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Original poster

an idiot's guide to buying a car needed

31 replies

JJ · 06/12/2004 19:12

Continuing on my "asking stupid questions" theme... how does one go about buying a car? Does one need insurance before purchase? What about a license plate? If one pays in cash, is it really cash or a cheque? (It was really cash in Switzerland - an odd feeling carrying that much money around.) What else does one need?

I need a car before the school hols (they start on Friday) or at some point. Is this a terrible time to buy a car? DON'T ANSWER THAT IF THE ANSWER IS YES!

Thanks.

OP posts:
TheHollyAndTheTwiglett · 06/12/2004 19:15

Get one from Network Q

check out the whatcar and AA sites for the type of car you want and price you should pay first then give network Q the spec

if buying privately get AA to do a check first .. also check to see its never been in an accident and does belong to the person selling it

yes you need insurance before driving it away and road tax

think a bankers draft is best bet

but remember if buying a car .. CAVEAT EMPTOR

NomDePlumPudding · 06/12/2004 19:22

No you don't need insurance if buying privately, but most dealers will expect you to show them a insurance certificate before they hand the car over.

The car will come with a licence plate already on it.

You can pay cash if you like, you are likely to get the best deal if you show them cold hard notes than if you say 'I can get you a bankers draft'

NomDePlumPudding · 06/12/2004 19:24

No you don't need insurance if buying privately, but most dealers will expect you to show them a insurance certificate before they hand the car over.

What I mean is that if you are buying a car from say a bloke in the AutoTrader and you buy it from his home (he is a private seller), he is unlikely to stipulate that you need to show him your insurance docs before you drive off. You will need to be insured but you are most likely insured on your current policy (so long as it is fully comprehensive) to drive whichever car you choose so long as you have the owners permission.

Original poster
JJ · 06/12/2004 19:37

Thanks! I know exactly what I want: a used Audi A2 TDI 90. Does Network Q come with a warranty? Otherwise I just might go with a dealer or is that a bad idea? How much should I offer or do I just pay asking price?

Where's the best place to get insurance? I don't have any (don't have a car). I'd rather have a good, reliable, boring insurance company than a very cheap, but hard to claim on one. And need full coverage.

How do I buy insurance before I have a car?

I'll be dragging my two boys around with me, so do you think if I set the youngest off screaming and let the eldest tear around the place while waving cash, I'd get a better deal? Grin Not looking forward to this!

OP posts:
Tinker · 06/12/2004 19:42

Ooo, never pay asking price. Check out Parker's or Glass' online to give you an idea.

Insurance - I use DirectLine but again, just search online. You get quote when know details and tell them date you want to pick up car and you'll get a cover note from then. You are then insured.

Ponka · 06/12/2004 19:43

We just bought a car by looking on autotrader.com. It's free to look and great if you know what kind of thing you want. You can even set up email alerts if you are searching for a certain type of car and it's quite rare so that you are emailed when a car comes on the market.

TheHollyAndTheTwiglett · 06/12/2004 19:44

network Q comes with a year warranty .. and they can find you a car and deliver it

the act of buying it doesn't mean you need insurance but I don't understand why others say you don't need insurance beforehand .. because as soon as the car belongs to you it is illegal for you to have it on the road if it is uninsured (you may not be caught but it is illegal)

you get insurance to start from the day you expect to own it / drive it ... you give them the details and the reg number up front

Original poster
JJ · 06/12/2004 19:59

But how do I give them those if I don't know them? I'll have to make two trips then? I won't drive uninsured, so want to manage my expectations about my trips to the dealer and/or delivery. I guess on delivery, it's ok as they have to deliver it, so I have a bit of time. Can I just get qualified for insurance and then ring them with the info?

Thanks for helping me. It makes a huge amount of difference - I couldn't find this info in digestible form elsewhere on the web.

My husband would like me to get a new car. It's all the same process, right? Just that I have to wait for it and it's new.. just waiting for the first ding (I prefer pre-dinged cars).

OP posts:
Original poster
JJ · 06/12/2004 20:00

Ponka, I'm too nervy to buy from autotrader. :) High strung idiot, that's me! Thank you, though.

OP posts:
wickedwinterwitch · 06/12/2004 20:01

Hi JJ, we've just bought 2 used, but not too old, cars so have just done a load of research. All imo but here you are! It's a great time to buy a car, imo, as new plates come out soon and not that many people are buying just before xmas. Dealers therefore seemed keen when we were looking. We walked away several times from poor deals or crap service. Look at lots of places if you can, know what price you're prepared to pay and what's reasonable for the age/type car. ALWAYS haggle. Be prepared to walk away if they don't give you the price you want/that you think is reasonable. A debit card counts as cash. Pay cash if you can, finance is usually very expensive, which is why the really really want you to buy it. Haggle before you tell them it's cash as they will expect to be making money on the finance and will offer you a bette deal as an incentive. I'd go through a dealer as most give some kind of warranty and check before they hand the car over. Dunno about insurance, dp sorted it out but you can get a cover note before buying I think. Dp said the Top Gear site was v useful for buying tips. HTH!

