As the northern hemisphere gears up for a little sunshine to begin to peek through the clouds for the first time in what feels like years, thoughts will turn to gym bodies, new clothes, holidays, and new cars. I don’t know what it is about the summer that loosens the purse strings, but when the vitamin D rains down (yes, I know, not literally), we all become super spenders and start to clear out the things in our life that we have put up with all winter. We shed our old mood with the old weather and look forward to an all-round spring clean, both mentally and physically.

One thing I must mention before we proceed is the tendency for vehicle owners to try to swap old cars on the basis that they have been in an accident. If you are worried that something has happened that may have landed you on the wrong side of the law, for example, if you were involved in a car crash with someone was driving under the influence, you may need a DUI lawyer. That being said, let’s continue.

Beware cut-n-shuts

A cut-n-shut is a vehicle that falls into the sort of category discussed above – cars that have been in accidents may be chopped in half and welded to other cars to make a full model that has no outward signs of having been in a scrape. Pull up carpets to check for welds and check for dodgy paint jobs that do not match.

Check the tyres

No, we don’t mean check the tyres to see if they’re deflated or worn down (although a deflated and worn down tyre would be deal breaker), we mean to look at the wear on the tyre to see if there is a pattern of extra wear on the inside or the outside of the tyre. This could mean that the tyres are not aligned properly.

You only know once you know

Nothing can replace a test drive. No matter how good the car may look, you won’t know the feel of the steering and the brakes until you’ve had to slow down at traffic lights a few times and accelerate in different densities of traffic. Make sure you don’t rush the test drive – allow at least half an hour for some of the common road-user considerations to occur naturally. Things like overtaking, tight bends, accelerating into open spaces, and listening for engine issues can only happen over time.