Terrified of buying new car

StripeyMiata

bigjl wrote: »

Can you please point me in the direction of these £1000 cars that I can sell for £2000 please.

As it would appear BCA, Manheim and Aston Barclay are all out.

A more likely margin is 20% often less.

Auctions are filled with private buyers these days bidding up to just under dealer prices.

I traded a car in last October for £2000 which is currently for sale for £4000.

Mind you it hasn't shifted in that all that time

londonTiger

agree. moe like £1600 private sale vehicles selling at traders for £1800 to £2000.

profit on low value cars are low. actually proportionaly they're about the same as brand new cars.

Joe_Horner

You'd probably be better off reducing your budget for buying, buying privately, and keeping the balance in hand for repairs until you've learnt to trust it.

I always buy at the "lower bangernomics" end of the market (think the last time I paid over £500 for a car was about 1989), although I do know my way round a toolbox rather well which helps. Every new car leaves me a little on edge for the first month or so as I'm waiting for the big bang from some unforeseen problem. Thankfully, it hasn't happened yet!

There are plenty of decent, well looked after, cars at that end of the market which people are selling just because they want something newer or because it's coming due for a cambelt, or even consumables like tyres, and "it's not worth spending" on an old car. When you go "up market" to the sort of budget you're thinking people are often selling because it's started to give problems.

If you buy something for, say, £500, which is reasonably rust-free and running well as far as a good test drive can show you then you can afford to get cam belt, brakes and tyres done as a precaution and probably still have almost half your planned budget in your pocket.

You then have a car that you know is sound in 3 or 4 (if you include the rust-free bit) of the most likely expensive areas, and £1k in pocket in case something else shows up. Then, once you're happy with it, you can have a £1k party to celebrate what a good buy you made

However you decide to buy, try to remember that millions of used cars get sold every year and try to put the number of horror stories you hear about in that context!

londonTiger

StripeyMiata wrote: »

I traded a car in last October for £2000 which is currently for sale for £4000.

Mind you it hasn't shifted in that all that time

i think you got riped off and theyre not expecting to sell at asking price

onomatopoeia99

downshifter wrote: »

The van is also a 4WD which is invaluable where I live in winter.

T25/T3 syncro?

OddballJamie

Suzuki Jimny would be a good choice for a small 4x4, try and find a private one that's been owned a while.

AdrianC

Same problem.

As a rough rule of thumb, anything <£1500 from the trade is a disposable shed, and anything £1500-£3000 is going to be deeply suspect. Obviously, the top end of that is a bit safer, but still not going to be great value. If you get a garage selling on a customer's car, or something they've bought in and tidied, I'd be far less suspicious than if it's an actual car sales place.

Look privately, locally. I'd guess that you're somewhere fairly rural, going by your winter requirements. Put word out on the local grapevine. Somebody will always know somebody or something.

downshifter

Gosh this is such an interesting discussion, thanks to everyone for the input. Been thinking about it while in the shower (as you do, or as I do anyway!) and I need to factor in the costs of tax and insurance to decide whether I really would make a saving in the end. Road tax is £21 and insurance £33 a month for the camper. It would depend what any new car costs were.

I need to do more research and some sums here I think.

....and no to T/anything and Bongo btw!!!

Thanks again everyone.

AdrianC

bigjl wrote: »

Can you please point me in the direction of these £1000 cars that I can sell for £2000 please.

As it would appear BCA, Manheim and Aston Barclay are all out.

A more likely margin is 20% often less.

That's exactly my point, when I say corners have to be cut. No reputable trader can reasonably prepare a 10yo car AND cover costs AND make a profit AND give anything meaningful in the way of comeback for a couple of hundred quid.

StripeyMiata

londonTiger wrote: »

i think you got riped off and theyre not expecting to sell at asking price

I was happy enough with the £2000 I got for my car, I had a friend in the trade who valued it for me and £2000 was a fair price for a trade in, about 4 other dealers offered the same so I knew he was spot on. GAP value was £2400 but mine had pretty bad parking dents and was due a timing belt change/60000 service so time for it to go.

I agree they're not expecting to sell at that price. The £4000 price is too much, similar cars are starting at £3350. Obviously it's a sales tactic that might work, but I don't think it is in the case, think he's shooting himself in the foot.

It's a very rare car, (well the car is common, not this model which is a niche one) only 11 for sale in the UK on Autotrader at the moment, and his is the last listed by price, and the ones before are just as good as my one. So that's why I think he's stuck with it.