Small Dealers

[Secretus]

We are looking for a car for DS. He's 20 and been driving 3 years as an additional driver on my car. We want, ideally, a 1.4 Fiesta petrol around 6/7 years old.
A bit nervous of being sold a dud and know nothing about cars. I wouldn't dare buy privately.
I've seen one or two at small dealers some distance away (we are rural).
How do I judge whether they are reputable? I know you can get an RAC inspection on a private sale but is there anyway of checking out a car from a dealer? I know about MOT checks with the DVLA and RAC history checks but they won't tell me if the car is sound.

RAC/AA/others will do inspections on dealer stock.

If you're unsure, lean towards a larger dealer with an established reputation for good service.

There are no guarantees and some larger car supermarket chains can be just as bad as the dodgy trader operating from his back garden when it comes to getting a problem fixed. Personal recommendation is a good indicator, and at least with the internet you can check if there is a bad reputation hovering around a dealer.

We saved a fortune by buying from a smaller dealer about 60 miles away.

You can get AA/rac to check the car If you need. We saved 2k from the local main stealer and 1k from a local small garage by travelling further. All this on a car that was £5.5k - we paid.