Buying a used car

Buy private, and you can meet some lovely, genuine sellers with great service regimes and histories.

Walk away if your gut tells you something is not right, or the seller is hiding something/acting a bit off, the right seller and car are out there, trust me :)

Do not under any circumstances buy from a used car dealer, especially at the lower end, they will rip you off soon as look at you, even if you are well up on cars.

take a friend or relative with you and get a really good test drive, if something feels wrong instinctively, again walk away.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt :)
 
Repossessions-uk in winsford is great, they have a website, stock changes daily, they sell some repos, a lot of ex lease cars, but the prtices are very cheap for what you get, well worth a visit, they just focus on quick turnaround for a smaller profit. They got allsorts from 03 plates to 14 plates all types makes and models. Had a few from there. Last year got an 05 vectra 2.2 lsi auto, 12mth mot tax for 1300 notes. There was a bentley for 30k but out of my price range
 
No advice just a daft story.

I desperately needed a vehicle for work once. Went to see a Ford Escort, £400 on autotrader, near The Apollo. Great bodywork for the age. Got there straight away he said, "it's £350 not £400." I thought nice one! Can I test drive it I said, you're not insured he said, but I'll drive it with you in it. Ok I said. We set off. Huge clunking sound from the back. Don't worry that's just the jack rolling about in the boot he said. Hmm.

Now it had 6 months mot (somehow) and I was desperate, so I bought it. Taxed it. Then the fun began. The fucking thing would just cut out without warning, doing 70 on the motorway and then nothing. Had the apprentice with me too for a few weeks in the passenger seat, I had to keep turning the key, while in motion on the motorway till it fired up again. Sounded like I was doing 70 when I was doing 20. But it lasted me the 6 months. I took it to the garage for the MOT and he said leave it with me, I'll ring you.

I'd just got home 10 minutes later and my phone rang. He said "Rob?" I said "Yeah?" He said "Your car is fucked." :) still makes me laugh that. Ended up getting £20 for it as scrap.
 
TangerineSteve17 said:
No advice just a daft story.

I desperately needed a vehicle for work once. Went to see a Ford Escort, £400 on autotrader, near The Apollo. Great bodywork for the age. Got there straight away he said, "it's £350 not £400." I thought nice one! Can I test drive it I said, you're not insured he said, but I'll drive it with you in it. Ok I said. We set off. Huge clunking sound from the back. Don't worry that's just the jack rolling about in the boot he said. Hmm.

Now it had 6 months mot (somehow) and I was desperate, so I bought it. Taxed it. Then the fun began. The fucking thing would just cut out without warning, doing 70 on the motorway and then nothing. Had the apprentice with me too for a few weeks in the passenger seat, I had to keep turning the key, while in motion on the motorway till it fired up again. Sounded like I was doing 70 when I was doing 20. But it lasted me the 6 months. I took it to the garage for the MOT and he said leave it with me, I'll ring you.

Tangerine steve is called rob?!? Wtf!!
I got 1
Gave my mate a lift to an auction, he used to buy a car a week, t cut it steam clean the engine, he used to make a weeks wages for a couple hours work, anyhow this one time he buys a car, I'm following home when it starts to smoke a bit... Then a lot. About a mile from his home flames about 3' high coming out the bonnet, he managed to dump it in a carpark next to some flats in alty, jumped in my car a we just went. Went back couple of days later and towed it to the scrap yard. He made a loss that week. Think he bought and sold 2 motors the next week to make his money back
Click to expand...
 
TangerineSteve17 said:
Anonymity is important isn't that right Ron
Click to expand...

Oh, and your on thinner than thin ice, that's twice you've called me a scouser
 
a few 'tips':

- take a bunch of cash with you (assuming you're secure with carrying whatever it is you're looking to spend on a car with you without a separate ground security team accompanying you) and use it to lower the private seller's resolve when he/she sees it;

- never accept a first offer/challenge all original asking prices;

- get anything significant (in terms of cost to you) looked at by an independent mechanic, and where possible have the seller pay for this;

- don't buy any used cars on a rainy day (it's harder to see the dings & dents in the paintwork)

- don't act impulsively; it's usually a buyer's market, even if you're in for a performance car of limited quantity & rarity (often times when negotiating I miss making deal, only to make an even better one later; it's funny how frequently this happens)

- do your research on the make & model and use this in your negotiation with the seller; try to get as many records and receipts about the car in question (but there's no substitute for having a mechanic put it up on a lift & examine it thoroughly; know how to give the car a quick & fast check over yourself to spot immediate problems)

- on services like Ebay be aware of purchasing insurance they have (which can become extremely useful/valuable when bidding on cars sight unseen, which unless you're a skilled renegotiator I would suggest you avoid doing)

- remember when negotiating with a seller you might have other tradeables you can discuss, like payment terms, a possible warranty (especially with a dealer who has a service shop) or a return window (a conditional purchase if you like, especially if the seller is a dealer; you can even ask about this sort of thing to test how confident the seller is of the vehicle) etc etc
 
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