In Need Of A New Or Used Car Not Sure What To Do

How can I be sure that am getting a brand new car and not used one?

Thanks for the a2a. First of all, congrats for your Creta!To avoid getting cheated when buying a car, do follow the following procedure:Do not buy a car lying in stock. Dealers have a habit of pushing you to buy cars lying in their stock, by luring you with discounts such as free accessories package, free alloy wheels etc. Most dealer stockyards are in outskirts and cars lie there covered in dust, muck, at the mercy of those yard drivers which drive them rashly. I always make sure my cars are shipped freshly baked from the manufacturer.Even before the car is registered in your name, visit the stockyard personally, if possible with a mechanic, and check the car properly. Remember if the papers are submitted in the RTO you can’t do anything in case you are not happy with the car. So, request the dealer to do the RTO formalities after you’ve properly checked the car.Check for the VIN number of the car. For Hyundai, VIN is printed in the left front door near the sill, or maybe on the sticker on the rear left door glass. VIN is a 19 character unique code, starting with MAL….(Hyundai).Decoded as :10th character represents the YEAR of Manufacture19th character represents the MONTH of ManufactureMonth Codes:A = JANB = FEBC = MARD = APRE = MAYF = JUNG = JULH = AUGJ = SEPK = OCTL = NOVM = DECYear Codes:A = 2010B = 2011C = 2012D = 2013E = 2014F = 2015G = 2016H = 2017J = 2018K = 2019(Source Teambhp)The manufacture month and year can also be found in Form-21, and other manufacturer documents. Do check it there once.Other small things you can observe is the tire thread, tire markings (my Verna 4s 2015 came with small orange stickers on tires which fell off in few days), oil color (if diesel), engine filter/ac filter (milk white when fresh), small plastic sticker covers on steering or dash which normally fall off when used (particularly the blue sticker on Hyundai logo on steering and the one on engine start/stop button, ac knobs, etc). These are small bits you have to carefully look for.Do make a PDI list by yourself. You can refer to many automotive forums for such ready made lists.Hope this helps!

How can I make sure a used car hasn't been in a flood?

As the other answer stated carfax is a great starting point for checking vehicle history. It will have everything that has ever been reported to an insurance company listed. However, this list may be incomplete. If the car was not insured or insurance was not claimed there may be no record. There are a few cars out there that have flood damage that is not found on carfax.Assuming that you have checked carfax first then start your own inspection. Look under the hood. If a car has been flooded any cast aluminum under the hood may be stained with a yellow tinge. This may not be easy to spot if you don't know what you are looking for. The next think to check is under the carpet. If you can pull back the carpet in the lowest point in the floor you may be able to see mud residue from a flood. Even checking these things does not guarantee it wasn't in a flood. Check everything electronic for proper function. Sometimes it just comes down to intuition. If everything else checks out look at registration dates and locations in the carfax. If it was registered in Louisiana during Katrina, or New York during sandy there is a chance it was a flood car. However, if it was registered in Montana, Colorado or some other location that has not had a major flood event then it is likely not been flooded.

Can I know the the procedure to import new or used car to India?

Importing cars to India, both used and new cars, is not a new practice. Many of us have witnessed somebody import a car to India; at least we have followed our rich sportsman doing the same. Certain guidelines and rules that we need to follow and keep in mind while importing a car (whether new or used) are mentioned below as a quick checklist for our readers.Both the used and the new car can be imported to India without a license but it should follow Government of India guidelines regarding import.For the general purpose of import, the definition of a new car includes:A vehicle which has not been assembled or manufactured within the Indian Territory.Such vehicle should not have been leased, loaned, or sold before being imported to India.Such a vehicle, also, should not have been registered in any country for use before importation to India.

Does a new owner of used car in California need to get the car smog checked again before registering the vehicle?

Yes, you will need to pass smog again. It is mandatory for all used vehicle transfers in California.You can ignore the seller's renewal notice because it doesn't apply to you.The seller was responsible to get it done prior to sale, but often they neglect to do it on very cheap vehicles.When a car is sold, who is responsible for the inspection?The seller is required to provide the buyer with a valid smog inspection certification at the time of the sale or transfer. Smog certifications are good for 90 days from the date of issuance.The inspection is not required on a transfer if a biennial smog certification was submitted to DMV within 90 days prior to the vehicle transfer date (a vehicle inspection report may be required for proof of certification).California exempts you as new owner from passing smog only if the vehicle passed smog within 90 days of being sold to you.There is another exemption for vehicles that are less than 4 model years old.NOTE: Smog certifications are not required for transfers that occur for a gasoline powered motor vehicle that is four or less model years old. (Determine the oldest-qualifying year model by subtracting three from the current year) the four or less model years old rule does not apply to diesel powered vehicles. A smog transfer fee will be collected from the new owner.Source: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dm...