Going to buy a used car next week - what should I know?

[SvetlanaKirilenko]

Budget is around £7K, going to some big dealerships to look at various cars next week - want something 2-3 years old with not too many miles on the clock that will be reliable for another 10 years.

Have never bought a car before (current car came from PIL) so don't know where to start! Would I get a better deal walking in with pockets full of cold hard cash? Or should I cough up for finance deals to get a better price?

And how much should I offer on a car with a price tag of, say, £8K?

Any tips on what to look for, what to avoid, how to go about it, would be gratefully appreciated, thank you!

(And if you can tell me what car you would recommend that fits my criteria I will love you for ever )

Depending where you live often depends on what bargains are available. For example if you live in London, it is advisable, if possible, to travel further up north to buy your car. For example on a car I purchased last December, higher mileage and lesser spec cars were being sold for around £8,000 (I live in London). After I test drove a few cars locally and knew what I was after, I found a great bargain, although it meant I had to travel to Chester.

I purchased the car from a main dealer which came with a 12 month warrantee, so if anything went wrong I was able to take it to a local Toyota dealership and the warrantee would cover me for this. I saved around £800 by travelling outside of London and I believe if I sell the car today after having the car for around 8 months, I can make a small profit, which certainly beats depreciation!

I would also recommend looking at some great car buying blogs such as www.drivingtest360.wordpress.com for some great car examples for sale.