If you are in the market for a second hand vehicle or bakkie, there are a million and one things to look out for and questions to ask.

The service history of the car under consideration. Some vehicles still come with a maintenance or service plan, depending on the age of the vehicle. It is important to confirm that all the necessary services have been performed and that all services have been stamped in the vehicle's service book. If the vehicle's service plan has expired or simply doesn't have one, you need to make sure when the next service is due and what the cost of such a service will be.
Make sure that the vehicle's body panels are lining up. There are lots of dishonest car salesmen out there who might not admit that the vehicle that you are interested in buying has been in a very nasty car accident. The biggest problem with such vehicles is that you will never know exactly what was damaged in the crash and what might end up causing you issues in the long run.

Examine the bodywork for rust. Rust can weaken the bodywork and it is important to assess the severity of the problem.

Question how many previous owners the car had. If the vehicle is only 3 years old and has been sold 10 times, it should definitely trigger warning lights. You might just be unhappy owner number 11 and end up wanting to sell the car again in a matter of months.

Also try to establish why the current owner wants to get rid of the car. Fair enough, sometimes car owners are purely looking for a larger (or smaller) car or searching for a 4x4 instead of a sedan. Just make sure that there is nothing sinister about the vehicle in question.

Then there are also the more basic considerations:

What will you be using the new vehicle for? If your current sedan doesn't have enough space for your camping and hiking gear, an expensive two-door sports car would probably not be your best choice. Your vehicle should compliment your lifestyle and a 4x4 or bakkie would be a better choice for an active or outdoorsy individual.

How important is fuel economy? If you will be travelling extreme distances to work and back home each day, you would ideally not want to invest in a vehicle that can barely reach the next filling station before running low on fuel. You also have the option of diesel powered or fuel powered vehicles – there are in reality so many models, shapes and sizes to choose from!