Private seller or approved used?

albionrovers

Would any private seller transact from his own driveway putting his wife and kids at risk?

Plenty of nutters out there.

Bigphil1474

My personal advice would be to look for a local small independant retailer that has a workshop. They are no more or less likely to rip you off on price, but at least they have a fixed address (unlike some private sellers such as those that park their cars on the side of the road to sell them). As they are local, you should be able to get an idea from others (mention in the post office or cafe) about their reputation, and if anything does go wrong with the car, you've got somewhere to take it back. A decent local retailer relies on its reputation to survive, whereas private sellers don't need one, and the big sellers don't seem that bothered in my experience. RAC inspections are all good and well, but if you have to pay out for every car you fancy and find out its a dud, it may end up costing you a fair bit.
Also, if you've got a car at the moment, where do you take it for MOT,servicing etc. Might be worth having a word with them and see if they'll help you buy a car for a small fee. I'm fortunate that my brother is a mechanic, and he's sourced most of the cars I've ever owned. Unfortunately, thats not a guarantee - he got me a nice Mondeo a couple of years ago and it went bang after 2 months despite having had a good look over and checked servicing/repair history etc. It ain't easy.
I did get a really nice Astra a few years ago from a friend of the family - we did an internet search for a rough price guide, agreed on the price, they were really honsest and told me all the faults they knew about, which didn't affect driveability (boot was a bit sticky, and one of the rear passenger doors wouldn't open from the outside), and it was one of the most reliable cars I've had for £500.