Then I can go for a cheaper privately owned car and still be safe knowing I won't break down on the motorway 15 min. after leaving the sellers house.

This is an easy misconception. Private sellers are not much more likely to sell dodgy cars than traders. The plusses are that you save money, they should be able to tell you more about the car and give you a good test drive, and you can make your own judgment about their reliability from their surroundings and demeanour. The minus is that you get no warranty. A trader is likely to know nothing about a car's history beyond the V5 and may make it up; a private seller should have decent paperwork, which a trader may have 'lost'.

Once you are looking for a car under about £3K, the private market is as good a source as any.

I've had AA Inspectors round who have just said "give us £100 mate and I'll just tick all the boxes". At one time, a fair number were on the take!

The problem IMO with AA inspections is that they just farm them out to 3rd parties. They never get an actual AA engineer to do them which is a shame because they are usually pretty good.

An AA inspeciton will tell you that it isn't two cars welded together or if it is spewing oil out of the bottom but they're not great value in my view.

All 3 of the cars you mention are pretty good and unlikely to explode on purchase but any used car is a part worn device (hence they are cheaper than new) so be realistic and expect to have to do some maintenence, replace some consumable parts (tyres, brakes, servicing etc.) sooner or later.

I know I am biased as a dealer but I never find the "private sellers are better" remotely true. They are just as likely to stitch people up or, worse, not be aware their car is a deathtrap. Furthermore with the continous insurance requirements, lack of parking and explosion of car buying services the selection of private cars is poor as most simply can't be bothered to sell that way.

Buy something which looks cared for, has a decent service history and 12 months MOT. Take it for a decent drive (20 miles) before purchase and check you're happy with the way it drives. That's the most you can really do.

Most cars are, in fact, generally pretty decent.

The rusty part on the photo you were concerned about is part of an engine mounting. It doesn't look too bad and I wouldn't be too worried about it.

The note has a very good reputation.

You might also consider the Renault Modus (shares the same platform as the Note). We had one for 10 years and in all that time it ran faultlessly (apart from the pain in the backside to change front lightbulbs as you had to take the front 'bumper' off the car).

I'm sure many on here will tell you not to touch a Renault with a barge pole but my experience is very positive and I would willingly buy another one (not that they are made any more) if my cicrumstances meant I needed that type of car again.

I really feel for you in all this, but it's partly the fact that you're in unfamiliar territory that's bugging you, I think. And there is no completely risk-free solution.

However, I think you have to deal with the situation that exists, not as you would like it to be. If you pay more money and can find a dealer with a good reputation, you get some come-back in the event of problems.

If you pay less money, you get virtually no come-back in the event of problems and you should be prepared to spend money on fixing at least a few things.

Your risks can be reduced by using someone qualified to inspect the vehicle, but as you have learned above, this is not without problems either. A mate who knows about cars might be a good bet, but it could also be a quick way to ruin a friendship.

Whether you can scrape a bit more money together than you initially thought is something only you can say, but if it's possible and it enables you to buy from a good dealer that is what I would do.

The best of luck!

Well, I ended up getting a 2006 Note with only 40k on the meter. I had to spend £4000 which is more than I wanted but at least it was from a dealer that I believe is trustworthy - won awards in several car magazines.

I don't have any 'mechanic mates' and as the AA inspection seemed to be pointless, I thought it'd be best using a dealer with good credentials - although perhaps not the best price.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the help. Much appreciated. :)

I guess I'm essentially paying a bit more for the peace of mind. It comes with 3 months warranty, will have MOT and service done right now, and it has a full service history.

I like getting a bargain - my internet history contains almost an embarrasing amount of visits to HotUKdeals - but in this case bargain was not the highest priority.

At the risk of repeating myself... I have looked through Autotrader about 30 times, visited 10-ish dealers within a 50 mile radius, including Car giant, and not knowing an awful lot about cars, it was very important that I found a dealer I could trust, cauase there's a lot of cowboys around who'll adjust the meter, weld two cars together etc. So I went for the safe and secure, as opposed to the cheap and risky option. Hopefully it's the right decision.

Ok. Maybe there's isn't that many cowboys but I do think some hold higher standards than others when it comes to quality and safety. And I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Car dealers can only deal with the cars they can get hold of. If a manufacturer makes a pretty shoddy car it will be a shoddy car new or used.

If people looked after their cars better, the standard of used cars would be higher. Unfortunately it is going in the other direction.

If people looked after their cars better, the standard of used cars would be higher. Unfortunately it is going in the other direction.

Would you mind expanding on this proposition? Are you speaking as a trader?

I would say that as fewer and fewer people actually buy their car new and an ever increasing amount are effectively rented fewer "owners" have much interest in their car and the standard of 2-3 year old used cars is dropping.

I am in the trade and the state of some 6 months old expensive cars is quite shocking these days.

cauase there's a lot of cowboys around who'll adjust the meter, weld two cars together etc.

On a slightly different subject, it is rare nowadays that I see a car that looks like it's been 'cut and shut'. That tell tale sign of being behind a car and seeing all the wheels at the same time and the strange way they 'crab' around corners. God knows what a car like that is like to drive.

It must be quite difficult (and expensive) to cut-&-shut a car with a panoramic glass roof ....

This is the SVE model and looking on Autotrader with same amount of mileage I've seen prices from £2.700 to £5.000 so I don't think £4.000 is that crazy. Obviously somebody who knows about cars will probably get it cheaper, but as I've mentioned before, I don't. And as it was suggested that I couldn't rely on AA inspection anyway, I went for a slightly dearer dealer with a good reputation.

The funny thing is, I bet if I'd bought the 2008 model for £3.000 I mentioned in the opening post, somebody would have mentioned that it would be too much money for a car that has a 100.000 mileage.