Would you buy a car from a trader you hadn't seen?

longwalks1

Due to our old car I think being on its last legs, we will be looking to replace it.  I'm hoping to buy from a trader as just been approved a credit card with a decent enough limit to allow me to purchase on it.  A lot of cars/specs we like are 3/4/5 hours away from where we live, would you ever buy a car from a trader you hadnt seen?

Cars seem to be a lot cheaper up north/Scotland, so would you buy from a trusted trader with a decent rating without viewing the car, if you knew it was exactly what you were looking for?  Is there any way to reduce the risk of doing so?  I know you have Section 75 protection on a credit card, and guess you could get an inspection carried out by the AA or similar?

forgotmyname

Surely you buy from every trader you have never seen before? Unless your a regular customer?

Not bought a car from the same place twice (so far). Nothing put me off buying again, they just do
not have what im looking for at the time.

You don't buy any car without a good inspection, by yourself if you know or by someone that does.

longwalks1

Sorry, was worded wrong. I meant from a trader who's that far away you cant get to view the car in person.  

AdrianC

You're 3-4-5hrs from "up north", Scotland, so I'm guessing you're actually somewhere fairly central or SE.

There is no shortage of cars for you to buy around your area.

Sure, you can buy remotely. But... why? You're taking a big risk over spending possibly ten grand or more... to save a day trip.

If you choose to do so, you're protected to a certain degree by distance selling regs, if the sale is TOTALLY away from the vendor's premises. But wouldn't it just be a lot easier to go see it prior to agreeing...?

Herzlos

I'd try and view it if possible but it's worth noting that Scotland has different covid restrictions to England, if you are thinking of travelling up.
You could always get an AA/RAC report, or see if you can find a local mechanic who can go and view it for you.
BUT if you do buy it from a long distance away you're usually on the hook to return it to them if there are problems so something to be aware of if buying something out of manufacturer warranty.

Also I'd be wary about buying the whole car on credit card because if you're paying interest it'll be horrible (~30%) compared to a loan or car finance (~5%).

TonyMMM

I'd only even consider it for a very special or unusual car I couldn't get otherwise ...... but the costs and difficulty of returning the car if there were any issues would probably still put me off.

BOWFER

Yes, done it umpteen times for cars and bikes.
I'm in NE Scotland I often travel to England to get the right deal.
Digital photos, videos etc

BOWFER

Herzlos said:

I'd try and view it if possible but it's worth noting that Scotland has different covid restrictions to England, if you are thinking of travelling up.

No we don't.

Herzlos

BOWFER said:

Herzlos said:

I'd try and view it if possible but it's worth noting that Scotland has different covid restrictions to England, if you are thinking of travelling up.

No we don't.

Yes, we do:

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/coronavirus-lockdown-rules-four-nations-uk

BOWFER

Herzlos said:

BOWFER said:

Herzlos said:

I'd try and view it if possible but it's worth noting that Scotland has different covid restrictions to England, if you are thinking of travelling up.

No we don't.

Yes, we do:

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/coronavirus-lockdown-rules-four-nations-uk

Whole of Scotland is either tier 2 or 1.
Travel is unrestricted in Scotland and between England/Scotland, unless the person is coming from a tier 3 zone (no clue or interest in how many tier 3 zones England has right now).

Ebe_Scrooge

There's nowt wrong with using a trader you've never used before, but there's an element of risk to buying a car you haven't seen or test-driven (personally I'd never buy a car unseen).  Plus, as others have said, it's a pain in the rear end if you want to return the car to the dealer to be repaired under warranty.

Yes, an inspection from the AA/RAC/a trusted mechanic can be a worthwhile investment.  They're not cheap, but can be worth it - it would hopefully spot any obvious or pending faults that an amateur may not be able to identify.

Credit card - be aware that most traders will not accept anything other than a small deposit on credit card, due to the fees they get charged from the card company.  You only have to pay 1p on the card to benefit from S75 protection, but don't automatically assume you'll be able to put the whole lot on your card.