Where/how did you buy your car?

mikey72

Lirin wrote: »

I'm female. It's at the point where I'd rather buy on my own, as I'd long ago had it with getting ignored while they talked to my (very highly clueless about cars!) male friend.
I would say though- if you aren't savvy, you do really need to find someone to go with you. Dealers, private sellers, random ads- they all want to sell their cars, and even the nicely honest ones will gloss over a bad point.

Aside from the condition of the car- looking for rust spots, anything that looks like a repair, replaced bits etc, service history optionally- I prefer to go on the condition rather than the history- I've never needed one. Insurance, running costs, repair costs- e.g, a Landy will be more for parts than a Corsa.
Find a car you like- the one you've said you're looking at is reasonably rare- and google known faults with it. If it really is rare, join an owners club and ask for help.

Nothing wrong with that.
While the seller is being kept out of the way, you can have a good look at the car. When he realises your friend knows nothing, he'll drop his guard, and you can interrupt his spiel with a few well placed questions, and he'll be so surprised he won't be able to bluster out of them.

winnie81

We bought ours through a private dealership who only sells used cars we specifically went for this one car and read through the owners forums/honest John to look for the issues that can crop up with that make/model. We were cash buyers buying a car with no trade ins etc so spent a lot of time checking everything over switching all lights and buttons etc on. Do your HPI checks etc and take someone with you if you can even if its a vehicle check from AA etc

Good Luck and make sure you research as much as possible

mikey72

ebay is a good place, if you search for local one, then go to view them.
Quite often you can buy off ebay, before the auction ends.

forgotmyname

Ebay.. Local...ish small time dealer. He buys 2 or 3 cars and polishes them & fixes minor niggles and sells them on
for a small profit.

I could have gone to the auction and paid less but what are the chances of the exact car i want going through on
the day i attend and at the right price?

property.advert

forgotmyname wrote: »

Ebay.. Local...ish small time dealer. He buys 2 or 3 cars and polishes them & fixes minor niggles and sells them on
for a small profit.

I could have gone to the auction and paid less but what are the chances of the exact car i want going through on
the day i attend and at the right price?

Good idea. Let the dealer worry about the SOGA and if he adds £500 to a £1500 motor and sells it to you for £2000 I don't think you can grumble.

LandyAndy

I bought both mine brand new on the same day.

Lots of people will tell you that isn't very MSE.

JonathanA

Angelic wrote: »

Pointers in what way?
I wanted some advice about viewing cars on my own really.
It's ages away but thinking about it now is a good idea.
My budget is £3k max but ideally...I'd prefer to spend less than £2k seeing as I plan to drive three years max at first.

Just seen your post! In terms of budget, there are quite a few dealers that will sell cars in that price bracket, though depending on how far you are able / willing to travel to buy a car may determine whether you are able to buy from a dealer or private seller.

Clearly with any transaction, it is buyer beware, though you do have more comeback with a dealer.

You don't mention the make of car you're interested in, so the advice on here already about buying on condition is good. Similarly, if you are not planning to drive a huge number of miles, don't necessarily be seduced by a low mileage car - a well maintained, higher mileage car could be a better bet than a low mileage, badly maintained car.

Although the car you are searching for doesn't appear to be common, I would also suggest that if buying privately, your gut instinct is important. Does the seller come across as being honest? Is the car registered in their name, at that address and have they owned it long? Why are they selling?

Always go for a test drive - for a reasonable distance, not two minutes round the block, you need to try the car over a variety of roads to make sure you're happy with it.

Rolandtheroadie

I'm more ebay nowaday. 3 out of last 5 cars and 3 out of last 3 motorbikes.

1 car and 2 bikes within 25 miles, rest over 100 miles from me.

I've a phobia about dealers/garages, on ebay I research the seller, make my decision on whether they're honest or not then ask a question or 2 so I can walk away if it's not as described.

JonathanA

Someone in one of the earlier posts suggested you could pay the AA or similar organisation to inspect the vehicle, that may be money well spent if you're not sure about the mechanicals etc. It may also be worth paying for an HPI check, which confirms the car is not stolen, has never been written off etc. It is an extra cost up front, but if it stops you buying a duff car it may be worth it.

property.advert

JonathanA wrote: »

Someone in one of the earlier posts suggested you could pay the AA or similar organisation to inspect the vehicle, that may be money well spent if you're not sure about the mechanicals etc. It may also be worth paying for an HPI check, which confirms the car is not stolen, has never been written off etc. It is an extra cost up front, but if it stops you buying a duff car it may be worth it.

You are not going to pay £300 for a worthless (they take on no liability for their report) RAC/AA guy to come out on a £2000 car.