Buying an older used car

[Ithinkimightbebroken]

Anyone with some mechanical knowledge…Am I asking for trouble buying a car from 2013-2014?
A few dealerships have warned me that I'm getting into danger territory. Is there any way to check I’m not buying a rolling wreck?
Would you risk buying a car of this age. Most of them seem to be sitting around 80k miles which seems a lot, is mileage really important?
Am I better off with older and lower mileage or younger but high?

I can’t afford new or a PCP. Due to really specific requirements I’m limited to something of this age…I’m so fed up of searching and I can’t afford to loose the money if I make a mistake.

Requirements for anyone interested…
-Max budget £12K. Preferably less!
-Must have 3 FULL sized seats in the back (ie not a tiny half middle seat like in almost all of the SUVS etc)
-Must also have a huge boot once those 3 seats are in use. I need to fit in a double pram alongside 2 extremely large dogs on a regular basis…obviously the seats would be taken up by 5 humans so I can’t move dogs elsewhere.

I have ruled out all of the small people carriers on the basis of the boot being too small and also the middle seat being tiny (zafira, all Citroen’s, Ford grand c max etc, verso etc) and am looking at one of the huge people carrier ones (galaxy, seat or sharan) which are very expensive or perhaps a van hence budget quickly disappearing.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

We always go for 4 year old cars and get rid of them at 10-12 years as this is when we find they start costing money. Your budget is fairly good, could you go for something a bit newer but lower spec?

I have a 14 plate - bought it at 18 months old and it's never let me down - but I wouldn't buy one now.

You're never going to get a car that fits all your requirements for less than £12k that's reliable.

Am I asking for trouble buying a car from 2013-2014?

Maybe... A lot depends on how well it's been looked after. Certain things need replacing due to age, regardless of mileage. (Eg a fiesta's timing belt needs changing at 10 years or a certain mileage, whichever comes first.)

I can’t afford to lose the money if I make a mistake.

Both AA and RAC will do a used vehicle inspection report (c£150-£200 from memory) which can help.

What about a nissan x trail or is that too small? Could pick up a 5-6 year old one for £12k

If it comes with service history and receipts for any works done I don't mind how old the car is. Mine is ancient but sails through its MOT because it's been looked after.

£12k will get what you want and much newer.

You could spend under £7k to get the age you’re talking about.

Consider slightly cheaper brands - Kia, ŠKODA, Dacia. You’d get their family cars meeting your requirements with decent mileage and perhaps 5-7 years old??

Friend recently bought a ŠKODA estate car. Not sure if it was Fabia or Octavia. Had massive boot and fits 3 kids and all the gear for camping/dogs/pram etc.

I remember she said she bought it from the ŠKODA garage so it came with a long warranty, fully serviced etc. Think it also included a couple of services - very similar to buying a new car. Think she paid about £11k and it was about 5 years old.

I think you can get more than you think for your budget.

My car was nine years old when I bought it, with 65k on the clock. I’ve had it nearly a decade and done nearly 200k miles in it. It’s finally on it’s last legs!

My husband is a mechanic (so obviously can check over a car for me and fixes them for me, but this car hasn’t had any major issues). He used to work for a main dealership before setting his own garage up, and he says avoid dealerships like the plague if you can. They’re always target driven, not only for sales. In the repair shop they got bonuses for finishing jobs quickly, so jobs got rushed, whereas in his garage jobs take as long as they need..

Ideally you could do with taking a friendly mechanic with you to have a look, or someone with a good knowledge of cars.

Avoid main dealerships.

As others have posted, get a FSH and receipts for work done.
Get a friendly mechanic to check the car, and look for cheaper makes like Dacia, Kia, Hiyundai, Skoda, Seat etc. Fords and Vauxhalls are usually reliable, as are Hondas and Toyotas.

It won't. Second hand cars are extortionate at the moment.

Yes, second hand cars have increased in price a lot. But there are definitely family cars for £12k that aren’t 10 years old. Look at 2015 cars.

With modern cars, it's unlikely (but not impossible) that the engine will be the thing that sends it to the scrap yard.

Things to consider at 80k miles... suspension / steering and associated components.

These might not be MOT fails for a long time, but if they haven't been maintained over the years then the car won't be as comfortable as you might want. I remember spending £800 to replace front suspension / wishbones etc after they came up in a service and found that the car was much more comfortable when driving.

How's the clutch / gearbox / flywheel? Those things can get expensive. I have no idea how to check them but I do speak from costly experience.

One thing I've heard and I've no idea how true it is. Look at the tyres - are they budget / cheapest tyres or are they a higher end brand (Michelin / Continental etc)? Apparently the effort and cost spent on tyres can be a good indicator of how well the previous owner has looked after the car.

Thanks everyone, I had no idea I could pay the AA- that’s an option. I don’t know any mechanics and lots of the cars I’m finding are really far away from home.

Some examples of the types of things I’m finding are 2014 VW sharans for 12k with 80k miles on or a few Ford galaxy’s around 2012 that are still about £10k! Where am I going wrong!

I don’t care what make or type it is or what it looks like as long as we all fit without arguments! Im also happy to look at an estate but the majority don’t have the seat space, I have 3 car seats to fit and even narrow ones are really challenging to get in and out of in anything but a proper size car width wise! I don’t want to listen to the moaning of the middle seat child sat between two babies who’s elbows touch each seat like in our current car 😄 If there’s an estate out there that fits I’ll be happy!

I don’t know why they make the middle seat a tiny little rectangle that nobody can sit in. I’ve tried everything from land rovers, SUVs, pick ups… nothing fits us all comfortably!

Do you know someone who's good at car shopping/car auctions?
Obviously your basic requirements need to be met first, but such a person can be invaluable.

Are you looking on autotrader? There are a few ford grand c max's from 2018/19 for under £12k
E. G
www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209230048699?advertising-location=at_cars&year-from=2018&maximum-mileage=60000&price-to=12000&postcode=RH5%205AQ&body-type=MPV&model=Grand%20C-Max&sort=price-asc&page=1&make=Ford&include-delivery-option=on&percentVehiclePriceDeposit=true

My car is a 2015 plate, I don't have any choice as that age is all I can afford for the size I need.

@Wheretheskyisblue unfortunately the grand C max is too small. It would have to be the galaxy! We actually viewed one last week but the middle seat was too narrow and the boot not big enough for the dog. Note to self: next time don’t get a dog so large!

Our other car is ancient, older than 2015 but we know it inside out as we’ve had it so long.