For safety and economic reasons, buying a used 4-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle entails a lot of research.

A 4-wheel drive vehicle is one of the most practical and sophisticated means of transportation available in the market today. It is also well-built and very reliable. This type of vehicle can do lots of things especially rugged and hard-to-do stuffs. A brand new 4-wheel drive vehicle can cost much. However, a used one can save you as much as 50 percent as compared to its original price. 

Before buying a used 4-wheel drive vehicle, remember and ponder on the following pointers:

1. What is the used 4-wheel drive vehicle’s total mileage or the number of miles it has driven? Usually its annual average is between 12,000 - 14,000 miles.

2. What type of transmission it has. Is it manual or automatic? Is it low range or not?

3. What is the used 4-wheel drive vehicle’s body condition? Is it still shinny or rusty?

4. Was the used 4-wheel drive vehicle’s body been repainted? As a precaution, you should not buy a repainted 4WD because it conceals its true colors and body condition.

5. Was the used 4-wheel drive vehicle been in an accident? As a safe precaution, you should not buy a 4WD that is already involved in an accident.

6. What are the used 4-wheel drive vehicle’s emission test results?

7. What is the used 4-wheel drive vehicle’s schedule of oil change (oil filter and engine oil). On the average, a used 4-wheel drive vehicle should have oil changed every 3,000 miles. 

8. Is the seller the original owner of the used 4-wheel drive vehicle?

9. What is / are the owner’s reason(s) in selling his / her present 4-wheel drive vehicle?

10. Was the used 4-wheel drive vehicle had current repairs, maintenance, and tune ups on its engines, tires, brakes, etc?

11. What is the seller’s initial price?

12. What is your asking price?

After you have established the above mentioned details, you are now ready to purchase a used 4-wheel drive vehicle. But where to buy? There are many stores and sources that sell a second hand 4-wheel drive vehicle. These include some private owners, truck lots, the internet, used car companies, and rental car business establishments.

To research about the full specs of a 4-wheel drive vehicle visit a car manufacturer’s website – Toyota, Subaru, Ford, and Nissan. You can also read it in different car journals, magazines, and publications. The Consumer Reports magazine’s April 2006 issue features the 4-wheel drive vehicle’s technical designs such as its engine, gas mileage, horsepower, body dimensions, gas usage, and weight. However, if you want to know the current price of a new 4-wheel drive vehicle (because you want to distinguish how much savings you will have after buying a second hand unit), you can visit N.A.D.A.’s website located in www.NADAguides.com. Knowing the 4-wheel drive vehicle’s full specs and current prices will help you a lot in buying a used one.