Buying a car these days low budget

olb81

Typically I would buy a 15 year old car for 1-2k and run it for 3-4 years.
I have a similar budget right now and wondered if there's any other options as so much has changed. I would be happy to pay something monthly for a better car instead of old ones.
Just don't know where to look, I want it to be easy and quick, and not have too much depreciation.

fatbelly

I still think that's a good tactic and depreciation isn't an issue. A lot of cars from say 2012 are still looking good and it's easy to check mot history to get an idea of any corrosion issues.

Exodi

Autotrader ( https://www.autotrader.co.uk ) is probably the most famous platform - it will have dealers and private sellers.

I can't imagine many dealers interested in cars of that value, likely not enough money in it for them.

Arunmor

OP what you need understand is the market has changed in the 3-4 years since you last bought a car, prices are much higher and people are keeping cars longer which filters down the supply chain.

ButterCheese

You might struggle on Autotrader, as most dealers won't touch old low value cars, and may private sellers won't bother with the £30/month cost of advertising.  They usually go on FB marketplace

Goudy

What amount are you thinking of regards to monthly payments?

And what sort of car and trips would you be doing?

Exodi

ButterCheese said:

You might struggle on Autotrader, as most dealers won't touch old low value cars, and may private sellers won't bother with the £30/month cost of advertising.  They usually go on FB marketplace

It doesn't cost that?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/sell-my-car/advertising-prices

The most expensive (well depending on how long your car takes to sell) is a one off £45.95 which stays live till it sells. You can do it for cheaper if you think the car will sell quicker.

It appears there's ~12k cars nationwide listed for <£2k, ~2.2k within 60 miles of me.

Unfortunately I can't see an easy way to quantify them on Facebook, but I wouldn't dismiss autotrader.

I half agree that private sellers may not bother with creating listings on autotrader, but I'd suggest they'd usually go for someone like WBAC rather than FB marketplace for very low value vehicles.

Personally I think it's a false economy buying cars that cheap. Inevitably you'll be dropping a multiple of the cars values in repairs every time the MOT comes around.

paul_c123

ButterCheese said:

You might struggle on Autotrader, as most dealers won't touch old low value cars, and may private sellers won't bother with the £30/month cost of advertising.  They usually go on FB marketplace

There's plenty of cars which would retail <£2k which get traded on trade platforms (ie not open to the public, therefore it is only traders buying). Sure, its a different kind of dealer than a glossy main dealer, but they are still dealers.

Markdavid1962

I would suggest looking at a car auction, lots of vehicles go directly. Also look at Motorway as its gives a good idea of value, my last car I sold direct to a dealer for a good price
Getting a good 10 year old second hand car may be difficult as an example I have a 15 year old car, bought from new 80,000 miles on the clock and lives in the garage, its our second car but it goes out once every two weeks,  in perfect order but I would spend alot more to replace it. Plus at some point (in the future)  the Government will launch a scrappage scheme

CliveOfIndia

Markdavid1962 said:

I would suggest looking at a car auction

That's not a bad idea, but you do need to be aware of the downsides.

Firstly, make sure you fully understand the additional costs.  You'll normally have to pay a "buyer's premium" on top of the sale price, so factor that in to your bidding.  You may also have to pay a registration fee to be eligible to bid.

Secondly, understand that you won't have the chance to properly test drive the car.  You can usually have a look over it before the auction starts, and can watch (and listen) to it being driven into the sale room.  But more than that, it's something of a gamble.

Thirdly, remember that you have very little comeback if the car develops a fault.  It's pretty much "sold as seen".

Don't get me wrong, it's possible to get a half-decent car at a reasonable price, but you do need to have your wits about you.  If the car gives you any cause for concern upon first inspection, move on - there will be dozens of others to choose from.

I bought several cars from auction when I was younger, but these days auctions tend not to be quite such an attractive option for private buyers due to the fees.

Oh, and if you do want to give it a go, it's worth going to an auction beforehand, just as an observer, as it were.  This will at least give you a feel for how it all works.

Kim_13

There's a chap on YouTube (Car UK channel) that is a dealer in the budget end of the market. He's in Cheshire and up to £5k, so I'm guessing it would be more than that if you were looking in the South.

An auction would of course give you the widest choice at the cheapest price, but you would have no recourse if there was a hidden problem with the car.