Best place to buy a used car with confidence?

forgotmyname

roonaldo wrote: »

But to say a high milleage is better than low, behave.

I would say high mileage is better. Low mileage £4000. High mileage £2000. How is that not better? I get a car of the same year and a good holiday thrown in.

bery_451

so no protection at all when paying with a card?

forgotmyname

If your buying an older/ cheaper car then you will need to accept that parts maybe worn and need changing.

I would only complain if the thing exploded on the way home. Everything else i put down to wear and tear and replace knowing the stuff fitted is new and a decent quality item.

Decent quality brakes rather than the dealer fitting some cheap no name stuff to get you away again.

arcon5

forgotmyname wrote: »

From dealers that buy them from auctions. Unless you goto the auction yourself of course. But you may end up paying more than buying from a dealer.

A lot of people put cars through auction when clutches start slipping or HGs failing - a tub of the sealant stuff, whack it through auction and it'll be good for a thousand miles again.

Big risks from auction.

We usually buy from them - but it's not for everybody

bery_451

what about buying a car inspection prior to buying a car like inspection services by AA, RAC etc?

Are these companies liable and will foot the bill if theres a breakdown after they say the car is ok after inspection or are they waste of time and money?

BeenThroughItAll

bery_451 wrote: »

what about buying a car inspection prior to buying a car like inspection services by AA, RAC etc?

Are these companies liable and will foot the bill if theres a breakdown after they say the car is ok after inspection or are they waste of time and money?

Last time I had an inspection, they didn't say the car was 'OK'. They simply stated the facts of what they had assessed was wrong with it within the guidelines of the items inspected.


Was up to me whether or not I decided to buy the car.

bery_451

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Last time I had an inspection, they didn't say the car was 'OK'. They simply stated the facts of what they had assessed was wrong with it within the guidelines of the items inspected.


Was up to me whether or not I decided to buy the car.

Do they inspect underneath the car for leaks, fractures, holes etc.? If yes how do they lift the car up? Do they have a mobile ramp to do this?

Quentin

bery_451 wrote: »

what about paying by paypal for cars on ebay? What protection is there available for this and also whats the max you can send on paypal?

You will be lucky to find any car vendor on ebay accepting paypal.

Car vendors get no seller protection from paypal on vehicle sales.

arcon5

PayPal don't offer buyer protection for cars.

bery_451 wrote: »

what about buying a car inspection prior to buying a car like inspection services by AA, RAC etc?

Are these companies liable and will foot the bill if theres a breakdown after they say the car is ok after inspection or are they waste of time and money?

Not necessarily liable no. Think of it like an MOT inspection just more in depth - they can tell you the state of the car as far as practically and visually possible - but they hardly dismantled everything to inspect for example the state of the clutch, piston rings etc etc.

So could be useful if you know nothing about cars but certainly not to be taken as gospel and certainly doesn't remove any risk from buying cars.

fridgeracer

just don't buy a used car that has had more than 2 previous owners in it's lifetime. this means, so long as service history is in full, that it has been looked after and you probably will not have anything terrible fail on it as the 3rd owner shortly after buying it.

be weary at all times when buying. if it's a private seller check the V5 doc and make sure it's registered to the same address you are viewing the car from. check the VIN plate, make sure it matches the V5 doc. do a proper HPI check via the official HPI website. take a close look at the dealer or private seller and pay attention to their tone of voice, body language and attitude. if you feel you would not be able to trust them then walk away and don't risk the purchase. once getting into the car if ANYTHING is out of the ordinary, such as engine not starting almost immediately on using the ignition, put the keys down, get out, tell the seller where to go and walk away. do not get rosey tinted eyes because you spent hours travelling to see the car. if it's not perfect in every possible way, WALK.

personally, i've only been driving japaneese cars for the past 2 years and the only problems i ever had were cosmetic. things like starter motor failing but this was due to it being as old as 1998. brake caliper was leaking and this was due to wear and tear and needed a replacement. that's my honda civic 6th generation. all else engine-wise is crystal and it runs as smoothly as it did brand new. 79K miles and im the 2nd owner.

partner has a 2001 toyota yaris at 130K miles with 2 previous owners to her and the only problems we ever had were 1 of the anti roll bar holders snapped off which cost 30 quid to replace and she just took the car out on the motorway for 500 miles and came back home with a blown exhaust. still a cheap replacement.

i recommend a jap car maximum 2 previous owners and full service history for the lifetime of the car - you would be very unlucky if something went wrong as soon as you got it.