buying a car

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The time has come for ds to buy his first car. He has up to £2k to spend. I think he should buy from a dealer, dh thinks from a private seller. I worry that you don't get any warrenty from a private seller, dh says dealers will rip you off.
There's plenty of cars on Autotrader, but I don't know how not to get ripped off. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Perhaps ask this in one of the many car-related forums rather than AIBU. You'll get better advice.

I always buy from a dealer, for a three month warranty. You pay more but I'd rather have some peace of mind. I haggle hard and I'm not afraid to walk away if the price isn't right for me.

Thanks Drama. Thats what I think too. (can you come and haggle for me !!)

When we were looking, we were adamant we’d only buy from a dealer for the same reasons as above.

We found the perfect car through a private seller. He was very high ranking in the army so felt like we could trust him. The car has been very reliable so far.

Keep an open mind.

You are not going to get much of a warranty on a car if that value anyway. Dealers bottom end cars come from auction and they have no idea of the history. If you take some time viewing privately you might find a much better vehicle. Don't get too hung up on the warranty, the majority of things at that age of car will be put down to 'wear and tear'

Is there anyone you know that’s in the mechanic trade who would have a little look at a car h was interested in? Also bear in mind the first years insurance could be at least £1000, mine was and I’m 50!

SadLove (don't be sad 😟)
Yes we've looked into the insurance. It's a shocker isn't it.

I don't have anyone I know we could ask sadly.

Dealer for sure. I bought from a dealer and the abs and check engine light was on before we got it home and the exhaust was blown after a week. Despite the lengthy hand written and photocopied "seller is not responsible for any repairs....." receipt I had to sign when I paid up and signed the v5, I knew the law and everything got repaired without argument. The no liability receipt was not worth the paper it was printed on and the dealer knew it so repaired every bit I asked for, car lasted me years.

Definitely private seller at that price point.

You can buy your own warranty. Lots of companies do it.

Saying that, I prefer to buy from a dealer in case anything else goes wrong.

Dealers try to rip people off on a daily basis, whereas private sellers only try to rip people off every 3-5 years (or whatever). A dealer is going to be a lot better at ripping you off than a private seller.

Private seller if it's so low price. Have you considered vehicle finance? If he has a job but he's under 18 could you have the finance in your name but transfer the money to you each month. He'll have much better options at that point. Also consider insurance when you are buying a car, keep the engine size low. 1.2 litre max, he doesn't need to go fast!

I'd say a dealer but not a national one. I had 6 months warranty on my first car, which was a 1.7k Corsa (which I still miss sometimes)

A £2000 car will have stuff that needs fixing in the next couple of years. Pretty much inevitable. All cars that age need maintenance.

Need to bear in mind that dealers are experts at preparing cars for sale (hiding problems). Most private sellers are not.

The people to really avoid are dealers masquerading as private sellers. Giveaway is when they refuse give and address or meet you at a house and insist on meeting in a car park.

Try the Honest John forums for advice.

A main dealer won't sell cars for £2,000. You will be dealing with small Traders. I bought a car from a small trader two weeks ago for £4,000 and it came with a one month warranty and only on work upto £300.

The person that said a car for £2,000 will need work doing and have some faults was spot on. It will be a fairly old car and parts wear over time

I would try and find a car with a good service history as this shows it's been looked after and cared for. Also, start the car up and check the windows work if electric and the air con works if it has any. We bought a Kia Ceed after reading many owner reviews, brilliant car so far (touch wood) and £30 road tax

Some good points to consider here. Thank you everyone. I’ll include both types of sellers in my search then.

We always pay for an RAC or AA check of the car first. It's about £100 but it's saved us buying some right stinkers in the past that looked fine to us. So you lose £100 if its a bad outcome but you save 2k buying a bad car.
Sellers have always promised to hold the car until the check is done, anyone who didn't obviously has something to hide!

Oh, and with the car reg you can check MOT history online, see what it failed on before (or you used to be able to, it's been a few years since I had to).

Fumnudge - yes I'm using the MOT checker. Some of the fails seem to miraculously pass the very next day, only to fail again with the same issues the following year….. steering clear of those ones!

At 2K I'd be buying private. Keep in mind the dealer has to make some money (not unreasonably).

As for pp saying stuff like "I know the law" - for every one of those where the dealer repaired stuff there are stories of dealers who ignored people, gave them the run around - having rights and asserting your rights can sadly sometimes be very different things.

At that price point a private seller every time, a dealer is unlikely to offer any kind of warranty on such a car and even his legal obligations will be fairly limited. Should be able to find lots of nice cars for £2k, I’d be looking at a Toyota Yaris.