WHAT TO ASK WHEN BUYING A CAR???????

[Feather]

My car is a P Reg Corsa . Its due for its MOT in Feb and Ive got a feeling its gonna be pretty expensive this time, so Im thinking about getting a nearly new car. Ill not be able to access my funds till Jan 7th so would be looking for a car between then and when MOT is due. Anyhoo, this is my dilemma. Im planning on going to a big used car outlet eg Car Craft or similar and paying £4000-5000. The thing is Ive never got a car this way before. Ive only ever bought cars locally for approx £1000.
I dont have anyone to come with me that knows the first thing about cars and was wondering what things I should ask, - I know Im a used car salesmans dream .
I was thinking, 1.whats the mileage, 2.car service history, 3.warrantee and thats all I can come up with.
Any help at all would be great.
Heather x

 

[tomsawyer]

hi heather.
my advice is don't go alone. take a member of the family or a friend who knows something about cars.
don't be in a rush to buy. go to the car sales places now and have a look round. get them to give you a trade in price for your car, now!. laugh at whatever they offer.haggle. it makes no difference because your not buying yet.
remember, they're after your dosh, your money is important to them.
go on the net and compare garage prices.
MOST IMPORTANT ASK ABOUT THE £2000 SCRAP VALUE ON YOUR CAR IF IT'S 10 YEARS OLD.

another thing i will do is get the AA or RAC to give it the once over. if you are spending that amount of money it's worth paying the RAC or AA £50 to £100 to check it over and give you peace of mind. they will also do the check to make sure it's not a ringer.

remember don't get done get dom and play hard to get.

good luck. hope everything goes ok. we've started looking now ready for next year.
len

 

[^woody^]

You may be better off googling or visiting the AutoTrader, AA, RAC sites etc.

There are lots of things to look out for, but it comes down to .... is the car in reasonable condition for the year, mileage and asking price.

You could ask lots of things, but the salesman will have the answers, so it's more to do with looking, IMO

Don't be impressed by a polish and blacked tyres. Look for wear to indicate high mileage - the seats, the steering wheel (smooth), pedals etc.

Scratches on every door lock, and inside every door etc indicates possible taxi use. A tow bar means its been pulling something so possible excess wear on the the mechanics.

Lots of chips on the front indicates lots of motorway use (and high mileage probably) but little wear on other parts. Owned by a granny can mean lots of gear and clutch crunching, signs of it being owned by a boy racer means lots of high revs and gear use too

A spare key for a modern car with an immobiliser chip can cost over £150 - so get two keys as part of the deal

Look in and under the engine for leaks - and look on the floor where it has been parked.

Scratch or missing internal trim screws etc means its been dismantled - why?

Get a warranty, and/or consider one of the more comprehensive warranties offered online by insurance companies

Do a HPI check - or get the dealer to do one for free

Incidently, Carcraft and similar large outlets have high mileage cars dressed up to look nice and sold for high prices on high finance terms

 

[Burnerman]

For the money you are talking about, the main dealers won't have a lot on their forecourts unless its a fairly basic model. However, you can look at 56 plate Micra's with low mileage for that - it depends what you have in mind so make a list of cars that you fancy and really take your time.
Please be aware that many used vehicles will have been fleet or rentals, and personally I wouldn't go near a rental vehicle (many drivers etc, none of which who could care less). The log book will tell you who the original owner was. A locally owned car is probably best, and up here its registration will start with the letter N.
Only main dealer warranties (Ford Direct etc) are worth anything. If you pop in to Arnold Clark, say, they will be able to tell you if there are any cars you fancy on their entire network. For example - I bought a car for an elderly neighbour, from Clark at Hexham. The car was in Edinburgh, SO reg on an 06 plate but came with Ford warranty so no probs there.
So -what are you looking for? Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz, old shape Fiesta, Corsa? Nothing Italian! Check out Silbury Skoda for VAG products, VW are crazily priced up here. Do plenty of homework, and check how you intend to borrow the cash if thats the case. Some main dealers are doing 0% over 3 years on some models - its all negotiable! Good luck and cheers John

 

[gregers]

be aware about car supamarkets,they tend to have the very basic of car for expensive price.but at least you have a wad of dosh to buy,do not get finance on any of there cars the apr is astronmical.

 

[Feather]

Thanks for all your, help youve all given me a load to think about. Dont worry Im def not getting finance where I buy the car Ive sorted my own out. The only person I can get to go with me is my sister, thats why I wanted all your advice first as I dont know anyone who knows anything about cars at all.
I will def be asking about the scrappage scheme but wont be any good to me if its just for new cars.
Thanks everyone.

 

[Burnerman]

The scrappage scheme is for new cars, and yours must have been in your posession for 1 year and have a current MOT. However, many dealears will match that £2000 quid off, no problem.
Avoid automatic transmission!
If you go for a private sale the AA etc can do an inspection for a fee there and then. If you are considering a car older than 3 years it must have a new MOT.
Generally German and Japanese cars perform well in the reliability stakes - buy What Car magazine and check what each manufacturer has to offer. You can also see the depreciation scale of new cars, which will show you which second hand vehicles should be cheapest.
The makes I find good for reliability are: VAG (VW, Seat, Skoda) Nissan (not Almera or Primera) Toyota, Honda (some excellent old shape Civics out there) Ford Fiesta and Focus - but I don't get much grief from French cars either - but the more basic ones are best with fewer electrical gizmo's. Good luck! Cheers John

 

[Diyisfun]

Dont go to Car Craft, unless you want to see what you shouldnt be paying.
You could look at at a main dealer, they will have ex demo & trade ins, they need to shift these & you can maybe get a free service.
If you are near a car auction, go & watch (keep hands in pocket) & make a note of prices / models.
Make a note of what you are looking for in terms of make/model & spec, you can get a feel for the price from the auctions, on line prices & used car sales.

 

[chainsaw_masochist]

Always worth checking a model out on Honest John.

Also you might find a better deal if you are not trading in the Corsa. The dealers might appear to be giving you a good price for it, but this, ultimately, will mitigate against the price you pay for the new vehicle. In other words consider trying to get shot of the Corsa beforehand.

Good luck, Heather.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Under the scrappage scheame if your car qualifies, you could get a Panda Active Eco for £4495, a cracking little car for the money.

 

[chainsaw_masochist]

Under the scrappage scheame if your car qualifies, you could get a Panda Active Eco for £4495, a cracking little car for the money.

Good point, Mark.

 

[Feather]

Goota admit all this help is great but I think Im a bit terrified to look at any car now really. I need to do my homework first
Why do you recommend the Fiat please? Ive had a couple of Fiats in the past that were so unreliable that it put me right off them.

 

[mattylad]

AFAIK The autotrader site has a good guide on what to check when looking at a car.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Goota admit all this help is great but I think Im a bit terrified to look at any car now really. I need to do my homework first
Why do you recommend the Fiat please? Ive had a couple of Fiats in the past that were so unreliable that it put me right off them.

Those days are lonf gone now.

I'm on my 2nd Fiat 500 (basically a Panda with a party dress) and both have been 100% reliable, probably covered over 30,000 miles in total in the two cars.

The Panda is a great little car, had one as a loner whilst mt first 500 was in having a service and thought it was a lovely little car.

Most dealers are willing to haggle on price too, so with a little effort you could most likely get a Panda with perhaps anothr £500 knocked off, so would be under your £4000 budget, and would have 3 years warranty, no MOT worries for 3 years and £35 a year RFL.

 

[Feather]

Gotta admit, Ive had a look at the Fiat 500 and its a lovely little car. Could you tell me if the boots any good or is it quite small? Do your back seats fold flat?