2nd Hand Car buying advice required.

[Deleted User]

forgotmyname wrote: »

Except the OAP may have abused the clutch, Sisters ex. MIL who killed a brand new clutch in less than 8000 miles.

And the OAPs at my FILs old place, where during a snowy morning went out and started the engines and left them running with the heaters going until all the snow had melted off the cars.

Both types of vehicles to be avoided.

But certainly a kid with a daft haircut and tattoos would ve been sat at the lights waiting for red, revving like hell with the clutch at its top biting point ready for a quick thrash. Generalisations I know, but all things being equal buying from an OAP is a better bet than buying from an ignorant kid. Go for a Yaris, much better odds in getting a low mileage well looked after car which at least has had a few oil changes. All the old Fiestas I used to buy off the kids virtually everyone had no more than a quarter of an inch of black gooey oil at the end of the dipstick.

nobile

Thanks for the above advice.

I'm still none the wiser as to some of the car trader types that sell cars.

I understand if you go to a Main Dealer (eg FIAT) or One of the huge national chains, but what about smaller places / one man bands that are NOT Private sellers but appear to have 10-20 cars, maybe they get in cars cheap, do them up & sell on.

What are they classed as and do you have any rights if something goes horrendously wrong with your purchase?

Some state 'trade terms only' - what does that mean?

forgotmyname

Some garages are good and some are rubbish and will change names/ownership the moment you phone and say there is a problem.

Its a cheap older car so you cannot expect it to be perfect. I spend around £2000 and know its not going to be worth taking it back to the dealer if anything goes wrong unless i want to waste time and energy going through court. Go to court you may win but getting paid is a different matter.

You have rights but its a cheap car and getting them will be a different matter.

Only spend what you can afford. And expect bills for a good service at least. As mentioned several times a £1000 car from a dealers will be a very cheap car, dont forget he needs to make a living from selling them. So that £1000 car would only have cost him a couple of hundred.

loskie

The are not "classed" as anything. You either buy privately or from the trade.
At your budget do not have expectations of a new car. From a trader you will be buying something at the end of its life for £1k.
Best to buy locally and privately. Don't look for a specific model. Buy on condition, judge the seller as much as the car. Check out what insurance is affordable first.
Does she really NEED a car?

"trade terms only" means that they are unlawfully trying to deny you your consumer rights.
Even if they state this it is meaningless. They may also state being sold as spares/repairs on the invoice too.
AVOID this type of place.

robbyfine

2nd hand car could be a great option, if you want to save cash. Here are my top tips: 1) Don`t buy a car that is over 5 years old. 2) Get the car’s VIN number and check against the databases. I personally used vincheckup.com 3) Research your seller not only the car. 4) If you opt for a dealer, choose him/her carefully - ask people you know for recommendations. 5) Test-Drive the Car as if you own it 6) Never buy on impulse, consider all pros and cons.