What's involved in buying a car?

Stage 5 Commerce investigates

Stage 5 Commerce visited Cowra Motors on 10 November.  They met with Jordan Core, finance organizer and Chamber of Commerce leader, who talked to the students about things to look for when buying a used car.  Tips he gave them were:  make sure there is no money owing on the vehicle as it may be repossessed, look for rust and check the panel alignment.

Mr Core showed the students under the bonnet where the compliance plate was and how to make sure numbers match registration papers and the car is as stated.  He explained other things you can check as part of maintenance which are marked in yellow, check the car’s history and take it for a test drive.  Mr Core also discussed the financing of a new car, interest rates and credit ratings.   He also discussed how to budget for a car.

The students then looked around at the various cars in the yard, recording important details about two different cars that interested them.  Things on the checklist were kilometres, condition of the vehicle and year model, all of which are part of a class assessment task.  The students had a lot of fun sitting in various vehicles and lifting bonnets to check the oil.

The highlight of the day was seeing a Ford Mustang up close.  Unfortunately we were not able to touch or sit in it because it had been detailed for later on in the day.