Advice On Buying A Second Hand Car??

Maggiesunshine

Hi there - I dont know if I am allowed to do ask this, or if I am i the right place - but I need to buy a car for about 3 3 and half grand - reliable, small, about 1.2 engine I think, economical ummmm and low mileage!!! Not much to ask I know! I have seen around - for about this price - a Kia Picante, Mazda 2 1.4, Clio, or mybe a Micra??

I prob am asking too much of you good people - and everyone has different opinions I know - but ... any help would be appreciated.

I am not sure where to find good review sites - when I go on any of the ones that come up they seem to take me anywhere but to a review!!

Thank youso much.

hewhoisnotintheknow

dont buy the first one you go to look at
dont be afraid to over look cars that might be a bit tatty, your time is free and its amazing what you can achieve in a weekend

Dont listen to people who offer advice who then cant back it up without any good reason! (that probably includes this piece of advice!)

BillScarab

Have a look at the following websites fro reviews and pricing information

https://www.whatcar.co.uk
https://www.4car.co.uk
https://www.parkers.co.uk

TiTheRev

As a rule, don't buy french! Jap and German are solid but will hold their value longer so you'd need to pay more for them.

hewhoisnotintheknow

TiTheRev wrote: »

As a rule, don't buy french! Jap and German are solid but will hold their value longer so you'd need to pay more for them.

As a rule dont listen to people who only ever rate vws My own personal expericance of the vw skoda audi brand has been horrific, from brakes failing on motorways, to pedals falling off cars, windows opening when parked, cars rolling away

We had a new skoda that had to be rejected due to every manner of electrical problem, made the car unsafe to drive

but i guess for every bad experiance i have there will be many good with others

TiTheRev

Did a recommend any particular brand???

hewhoisnotintheknow

TiTheRev wrote: »

Did a recommend any particular brand???

No but i was just taking an educated guess

Anyway back to the first question

http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/tophundred.html?apc=3128339010848601

suggests that jap is the way to go, but always remember to take into consideration insurance costs, servicing etc

gaz_jones

TiTheRev wrote: »

As a rule, don't buy french! Jap and German are solid but will hold their value longer so you'd need to pay more for them.

I bought a 2000 (w) reg Peugeot 306 XS 1.8 over 2 years ago. I drive a lot of miles monday to friday and I've also done a lot of weekends away in it. Easily done 50,000 miles in 2 years. And let me add I drive quite 'hard' aswell.

Not once has the car let me down. Actually no I lie, once the battery went flat at a festival because i left the interior light on for the whole weekend. Thats the ONLY time she's ever not start first time.

Only people that knock french cars are people who haven't owned one.

Saying that I am looking at BMW for my next car. Thats only for the lovely extra's you get with them though.

TiTheRev

Only people that knock french cars are people who haven't owned one.

I used to work for Renault and Peugeot, and have owned and driven both many a time and many a mile

I would never buy french, but that is a personal opinion...shared by many!

anewman

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

windows opening when parked

A common problem - it happens when you press the fob without realising it. Pressing the button and holding it vents the windows. Not fun when it's heavily raining/snowing etc, lol.

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

As a rule dont listen to people who only ever rate vws My own personal expericance of the vw skoda audi brand has been horrific, from brakes failing on motorways, to pedals falling off cars

Can't defend the other things, but brake failure is largely avoidable through good servicing, and checking the fluid level and getting any loss examined as soon as possible.

darich

Windows opening on their own when the car is parked is not unique to any particular brand. My sister had a ford fiesta and a nissan micra and one of them had that problem (I can't remember which).

Personally I'd go japanese but as someone has already suggested it could quite easily degenerate into this make is better than that which is in turn better than another.

Everyone has their own opinion and would consider it valid drawing from their own experience. For example - to the person who intimated that german cars were better. I currently drive a bmw - great car. 2 cars ago i owned a vw polo. It was horrendous and cost me around £1000 of repairs before it had even hit 40k miles (and i bought it at 32k!!). ABS system failure, gearbox collapse and sticky electric windows were among my problems. Personally I'd advise against VW but many will say they're great.

What i think could not be argued is that the japanese cars are amongst the most reliable on the road and consistently score highly in jd power reliability tests. I personally like toyotas and have owned 3 but i feel nissans to be a bit more flimsy. Honda good too but Suzuki more lightweight - again not saying one is better and I'm simply expressing my own opinion which others may disagree with.

Best thing to do is decide on a particular model eg a Yaris, or a pug 106 or whatever and read lots of reviews to find owners opinions. You'll also find out common faults (every car has them) and what to look for when buying.

Good luck!!