Getting a better motoring deal
Love them or hate them, car ownership is a fact of modern life. Unless you live in the middle of a town or city you will need a car to get to work or school, do the shopping or just visit friends.
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Car Insurance
Giles Chapman
- Top 10 forecourt tips
- Buying privately
- Buying at auction
- Your rights as a car buyer
- Timing
- Buying a new car
- Buying second-hand
- Buying Insurance
- Car Loans
- Useful links
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Buying privately
Each year millions of cars are bought privately through adverts in newspapers and specialist magazines, or from friends and relatives. These can offer the best price but your rights are limited as all the buyer must do is give an accurate description of the car. If the description isn’t accurate, you might have to try and negotiate a resolution or take legal action.
Buying from a friend or relative is good for one main reason: provenance. You can be sure of the background of a car, which you never can be for one bought from a stranger. But think twice before buying from friends or family as any faults that come to light later on could put a strain on your relationships. You must be prepared to not blame your pal if something does go wrong with the car subsequently.
Buying from a friend or relative is good for one main reason: provenance. You can be sure of the background of a car, which you never can be for one bought from a stranger. But think twice before buying from friends or family as any faults that come to light later on could put a strain on your relationships. You must be prepared to not blame your pal if something does go wrong with the car subsequently.
- When calling about a used car for sale, you need to flush out a dealer masquerading as a private seller. If you start off by saying “I’m calling about the car for sale”, and he says “Which car?”, then you’ll know the seller is probably a car dealer.
- Always examine the car in good daylight, and never inside a garage with strip lighting as it can often mask evidence of bodywork or accident damage.
- Carry out a car data check to make sure the car is all it seems – including registration information and whether the car has been stolen, written off in its past or subject to outstanding finance that you might become liable for.
- Visit with a mechanic or someone from a car checking service, such as AA Vehicle Inspections, to make sure the car is roadworthy and has no hidden secrets or safety problems
- Meet at the car seller’s house so you know their address should things go wrong and make sure you get a landline number – not just a mobile. Check that the seller and the name on the V5C registration document are the same!
- Compare the V5C offered to you with your current document. Do the watermarks, font etc. all match? If in doubt contact the DVLA.
- It is just as important to test drive a used car as it is to test a brand new car, you need to go for a drive to make sure everything is in working order and the car meets your needs, as long as you’re insured to do so!
- Research the make of car to find out any potential faults and for information on how to appraise a second-hand car visit AA Car Buyer’s Guide
- Beware of “cash only” deals – what is the seller hiding?
- Remember that there is no such thing as a bargain when it comes to used cars. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. The car may be hiding a major (expensive) fault, or it could be part of a fraud.