates, the newer the car, which is a wrong perception.

“Like any car, whether new plate or old number plates, check its condition first before excitement,” Kyazze advises. 

What to look out for

Most second hand cars that many consider new come with a number of mechanical issues. First, the fact that a car is driven out of the bond when it has already covered a certain mileage means that it was already being used in its country of origin.

Secondly, some car parts such as engine seals, tyres and the shock absorbers, Amadi explains, are already worn out and are due for replacement at a time of you buying the car. This is why it is advisable to carry out major parts replacements on the car you have bought from the bond.

This, to Amadi, is where buying a car already on the road may sometimes be a better deal after carrying out a test drive and being satisfied with the condition in which the car is.  

Besides some of the cars sold in bonds running on parts that are already worn out, the original parts they come with are sometimes taken or plucked off the car and replaced with fake ones during transit that it is very hard, if not impossible, for you to know which part was taken off.