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Hi,
I've always bought from dealers for that piece of mind - whether it's worth anything or not is debatable.
What are your thoughts about buying from private? Too risky for a novice like me? Is there any service/person that will offer an honest appraisal of a private motor for you (for a fee)?
Appreciate any help you can provide and looking forward to learning a few things here.
New from London
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The AA will carry out an inspection for you. http://www.theaa.com/motoring-advice/vehicle-inspections.html. There may be other companies which a search on the internet should find.
I tend to buy privately. I like to be able to speak to the owner to find out about a car rather than a dealer. Full service history is the top of my list of requirements followed by as long an MOT as possible. If the car is one which needs to have a cambelt changed I'll find out when it was last changed. Also when was the car last serviced and the condition of the tyres. These can all add up to adding alot to the purchase price. Ideally the car would have had few owners, if it's had lots I'd be wary. There's alot you can find out from an owner by telephone which should save you some wasted journeys. An HPi check is advisable as well.
I check paintwork to try to ascertain if any bodywork has been carried out. Generally gut instinct is a good indicator. If it doen't feel right walk away.
If you're not very technically minded take a friend who is.
I'm ssure there are others who can add to this and give you more advice
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Welcome to the forum.
Good advice from Trilogy: if you prefer to go to a dealer you will pay more but you have more protection from the Sale of Goods Act in relation to the condition of the car.
Generally, the less you are able to spend the better value you will get by buying private: but if you're buying something, say, 3 years old or younger you should get some form of warranty from a dealer.
Edited by Avant on 08/01/2011 at 23:54
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If you go to a dealer I'd avoid secondhand car dealers, unless one has been recommended to you. You're best to go to a main dealer if you don't buy privately..
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Trilogy, Just out of interest, what's your definition of "full service history"?
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Full = every service which should have been carried out.
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And how would you expect that to be proven?
Main dealer stamps in the service book at the correct mileage to show that a spotty teenager paid £6 per hour has changed the oil and ticked each box on the sheet.?
I'd go for the stack of invoices on anything over three years old, hopefully from the same local indy who has most to loose from telling porkies. It will tell you whether the pollen filter was changed, or the brake fluid, or the cam belt. Signs for me of a well cared for car, rather than an owner who was just interested in keeping the "full service history" intact.
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Either. If a car is a more complicated model, ideally I'd go to an an indi for that make. If it's less complicated like my 98 Skoda TDI, I'm happy with a local indi, which was recommended to me. I think alot of people today are no longer prepared to pay main dealer hourly rates, once a car is out of the manufacturer's warranty.
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Simple research shows that certain car makes are bought second hand by people who are naive or ignorant.
Think Renault, Fiat and Mercedes Benz cars built 1995-2005.. Oh and pre 2006 Land Rovers...
(it used to be Jaguars but post 1990 they are much better)
Edited by madf on 09/01/2011 at 19:05
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My suggestion is beware of buying privately when the seller is really a dealer in disguise. Check if the person you are buying from is the name on the registration document and is the address you are buying from is the same. If not quiz the seller-what is going on? As said earlier go with your gut instinct and if you detect anything dodgy walk away.
Good luck, there are good private sales out their but if you are too specific with make, model and colour you may not find anything suitable.
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Buying from any dealer means you get substantial protection under the Sale of Goods Act.
Buying privately you get none.
Cars sometimes go wrong.
Every day my mailbox is full of problems posted by people who have bought cars. The chances are is if it came from a dealer there is some recourse. If they bought privately the chances are they have none.
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If the saving between buying privately and from a dealer is enough, it could cover you for some unforseen problems. I've bought most of my cars privately. My biggest mistake was buying from a secondhand car dealer I didn't know. The saving I make is my kitty for problems. If I don't need to use it, that's the bonus.
