Buying a vehicle? Buying privately?
We look at different ways you can do it!
Classified adverts
Newspapers and magazines have large circulations,
Autotrader is probably the best known of
these offering a large choice of vehicles
for sale. Newspapers and magazines give
you the opportunity to compare price particularly
the difference being asked by private sellers
and that charged by dealers.
Your local dealer
You have a choice of buying from a main
dealer or second hand car dealer. The main
dealer has a reputation to consider and
therefore they have to give you good service,
they do not wish to lose their franchise.
Second hand car dealers tend to undercut
main dealers. Look carefully and buy wisely.
Both can offer warranties and organise breakdown
cover and advise on insurance.
Car
databases
You will find many of these sites available
online to register your individual requirements.
Find a well respected one like Cardata and
they will send you by email 10 vehicles
a day that match your request. This is a
good way to look for the car of your dreams
as the computer sifts out the unsuitable
vehicles and firstly sends you the ones
closest to you. Advertise
Now!
Auctions
A difficult place for the novice to buy
a car privately, many second-hand car dealers
buy their cars from an auction. Beware their
are many pitfalls in buying privately, the
scope for test drives is limited and warranties
(if any) last hours rather than months.
Car
supermarkets
Great choice, good prices and on-site finance
deals. Car supermarkets have lots of plus
points but beware of the company car fleets
that have been purchased by them, not all
company cars are well cared for. Best buys
are pre-registered by car manufacturers
to make their monthly figures look good.
Buying
abroad
The prices of new cars in Europe tend to
be cheaper. There are a few obstacles to
look out for. Ensure the car you order is
to full UK specification, or you could have
problems selling the car later on. The back
of any motoring magazine will have ad's
for import brokers, so ring around for the
best price and service.
Second
hand imports
Japan is one of the world's few right hand
drive car markets. Beware, a lot of imports
arrive on worn-out tyres, scrappy service
histories and may be modified with non-standard
parts. Spares can be difficult to get hold
of and insurance can sometimes be tricky.