wickedwinterwitch · 06/12/2004 20:03

Jeremy Clarkson's a tosser but the \link{http://www.topgear.com/\Top Gear site is good according to dp!}

Tinker · 06/12/2004 20:03

Tell insurance co you are planning on buying a car, give as many details as poss. When know reg, engine etc just ring those through (you'll be given a ref no)- you could do it at time of picking up car.

wickedwinterwitch · 06/12/2004 20:04

\link{http://www.parkers.co.uk/\here's Parker's Guide to used car prices}

Ponka · 06/12/2004 20:05

Honestly, nothing to be nervy about. The one we found on autotrader was from a Renault dealer so we knew it was not a dodgy one. We looked for a few weeks before we bought because you can really get a feel for how much things should go for and which dealers are expensive. Got to be prepared to drop everything and travel if you find a good one though. That was hard because ds was only a few months old at the time.

wickedwinterwitch · 06/12/2004 20:06

Dealers really vary. We saw similar mileage and age cars with price differences of up to 2k.

Original poster
JJ · 06/12/2004 20:08

Thanks WWW! I don't have a debit card, unfortunately, the account is in my husband's name (explained elsewhere just today - nothing sinister in the least). Great tip about not showing my cards too soon re cash vs finance. Will flash the cash if needed at the end, if they've stopped bargaining. I can search Audi dealers online, so I'm set. Just the insurance. Will check out Parker's and Glass's, too (thanks Tinker). Do you like Direct Line? Are they good at claims? You probably don't even know!

Thanks again, all. And just fyi, we're carless at the moment. It'll be my car because my husband doesn't need or want more than that. I'll let him drive it sometimes, though. :)

OP posts:
Original poster
JJ · 06/12/2004 20:09

oops, have crossposted with many posts! Was replying to WWW's first one and the one by Tinker. Am going back to read now.

OP posts:
Tinker · 06/12/2004 20:10

Direct Line are ok JJ. Never actually claimed but always end up going back to them since they are cheaper but a big co as well. Always cheapest for Euro breakdown as well

misdee · 06/12/2004 20:16

We were with firect line for my car. had to claim, very easy to do, and they sent us out a courtesy car so we could get home as well.

yuleicorn · 06/12/2004 20:21

WWW- what did you get in the end? we're still humming/harring etc!!

Are you happy with your purchases?

JJ I can totally understand your angst!! Car buying is a minefield.

Try and leave the boys at home/with someone whilst you test drive if poss.

Original poster
JJ · 06/12/2004 20:23

Thank you thank you thank you. Have had a look at the active convos and am now off to find the car of my dreams... or something affordable and practical, whichever.

OP posts:
wickedwinterwitch · 06/12/2004 20:26

Hi Yuleicorn, we got 2 Focuses in the end (Janh took the piss and asked if we would be getting matching clothes too, the cheeky mare!) and are very happy with them. Not brand new but both still within manufacturer's warranty and both with low mileage but they feel like brand new to us as we both had such ratty cars that were about to blow up. The new ones are bliss! so yes, very happy. Good luck if you're about to do it too. We had some awful rows along the way, car buying is indeed a fraught business!

Original poster
JJ · 06/12/2004 20:27

Oops, crossposted again. Yuleicorn, don't think I can test drive. Do I need to? I know the car I want. Does it vary within make and model? I can't do a left handed manual yet. (Yes, watch out Hackney when I start driving.) That's another question. Do the gears go from the driver to the passenger (ie first by the driver, 5th by the passenger)?

Misdee, good to know. Courtesy car is great! And I love doing things online, so easy to boot.

OP posts:
hoxtonturkey · 06/12/2004 20:28

1st is by the passenger jj. please can you warn me when you're going out so we can stay home :o.

LIZS · 06/12/2004 20:28

JJ, we used Direct Line and had a protected no claims (which may not be relevant to you atm) so could have so many claims over a period of time without automatically losing the accrued discount. They were definitely cheaper and not bad about claims, although they wouldn't fork out for a hire car when we hit a deer. You could try a few companies, giving the make, year of registration and model of car plus your details and they would provide a quotation, or some may do it online. Then just put whichever policy you take out "on risk" from when you are due to collect the car you buy.

If you buy a car over 3 years old in UK it needs a valid MOT certificate, renewable annually, to certify road worthiness. You need to present a valid Insurance Document and MOT, where applicable, at the Post Office to buy the Road Fund Licence (Road tax Disc), but you should be able to negotiate at least a 6 month tax disc from a dealer, or the balance of existing from a private sale. Also you need to check that it hasn't be written off and out back on the road in the past, its declared mileage fits the condition of the car and that there is no outstanding credit owed on it (which could render the sale invalid if it is repossessed.) There are companies which can run such checks such as Experian. Any reputable dealer would handle these queries, and transfer of ownership documentation, as a matter of course though.

hth

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