Better to buy a used car from a dealer or private?

Hi guys, my parents said they will help fund me a little to purchase my first car.

My dad said that the dealers could put the mileage clock back (the crafty dealers) to make me think that the car hasn't done much mileage.

So in your opinion, is private better than dealers?

Also, what are the pro's and con's?

Thanks everyone in advance.

You have to be really careful about this, because some dealers pose as private sellers.

Either are capable of ripping you off. That's why you buy based on condition and history and not on price and nice-looking photos.

Hi guys, my parents said they will help fund me a little to purchase my first car.

My dad said that the dealers could put the mileage clock back (the crafty dealers) to make me think that the car hasn't done much mileage.

It depends on what you are buying. If you want an old banger for £500, then buying private might be better. If you are looking for something a bit more expensive (£1000+) then a dealer might be better.

Private sellers may be able to offer it cheaper - They don't have to pay for the cost of a dealership or staff, but it doesn't mean they're reliable.

A rule of thumb used to check the mileage is to take the age of the car and multiply it by around 10,000. This should give you a rough idea of the expected mileage of the car. So an 8 year old car with a mileage of 80,000 miles sounds reasonable. An 8 year old car with 40,000 on the clock does not! That said, this method is not perfect and it depends on the driving style of the previous owner... So check the MOT and service history and see what the stats say about the mileage of the car. They'll take a meter reading... So if it has suddenly dropped, or seems abnormally low, you could avoid it. For all you know, it might've been owned a poor old lady who only needed to go to the shops once a week. Use as much evidence as possible to examine the car.


Aside from that, you could take it for a test drive. I'm not too sure, but dealerships might be able to provide temporary insurance for clients and private sellers will not. You might still have to be over 21/25 for that though. You could ask a parent to take it out for a drive to make sure it feels right. Their insurance, even with a private seller, could allow them to drive that car under third party cover - But check the insurance specifics and check with the seller (I think they need to be insured on the car too).


Some dealers can be good though, they're not all scum. They might do a good job on cleaning the car and checking it and will want to sell honestly. I know my parents stand by Fords of Windsford when considering cars because they've been able to offer a good service. A good dealer will keep the car maintained while it's waiting to be sold and they will keep the MOT up to date and check that it's fit for purpose. The dealership might also be able to help with the transfer of the vehicle, which could save you some time and effort... They could also offer finance on the car or reward you with extra petrol/insurance to make it easier to fund.


Which is better? Well, whichever is better.

For cheap cars private is, well, cheaper.

Thanks for the responses

I'm looking at some Honda Civic's.

I want a small/medium sized car, so the Civic's are ideal. I like the interior. The inside doesn't feel poorly made, unlike the ford's which are good cars, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't have the overall feel for me inside.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201301054799341/sort/default/usedcars/transmission/manual/price-to/4000/price-from/3000/model/civic/make/honda/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/page/2/radius/30/postcode/en11ez?logcode=p

This is pretty much what I'm after. 3.4k is pushing it in terms of money, but it seems reasonable. 70k on the clock which is about right.

That car looks pretty good, especially as a first car!

Have you checked out the insurance? For a 2.0 it won't be cheap if you've just passed your test.

Yeah, my Dad said be careful when it comes to engine size. He said 1.6 or below is good for a first car !

I'll be going on my Mum's insurance as a named driver, so hopefully the price will go down of my insurance a little

I'll be going on my Mum's insurance as a named driver, so hopefully the price will go down of my insurance a little

Hi guys, my parents said they will help fund me a little to purchase my first car.

My dad said that the dealers could put the mileage clock back (the crafty dealers) to make me think that the car hasn't done much mileage.

So in your opinion, is private better than dealers?

Also, what are the pro's and con's?

Thanks everyone in advance.

Dealers can definitely do that, but not all of them of course, and they would have the money for it.
But I have heard private sellers do as well, especially if they know the person can work out well for them.

Before buying the car look at these things:

Have a thorough look through the MOT for a indication of mileage done each year, you could pick up on if theres something dodgy. Also any failures in MOT testing or advisory points made by the tester.
Also the logbook as well and do the same.

Also have a check of the car's exterior and in particular interior, as more wear and tear indicates that the car probably has done much more mileage then it says it does on little screen. And make sure everything is working so have a play with all the electronic stuff. And definitely have a thorough check on the wear and tear, like literally everywhere.

Always take someone who knows about the inner workings of the car with you and is willing to check the engine and exhaust system.


And finally, a test drive, hugely important, and check the gears, braking and acceleration and the clutch.

I'd recommend getting it from a authorised dealer where you can get it approved to ensure it not been wrecker or got a dodgy history or something. I know plenty of people buy from private seller but you do need to do your homework there and know what to look for to ensure you aren't sold a dud. If its your first car and you don't have someone who knows what to look for I don't think its a good idea.

Insurance gp11, vehicle tax gp 1, injection...... hope you are over 25 with a no-claims history ..... and a fat wallet.

Lots of good advice posted before, I like buying private as can be cheaper, but precautions should be taken with any buy and a recommendation can be useful.

You can get AA, RAC etc etc to do a pre-buy Test Report, but they can be over £100 but if you know a local mechanic/garage probably cheaper, which if any seller refuses then DON'T buy !

The list of things to check - wear of pedals, magnet to check body, one conscientious owner etc - is lengthy but some paperbacks may specialise in such education..... which also comes handy in many aspects of living anyway.

Good Luck and be careful.

Getting a 1.0 or 1.2 will make a huge difference to the insurance.

If you want something better quality than a Ford, have you thought about a VW Polo or a Honda Jazz? They'll have smaller engines.

Thanks guys, yeah my Dad is coming along with me. He has good knowledge of what to look for when buying cars, he's bought four cars in total, in the past and he goes through all the small detail, asks the seller to see under the bonnet. He's also well aware of what to look for in the service history books.

I will defo test drive the car.




I'm still considering them too, yep, I haven't done my practical driving test yet but I just wanna get a good feel for what's going out there in the market before passing.

Thanks to all that commented though, got some good advice here!

Out of interest... What are the consumer rights concerning private sellers? If you buy from a dealer and there is a problem with the car that was not advertised, you can force them to refund you. What about people doing it privately?