Negoatiating with a dealer on a used car - tips please

pitkin2020

i love threads like this,
NO CHEAP CARS DUE TO SCRAPPAGE SCHEME - NEVER A BETTER TIME TO BUY A CAR
what a load of rubbish, sorry.....yes a good percentage of cars are going through the scrappage scheme but there is still a good choice out there. Yes you can get 2k trade in for your old banger but your still going to need a few K to buy another which not everyone can obviously afford.
Secondly now isnt the best time to buy a car really for 2 reasons, its xmas people are doing other stuff give it another week or 2 and you will be flooded as people realise the christmas credit card bill is due and may down grade.
Also used car prices have been rising steadily for the last 6 months, a car that you could of bought last december for 1k is now likely to set you back between £1200-£1800 depending on certain make and model.

Amanda65

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Secondly now isnt the best time to buy a car really for 2 reasons, its xmas people are doing other stuff give it another week or 2 and you will be flooded as people realise the christmas credit card bill is due and may down grade.

Also used car prices have been rising steadily for the last 6 months, a car that you could of bought last december for 1k is now likely to set you back between £1200-£1800 depending on certain make and model.

This is part of our problem though - DD is back at Uni on 11th Jan (art foundation year). As its only a year she is still living at home before going away for her BA next September but the Uni she is attending is 25 miles away and was chosen on the basis that she could drive there and back so unfortunately we are going to have to have something before she goes back (public transport links etc are not good either :rolleyes:)

Weresmydosh

Do not be put off with e-bay just bought my lad a VW Polo with full history and a years MOT for £570 car drives spot on
The questions you need to ask are
Is car in your name
Registered at the address you will be viewing at
Has at least 6 Mts MOT and preferably a full year
Service history with receipts
Most adverts will contain a phone number so ring them and have a word before bidding
Do not get in a bidding war set your price and put the bid in with about 3seconds to go
If the car is at say £1470 and you feel you would pay £1700 bid that amount , you have more chance of winning the car also just because you bid the £1700 it does not mean it will go for that amount you might well get it for less,you could also be out bid
You can also go and look at the car prior to end of auction, contemplate making them a offer if you like it people find cash hard to resist
If you bid and win and don't feel the car is as described when you get there walk away its your money
At 25miles each way (250 miles a week) you should be looking at a diesel

mollycat

Amanda65 wrote: »

Where do you look for the private sales though - Autotrader etc. all keep coming up with dealers

Hi Amanda;

For me it's usually local classified ads in our local paper, but have also looked at cars on Gumtree, ebay etc.

If you see a car you fancy why not put it's reg into one of the many internet free valuation sites,(again use google). they are not 100% accurate, but if dealer has car massively overpriced at least you'll know.
Alternatively use Parkers online, im not sure, may be a small fee involved.

I get the feeling it's not finding a car you like that will be the problem, it's your not sure what the correct price should be.

Kilty_2

IMO if she needs a car that quickly find someone that knows about cars and go to a car auction - pick up a banger for a couple of hundred quid and run it into the ground whilst taking more time to look for something better.

Also, Autotrader can be filtered to only show private sales, I think. Last car I bought was privately and through AT.

mollycat

Weresmydosh wrote: »

Do not be put off with e-bay just bought my lad a VW Polo with full history and a years MOT for £570 car drives spot on
If you bid and win and don't feel the car is as described when you get there walk away its your money
l

So you're advocating buying a car off Ebay without going to view it/test drive it first!!?? Exactly the advice someone who is not very confident at buying cars and feels she may have been ripped off last time needs...not.

Buy the way; on Ebay, you bid to buy...NOT to go along to have a shufti!

Timewaster!

Weresmydosh

Dear Mollycat
If you was to read what I have written you would have noticed the following
"You can also go and look at the car prior to end of auction, contemplate making them a offer if you like it people find cash hard to resist"
Short of buying a expensive car from a dealer you will always get potential issues
for peace of mind you can buy a warranty from a dealer or indeed buy them direct from here on the internet however I doubt they are worth the paper that they are wrote on (some kind person on this site might recommend one)

mollycat

Weresmydosh wrote: »

Short of buying a expensive car from a dealer you will always get potential issues

And even then you can STILL have issues!!!

Thats why i spend a little rather than a lot!

Sorry for jumping down your throat weresmydosh; still think Ebay isnt good option for OP though.

pitkin2020

ebay is a great option for 2 reason lots of cars and lots of choice, best to view before auction ends like weresmydosh said most people wont resist the cash when shown if you really want it. A genuine seller will always let you view the car too before the end. Ebay is no different to the cars listed in your local rag but you do have to have a bit of common sense as you do when buying any car

emmell

On autotrader you can select private, trade or both.
Do you have a local car auctions? as this is where a lot of the used car sales lots get their vehicles from but you would need to take someone along who has some kind of knowledge.
You need a cash deposit in case you bid, you will also pay a buyers premium if you buy a car. Try to look for 'Direct Main agent part exchange', these cars are usually straight to auction without some back street trader bodging them up. Some good cars to be had but you must read the docket on the car window and listen to the auctioneer very carefully.
Usually an abundance of clio's, 106's, fieasta's, Ka's etc. But don't forget the two words, buyer beware.
ML.