Looking for a new car can be a huge hassle, especially if you’re constantly worried about whether or not you’re looking in the right place. The fear of being ripped off or lied to is very real when it comes to investing such a large sum of money.

The bare minimum you can do is to go for a car dealership that you know you can rely on and that will have your best interests in mind as much as you do. Are you worried whether used car dealerships in Houston are safe? Here’s what you can do to make sure you get a deal worth bragging about.

Check Whether They Have Presentable Cars

One surface level way of ensuring your car is coming from a good place is checking the quality of cars at the dealership. If they’re old and ratty, chances are that they’ve been standing around the lot for quite some time. If they look like they’re in good condition, they might not have as many underlying issues either.

Do They Have a Shop?

Car dealerships that have an in-house mechanic, who has been certified with the ASE are less likely to give you cars that are riddled with problems. They’re more careful about the issues that their cars have and do their best to check the cars and correct any problems before selling them to you.

They might also be willing to get your car checked by a new-car dealership with mechanics that have been trained for that particular automaker.

Are They Offering You a Warranty?

Dealerships that offer their own warranty are going to be the ones that are most reliable if things go wrong. If you ask someone who sells used cars in Houston whether there’s any warranty on the cars they sell, check their reaction. If they seem hesitant or you have to push them to agree to give you a warranty, there might be something wrong in the cars they’re offering.

Car dealerships are required by law to give you at least a 30-day driving warranty to see if the car is functional. They’re also required to let you take a state safety and emissions test on the car and take the car back if it fails to meet the legal requirements.

Be careful about buying third-party extended warranties, because they are not always dependable and often, the dealers get a share of the sale if they sell you the warranty. Hence, sometimes a dealer will encourage you to get a car with third-party warranty, but it isn’t because the car is actually a good buy.

Check Their Open Recall Policy

Make sure the car dealership that you’re thinking to buy used cars from isn’t selling you any cars that have an open recall. Dealerships that don’t have a problem with selling cars that have been publically exposed as having safety or emission issues are doubtful.

These cars might have problems that could harm your health, so do not buy from dealerships that do not have policies for open recall vehicles.

Final Word

Of course, there are many more things that you’ll have to keep in mind when hunting for the right used car dealerships in Houston. If you know exactly what to look out for, you’ll be able to find a dealership that is safe.

As long as you know what a reliable dealer should be like, there are lesser chances of you opting for an unsafe one that will rip you off. If you find anything suspicious about their behavior or the state of their cars, it is better that you follow your gut and look for a better dealership.