What should you look for when buying a Car?

[Luchell]

I think most of us know finding a used car can be a minefield!

What should you look for?

How do you know the car you want to buy won't breakdown 5 minutes after you drive off?

Pros and cons of buying a used car from a dealership? Is this a better idea than a privately listed car?

Will buying from a dealership mean i will pay more as opposed to a a private listed car?

If i buy from a dealership most offer a few months warranty, some more than that or or they may offer a longer warranty at a higher cost. How much is too much??

Can i grab a bargain on ebay?

How do i know if i am about to be ripped off since as we hear of stories where the seller ran off with the car. that's if it existed for real in the first place!!
 
Are there any cars i should avoid?? Such as ragged by racer saxos etc (Yes there are some that aren't ragged silly, It's more general advice rather than don't buy a certain type of car.)



Should i only consider a car if the service history is totally complete? If there is no service history or only a partial one should i still consider it?

Should i go for a car that is still taxed? If it isn't haggle with the seller perhaps a small reduction in price leaving you to tax the car would be OK for you OR don't buy it unless the seller agrees to tax it ready for you

Helpful links:

How do i know if the car is actually a writeoff from an accident at some point? Or has any finance debts left on it? At one point someone I know had her car repossessed due to a dodgy garage!! They took cars in and when they were bought instead of settling any finance agreements they pocketed the money and the new owner lost the car!!  Always a good idea to check these things before hand!

http://www.hpicheck.com/newfrontend/


I don't have a clue about cars so how can i know if the car i like has any problems the seller may have 'accidentally' forgot to mention?

Why not consider getting a report done on the car before making final decisions. It may cost a bit but in
comparison to what might go wrong it may just save someone a fortune at some point.



http://www.rac.co.uk/web/vehiclechecks/examination/


Is the car overpriced or a bargain?? Have a little research time before signing on the dotted line anywhere, personally I would recommend shopping round with your head not your heart, so no rash decisions should be made. Go away and have a little time to think before buying. You may be eager but this could be a blessing in the long run. Link below is a very useful site with car reviews and price guidelines.
 

http://www.parkers.co.uk/

Always work out if you can actually afford the insurance for the car you want, bit horrid realising you didn't do much research before jumping in feet first! Shop around for the best deals, if you decide to use an insurance broker like confused.com once you find a quote you like the sound of go directly to that company and miss out the middle man who don't exactly work for free 



I will add anything that pops into my head, hopefully some members might like to help others with their experience and opinions on some of the questions i have put above. 

By the way Chewy I hope this helps 

[DampDog]

I also posted this a little while back, may help

Your first car

[Luchell]

You're a star  I remembered reading it and did have a look (No brain power in the end, it was limited at the start  ) One of my pupils well ex pupils was unsure of what on earth to begin looking for. I was about to write a pm back when i thought i may as well pop it on here because there may be others feeling a little lost when faced with the entire autotrader of cars 

[DampDog]

I'd almost forgotten about it myself..

I'll uodate it and check all the links still work when I get a minute..

[Driving Instructor Surrey]

This is an experience my Dad had while bidding for a car on E-bay - he won the bid for a Landrover Freelander which described the vehicle as having a tapping noise in the engine, whilst he was investigating the pros and cons of a Freelander he came accross a lot of posts in the Internet of Freelanders having major problems with the Tappets, he was told about the problems in advance but went ahead and bought the car anyway and the next week took it to the garage to find out what this noise was and surprise surprise it was the tappets, this cost him around £2,500 to repair, so my advice to anyone buying a second hand car is to try to take someone who knows a lot about cars with you to see the car first before you commit to anything just in case!!

[mbn421]

Got to a registered dealer garage that distributes in second hand cars and check that the car that you are buying is valid.


All the documents are valid and make sure its not a hoax.


There are plenty of places where you can buy second hand cars from garages and then get someone to repair them for you at the little costings if you shop about until you find the right dealers.


It just takes a little research and initiave.

[sarah_9]

Hello,

Consider fuel efficiency and power of the car.



Regards,
sarah_9

Easy Traffic School

[Pilgrim]

Hi All

have a here is a word document I give my students Please tell me if it helps

Tony

[drivinginstructortrainer]

Hey everyone.

Great post, much needed.

Buying your first car and everything involved with it, is a such a big step. I look forward to the day that there is compulsory drivers education exam in schools in the UK. Hopefully make the road a safer place, bring down: the casualty rate, insurance premiums and help avoid salesmen getting away with over charging for second hand vehicles and garages charging extortionate prices for parts (always source your own parts) and labour.

Here are a couple of links I've passed on which i hope could be of use to anyone considering buying a car.

Joys of motoring!! it's never easy, everything you need to know about_Owning a vehicle.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/

Tips for Buying a New Car

http://hubpages.com/hub/Tips-for-Buying-a-New-Car-Choosing-the-Right-Period.

Hope this helps