Buying a car

[justforfunfunfun]

I'm looking to buy a car and going to look at one from a private seller, it's advertised at £5500 but I only have £5000 would it be cheeky to knock them down?

Also, never bought a car from private seller although I have sold. What questions should I ask

Of course it isn't cheeky.
I would even suspect that they have advertised it as £5500, because they want £5K for it.

I would ask to see the service history and the MOTs.
But, mostly, I would take someone with me who knows about cars - offer to pay a local mechanic if you don't know anyone personally.
£5000 is a lot to lose if you get done over.

You also need to consider whether £5/5.5k is a fair price for the car. It could be 'priced to sell' and they might want very close to £5.5k. Or even £5k could be ambitious.

You can look up the MOT history online at:

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

Which will tell you if the mileage is accurate (DP found out one of his cars had been clocked when this information started being made available online).

Do some research and as pp said, specifically the MOT history, look for things like corrosion and chassis and suspension.
check on autotrader, private sales, for prices, get a mechanic to go with you.

If you do not have a handy mechanic, then:
Look for tyre wear and body panels all being straight, look where the spare tyre would go for creases in the bodywork, also service history.

Drive it first and check it doesn't go off to one side when braking (make sure you ve ins to cover you for this)

Even if the car is in excellent condition and worth 5.5K, my opening bid would be 4.8k and hope to settle on around 5k.

Yeah definitely try and haggle the price down. If you know a mechanic then try and take them with you, or at worst take your Dad or a brother so they can take a look at it for a second opinion. Lastly, I'd only ever buy a German or Japanese car. They are the best engineers and their cars are usually the most reliable but that's about as far as my car knowledge goes.

HEY!)!! Interesing qvestion!

Buying a car from a private seller can be a bit tricky, but it's also a great way to save money. I remember the first time I bought a used car myself, and it was a great experience. When it comes to price, it's fine to haggle, especially if you have an argument backed up by the results of the car inspection. Questions to ask the seller include the car's service history, if there is any damage, reasons for selling, and information about previous owners. I recently learned about the like Compass model, which really impressed me. This vehicle combines reliability, style and modern technology. If you are looking for something special, I suggest you visit the website to learn more about the Jeep Compass. It could be the perfect option for you!