Talk to me about buying a used car as if I'm an idiot

[BrainInAJar]

Hello,

My Ford Ka may be coming to the end of her life. Sob! She's the only car I've ever had of my own. I bought her from a Ford dealer and chose her because I'd driven a similar car at work. (I was a nervous driver back in the day).

It's just a wee run-around I need, I have low mileage but probably can't do without a car long-term. I have no ego when it comes to model. My budget is the main consideration.

Where do I go to buy a used car? Arnold Clark? Or dealers direct?

I can see small 3yr old petrol cars for 10k. Or 5k for older petrol cars.

I'd intend to buy outright once I have saved up I think. So there may be a gap where I am car-less for a few months.

Thanks

Honestly.. go to a main dealer.

You may pay a little more, but it will be serviced with a warranty.

Private is just not worth the risk.

Personally I wouldnt buy one privately, Im not confident enough

But it also doesnt have to be a 'main dealer' as such, a good, long standing reputable second hand garage will be ok

I usually get my own AA check or whoever is best value at the time, do a test drive in it, check all the bits and bobs in side work ok

Have in mind a budget, the type of car you want and just browse autotrader until your car comes up and then go and see it

@AhNowTed thanks. Yes no way am I buying from a private individual.

What is a "main dealer" though? Arnold Clark?

@soupfiend thanks. What is a "second hand garage"? Like what do I put into google?

Told you guys I was stupid about this stuff!

In my OP when I said "dealers" I meant like do I go to each of Ford, Toyota, Vauxhall etc etc individually?

So when you look on autotrader, sellers will either be a garage or a private seller

Some garages are main dealers, like Nissan, Vauxhall, Ford etc etc, they will sell new and second hand (or used as people like to say these days)

Some are just garages that sell second hand, of varying ages.

An example is Ray Morris in Eltham, sells automatics, been there donkeys years. (off the top of my head)

To hunt through makes and models you are interested in HonestJohn is a really good website for reviews.

@soupfiend ah thanks, I follow. I didn't realise garages/dealerships advertised on AutoTrader. I thought that was just for boy racers :-D buying and selling cars to each other.

Oh got you!

No, its like ebay or Amazon for cars more or less and I like the search criteria, you can be as fussy as you like

Ive bought all my cars via this method as has OH - all second hand (used)

I was really lucky a couple of years back to find a little VW with low mileage and one old lady owner advertised, my father in law viewed it for me, he knows the basics about cars, not loads but enough to know it wasn't a total crapper! Anyway I bought it and it's been fine so far. The same from a dealership was about 2k more!

If you're buying outright, rather than finance, it's safer to stick to a bigger dealership. So Arnold Clark, Bristol Street Motors, Peter Vardy etc. Or main dealers as you mentioned like Ford.

There's a lot of garages but not all of them are great and if you're a cash buyer, it's a lot more difficult when things go wrong. At least if you're financing, you've got the backing of the vested interest of the lender to ensure you're treated fairly if you have any issues.

The likes of Arnold Clark can get a bad name but generally in the market at the moment, they're among the fairest priced. Just don't buy any extras like paint and alloy cover.

Autotrader also tells you whether the price is good/fair/high whatever

Although we have never bought from a main dealer or big name garage and always bought outright (we buy cheap cars!) and never had a problem

I've bought a couple of cars through those car supermarkets (like motorpoint). They are ex rental or company cars, service records, often with warranty left and often low mileage. I bought a fiesta that hat been a rental on the Isle of Wight so had very few miles. There's no haggling, low pressure and they can find the model with the miles and features you want.

Where have you been taking your car over the last few years ?

Ask there.
I've bought a couple of cars by saying to my local garage I'm thinking of replacing my car / my dc are looking for a car, if they get wind of any. They've told me about other customers who are looking to sell. (Not a car sales place, just mechanics fixing cars).

Alternatively, see if they are able to accompany you to view a car and look over it for you. Easy earner for them and reassuring for you.

Thanks everyone, this is all very helpful.

Much as I hate to admit it, this is the time when having a DH, DP (male) or Dfather would come in handy. Not just for knowledge about cars perhaps but to avoid being a woman on her own walking into these places!

I will probably ask my now-retired former boss to come with me to add gravitas! I will pay him in wine.

@UsingChangeofName good question. I've recently started taking my car to a local independent garage which one of my colleagues recommended as I was previously being stiffed by a garage chain. (There isn't a Ford garage near me).

@UsingChangeofName ah great minds! Yes, pay my mechanic to come and look over the car for me before I buy. My ex boss does know a bit about cars but may as well pay a professional.

I am a female mechanic, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about used cars. My advice would be to look up the registration of the car you are looking at on the government “check mot history” website. Check that the advisories have been done and that there’s not a huge list every year for things like tyres etc. That will give you a rough idea of whether the car has been looked after. For example one I looked at the other day had brake pipes advised for 4 years before finally failing (plus a load of others like brake pads low, brake discs scored, tyres wearing and then illegal). To me that says it hasn’t really been looked after and definitely not regularly serviced as these things would have been picked up ☺️

Thanks @As476 ! I'm copying and pasting for future ref!

And what does one do with one's old car? Part exchange it? Or sell to We Buy Any Car? I guess the latter if you're not buying the new one right away.

First look on Autotrader to see what’s available locally within your budget. Cars bought from dealers are generally more expensive, but you will have some consumer protection. Cars bought privately are generally cheaper, but are ‘sold as seen’, so you’re on your own if anything goes wrong. Your money, your choice.

Read some car reviews online, ask Mumsnetters for their experiences with model X, try to get a feel for the sort of thing you want, then pick a few you like the look of & go to see them. Have a test drive. Modern cars will probably feel very different to your old KA, and car technology has moved on massively in recent years. Not always for the better.

Car salesmen tend to have a poor reputation, but I have found most to be reasonable to deal with, as long as they think you’re a genuine customer, not a time waster. They tend to be less busy on weekdays than at weekends, for obvious reasons.

If you need finance, look into the various options & decide what’s best for you. Compare APR rates to see which is most competitive. Dealer finance tends to be expensive but is convenient. Many dealers will try to hard-sell things like paint protection, seat protection, gap insurance etc etc. General consensus is that these are a waste of money, particularly if you’re buying an older car.

WBAC will give you a rock-bottom valuation for your car. What they are selling is convenience. A dealer may offer you more in part-exchange in order to sweeten the deal. In theory, selling your car privately is likely to get you the best price, but then you have the hassle of preparing it to a sellable condition (if necessary), advertising the car, arranging viewings, negotiating etc.

@BrainInAJar i can offer the chatgpt version guide to buying a car if that helps ?

@Emporium0 yes that would be great, thanks!

Look at local dealerships/garages. I would part exchange as you may get a decent deal and it's no hassle. If you are intending to spend a lot it's worth looking more out of the area, but for a cheap second hand go local with a garage with a good record.