Buying a second hand car in Malaysia is as risky as any other country so the rule is caveat emptor (buyer beware). A few things to consider:

* Be careful who you buy from - advertisers in this magazine can be assumed to be reliable
* In selecting a car it is safer to buy mainstream cars which are manufactured or have an agent in Malaysia as you will need to make sure that there is adequate servicing outlets or you may find yourself off the road for a while.
* If the car is imported fully built up and not assembled in Malaysia some spare parts may not be sold here and may be hard to source. The exception is where there is an agent of the country like Ssangyong which imports fully built up models.
* If you a buy car with a large engine (high ccs) you will have to pay much higher road taxes.
* If you buy a more expensive car make sure it will not be over 10 years old when you sell it as hire purchase companies will not finance cars over 10 years old which means you will have to find a cash buyer.

When it comes to selling cars you can either go to a dealer and get a (usually) lower price or you can try to sell it yourself. If you are making a private sale then you should try to find another expatriate as there are always some risks in having strangers come to see your car. If they want a test drive you better make sure you go with them and it’s safer if there is only one of them. It’s best if they do not come to your home as this may put yourself and family at risk. The other disadvantage of selling yourself is that if the buyer is looking for finance there may be delays in finalising the sale at a time when you are trying to wrap things up quickly before you leave the country. It’s usually a lot less hassle to sell it to a dealer.