If you are buying that age of car make sure has full DEALER service history, (none missed) and that the sort of things that can be expected to be close to replacement are done too,

Check with your local dealer, they might be able to source a car for you, but if it is anything like west wales, the savings in travelling are worth the effort.

Be honest about your car before travelling or sell it to a website (sometimes worth it)and use the cash.

We did this with my wife's Corsa a couple of years back. It was a Network Q approved used car, 7 months old at a dealer in Hull and around £1500 cheaper than anything we could find locally (Stockport).

We had no trade-in though, and it was a cash purchase. The car was an ex-rental (Avis) being cycled back into Vx used stock, with full balance of warranty etc. It's been fine, apart from a water pump failure fixed under warranty (not uncommon on 1.2 petrol Corsas, according to the Corsa forums).

I would get on the phone, speak to a salesperson and ask very detailed, specific questions about the car, to satisfy yourself. Ask them to email pictures to you. Describe your car to them. Discuss pricing on the phone. Then tell them you'll think about it and will call back later.

If you're comfortable it's a good deal, call a couple of days later and say you're travelling to close the deal, and you want it closed on the day - you're not coming back (as the other posters described above). Emphasise that if the car isn't EXACTLY as described to you, there will be no deal. You'll need to sort insurance etc but it's all doable.

Yes, warranty jobs will be done by dealers other than the supplying dealer.

Edited by craig-pd130 on 22/05/2014 at 17:31