As mentioned previously, some traders masquerade as private sellers. When you phone a vendor, say you're phoning about the car, don't say the car in by name. If it's a dealer masquerading he'll say 'Which one?'. If its a private seller, 99 times out of 100 it will be the only car that's being sold
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Lucy, everything you say is factually correct but the gist of your post comes across as "you'd be absolutely mental to ever consider buying privately rather than from a dealer".
We all know that isn't the case. You make substantial savings buying privately, and if the seller is a genuine sort then you can often get a really good insight into the background of the car and the way it has been used. From a dealer, you'll never get an accurate insight - all you'll get is the story that they want to spin.
Stamped main dealer service books mean nothing. They are not 'history'. 'History' is a pile of invoices from garages that worked on the car, detailing dates, parts supplied, etc.
Buying privately isn't for everyone. You need to be fairly smart and have a good understanding of (a) people and (b) cars.
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IMO a pile of invoices would be better than a stamped service book. The ideal would be invoices and a service book fully stamped. However, in over 25 years of buying cars privately piles of invoices are much rarer than service books. Some vendors keep invoices but most seem to throw them away. While a fully stamped service book may not be ideal, it does tend to indicate an owner has done his best to maintain a car. Some may not agree.
BTW today I asked a vendor several questions about his privately owned car. Unfortunately anwering them was not straightforward. So, the search continues.
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>>>We all know that isn't the case. You make substantial savings buying privately
Not always, I sometimes find that private sellers have an over inflated opinion of the value of their pride and joy and ask well over the odds and the condition is no better or worse than the wider choice available through dealers. It may be possible to negotiate a bigger reduction with a private seller than a canny dealer but they tend to get too easily insulted in my experience and the negotiation never really goes well.
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the advice by Lucy was spot on.
I also agree with oldtoffee.
You might save a grand buying privately but it only takes one component to fail and you may end up forking out 1.5 times that in just one repair! ie ABS module!
I have seen over the years many who have bought from auction or private when they don't really know what they are buying and it ends in tears.
Unless your 100% confident buy from a reputable sound dealer!
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There's always the choice to buy a warrany from a company like warranywise or warrantydirect to help protect against faults/things going wrong. If a non franchise dealer gives a car their own warranty, its probaly not worth having. N.B. always check what is and what isn't covered with any warranty, to avoid nasty surprises.
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I am a fan of both companies for providing a quality and valuable product in a sector which was previously noted for selling worthless paper, but cover is not instant and if you but a car privately and it blows up on the way home - as happened with someone who contacted me yesterday - then no warranty is going to fix it - nor do you have any infallible legal recourse against the seller.
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Hi Graham,
I hope the comments, from both sides of the fence, on this thread have been helpful. We've never asked you your budget and what age of car you'd be buying.
Good luck whatever you decide to do!
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always always ask the question - is it your name on the V5. If not, forget the excuses, it's not the deal for you. Dealers masquerading as private sellers can be quite hard-faced and your recourse if it goes wrong is zero.
It's amazing how many "private" sellers don't have the car registered in their own name. And you can't go to their house because their aged parent is unwell etc etc... put the phone down!!!
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Madf: That's right, because Ford bought them and despite what some may think Ford have turned things around for their own cars and the brands they bought. I buy and sell for a living and Fords come in with far fewer faults than other manufacturers!
Graham Brown:
Aside from the useful information given to you already on this thread...
I have written an article about what to look for when buying a used car as well as another on how tell if a car has been re sprayed. Please do have a read:
http://www.girlracer.co.uk/motorsport/rebecca-jackson.html
I hope Graham Brown finds my article useful and if you would like to use my services to help you I can probably beat the AA price, do a mileage history check, HPI and visual/test drive inspection for you.
Edited by Rebecca_RJNetShowroom on 11/01/2011 at 22:38
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Rebecca,
That article on checking a used car is excellent. I'm not in the market for one at the moment but will contact you when I am.
Thanks for troubling to post your expertise.
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Thank you very much to you both :-) I am glad you found it useful and please do get in touch if I can be of any help in the future.
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