Best way to buy a cheap 2nd hand car

longwalks1

My step son has fallen in love with his first car. And there is no convincing him otherwise. It’s based in Middlesex (we are on the Essex/Suffolk border) and it’s £2000. The dealer on auto trader offers home delivery, which we know we will pay for. Me and my partner work long hours so a day out to view it, really isn’t feasible at the moment. 

We are probably going to get it delivered, how best to pay for it, do we get extra protection if it’s bought on a credit card? Or part of it?  And do we pay the full price, then await delivery? I’m obviously questioning that part just in case it doesn’t arrive. The dealer (not a main dealer, it’s a 2007 car) does have a website, and reviews

any advice greatly appreciated. And no, we’ve already tried to put him off and buy a car from the same town

Alanp

What car is it?
the old adage, buy in haste repent at leisure may be apt in this case..

tacpot12

A bit of due diligence on the dealer would not go amiss. Check if they are a registered company, how long they have been registered for, and whether there are any reports on the internet of anyone having a problem. If they check out, paying buy credit card would potentially give you/him some extra protection.

If you pay a deposit of more than £100 with a credit card you have the same protection as if you pay for the whole car, so I would call and ask if they will take a credit card, and if they will deliver the car before the balance is paid. With Faster Payments, you can see that the car has arrived, and check it over one last time, and pay the dealer via a bank transfer or card payment if the driver has a payment terminal.

You are checking the car to ensure that nothing has changed since you saw it last - a shady dealer might have swapped wheel trims/tyres or the car may have got scratched while being moved or loaded. Send the dealer a photo of any issue you find, but be prepared to accept a small discount for any small issue that has occured. Be prepared to lose the deposit if the issue seems major to you but the dealer doesn't accept that it is.  

Belenus

longwalks1 said:

My step son has fallen in love with his first car. And there is no convincing him otherwise. It’s based in Middlesex (we are on the Essex/Suffolk border) and it’s £2000. .....

What is so special about this £2,000 car that he cannot find something similar locally?

A £2,000 car is very likely to have problems and may need returning to the seller.

Can you or your partner try harder to convince him that he is taking a huge risk buying remotely.

Show him this thread perhaps.

DB1904

tacpot12 said:

A bit of due diligence on the dealer would not go amiss. Check if they are a registered company, how long they have been registered for, and whether there are any reports on the internet of anyone having a problem. If they check out, paying buy credit card would potentially give you/him some extra protection.

If you pay a deposit of more than £100 with a credit card you have the same protection as if you pay for the whole car, so I would call and ask if they will take a credit card, and if they will deliver the car before the balance is paid. With Faster Payments, you can see that the car has arrived, and check it over one last time, and pay the dealer via a bank transfer or card payment if the driver has a payment terminal.

You are checking the car to ensure that nothing has changed since you saw it last - a shady dealer might have swapped wheel trims/tyres or the car may have got scratched while being moved or loaded. Send the dealer a photo of any issue you find, but be prepared to accept a small discount for any small issue that has occured. Be prepared to lose the deposit if the issue seems major to you but the dealer doesn't accept that it is.  

The item needs to cost more than £100 not the amount paid on the card so £1 would give the same cover. 

jimjames

My son bought a £2000 first car from a dealer in Middlesex. Quite a few issues came to light afterwards but it was impossible to get the dealer to take any responsibility for fixing them. We could have taken legal action but in the end it wasn't worth it. The dealer had a website and reviews. None of which made any difference after the event.

No way would I consider an entirely remote purchase for a £2000 car. Maybe virtually new one but buying a 14 year old car you've never seen is just asking for trouble.

In answer to the question - the best way to buy a second hand car is to view it, drive it and test it before negotiating the price. With a dealer and a £2000 car the chances are that you'll be paying a dealer premium with the security of a private sale.

walwyn1978

Alanp said:

What car is it?
the old adage, buy in haste repent at leisure may be apt in this case..

This. Unless it’s really unusual/rare, this is potentially going to be a lot of hassle for you….

Manxman_in_exile

Two grand is quite a lot of money to pay for a used, 14 year old car.  Especially if you are having to pay to have it delivered to you...

If your step-son is the one paying for it, it's his choice whether to buy it or not.  Might be a useful lesson to learn.