Best place to buy Used Cars
I don't trust any of them such as auto trader, gumtree etc Where do the majority of the British Population buy their cars from ? How do you know if it's genuine etc ? I'm just a bit worried when i'm older, i'll fall easily for dodgy dealers/cars. Also what is the difference between all the BMW Series such as 1-6.
(edited 5 years ago)
Is it your first car? I would rather buy a car from the scrap yard, fix it myself as I learn how to fix them. I would buy the most crap car that's worth nothing since that would be my first car. I am 24 and I am going to buy my first car, have been driving my parents and my brother's cars for like 6 years now. I'm really into fixing cars myself, I might get a project car that I could build up and perfect it through the years of ownership. Good luck on your first car! Look through independent sellers like the car owner themselves, you might be able to bargain the price.
if in northern ireland use usedcarsni.com < they're great for pricing and makes, i bought my first car there for £5000 which was a 2014 vauxhall corsa which was in great condition (got to visit in the dealership first since the site is mainly secondhand cars from dealerships)
edit: forgot to mention places like the dealerships if you buy off them secondhand they will give you a warrantee on the car and will have checked it throughly before to ensure its fully functioning and safe to drive
edit: forgot to mention places like the dealerships if you buy off them secondhand they will give you a warrantee on the car and will have checked it throughly before to ensure its fully functioning and safe to drive
(edited 5 years ago)
Gumtree. I find it has cheaper cars and that when you call the owner they actually still have it, as opposed to autotrader where they've sold it, but don't want to take it off because they'll have to pay for it. Mate couldn't find anything on autotrader that was reasonably priced after his fiesta died, then went on gumtree and within an hour picked up an st-170 for £1k - mechanically sound, beautiful condition. Some autotrader ads were like £500 for a non-runner lol.
Original post by STw67
I don't trust any of them such as auto trader, gumtree etc Where do the majority of the British Population buy their cars from ? How do you know if it's genuine etc ? I'm just a bit worried when i'm older, i'll fall easily for dodgy dealers/cars. Also what is the difference between all the BMW Series such as 1-6.
The sites you've listed pretty much...
Autotrader is perfectly save, it's basically the Amazon of car shopping. There's no reason for you to feel iffy about using it, most of the cars for sale on Autotrader are listed by dealerships anyway, though there are some private listings on there. If you feel iffy about a seller on Autotrader, just look at their feedback or search the net for feedback. Gumtree is about the same risk as buying anything on gumtree... It's all/mostly private listings, generally cheaper, less thorough/non existent checks (need to do the leg work yourself), higher risk in general unless you're buying from someone who knows their stuff.
Some other alternatives that I see knocking around a lot:
Sandicliffe
Available Car
Evans Halshaw
Original post by STw67
I don't trust any of them such as auto trader, gumtree etc Where do the majority of the British Population buy their cars from ? How do you know if it's genuine etc ? I'm just a bit worried when i'm older, i'll fall easily for dodgy dealers/cars. Also what is the difference between all the BMW Series such as 1-6.
Pal, Autotrader is one of the safest ways - as long as it's from a garage. Just make sure you do an AA inspection and HPI check on any car you buy off their for reassurance.
You could go to a dealership, but they'd be expensive compared to ones listed on Autotrader.
Original post by TheMcSame
The sites you've listed pretty much...
Autotrader is perfectly save, it's basically the Amazon of car shopping. There's no reason for you to feel iffy about using it, most of the cars for sale on Autotrader are listed by dealerships anyway, though there are some private listings on there. If you feel iffy about a seller on Autotrader, just look at their feedback or search the net for feedback. Gumtree is about the same risk as buying anything on gumtree... It's all/mostly private listings, generally cheaper, less thorough/non existent checks (need to do the leg work yourself), higher risk in general unless you're buying from someone who knows their stuff.
Some other alternatives that I see knocking around a lot:
Sandicliffe
Available Car
Evans Halshaw
Autotrader is perfectly save, it's basically the Amazon of car shopping. There's no reason for you to feel iffy about using it, most of the cars for sale on Autotrader are listed by dealerships anyway, though there are some private listings on there. If you feel iffy about a seller on Autotrader, just look at their feedback or search the net for feedback. Gumtree is about the same risk as buying anything on gumtree... It's all/mostly private listings, generally cheaper, less thorough/non existent checks (need to do the leg work yourself), higher risk in general unless you're buying from someone who knows their stuff.
Some other alternatives that I see knocking around a lot:
Sandicliffe
Available Car
Evans Halshaw
I was wondering about BMW Cars in general. In the not too distant future.I want a sporty car. Which BMW would be the best. Price Range probably between the 8-16K. Sharp, looks good, powerful and a boycar/racer in slang terms.
Most of my cars have come from eBay with a buy-it-now price. Never had any problems with it. I did recently sell my car through AutoTrader but it was listed on eBay as well - it just went to a guy from AutoTrader first.
I've not bought or sold a car through Gumtree, nor Facebook marketplace. They're all much of the same really. You need to do the same checks that you would with any second hand car - do an MOT history check to make sure it's been looked after (occasional advisories on normal wear and tear items OK, constant fails on major issues is bad), as much of a service history as possible, and make sure you have a good look around the car and take it for a test drive. Take someone with you who's more experienced for the test drive/prod around the car.
Occasionally you'll still end up buying a heap. I managed it once, but I think it was bad luck rather than a dodgy seller.
I bought my Passat with no test drive, with no service history, and probably with a kind-of dodgy MOT. It ended up being an amazing car that I put 30,000 miles on before selling recently. Sometimes the stars align and it all works out for you, but you're best off doing everything you can to make sure you don't buy a pile of poo.
Another good tip is to look up known weak spots on that specific vehicle. It helps to massively narrow down the main things you're looking for when prodding around the vehicle.
I've not bought or sold a car through Gumtree, nor Facebook marketplace. They're all much of the same really. You need to do the same checks that you would with any second hand car - do an MOT history check to make sure it's been looked after (occasional advisories on normal wear and tear items OK, constant fails on major issues is bad), as much of a service history as possible, and make sure you have a good look around the car and take it for a test drive. Take someone with you who's more experienced for the test drive/prod around the car.
Occasionally you'll still end up buying a heap. I managed it once, but I think it was bad luck rather than a dodgy seller.
I bought my Passat with no test drive, with no service history, and probably with a kind-of dodgy MOT. It ended up being an amazing car that I put 30,000 miles on before selling recently. Sometimes the stars align and it all works out for you, but you're best off doing everything you can to make sure you don't buy a pile of poo.
Another good tip is to look up known weak spots on that specific vehicle. It helps to massively narrow down the main things you're looking for when prodding around the vehicle.
Original post by STw67
Where do the majority of the British Population buy their cars from ? How do you know if it's genuine etc ?
Learn a bit of engineering, gain mechanical skills and examine it.
(a mirror and screwdriver will be in handy during the inspection)
Couple years of learning and you'll be able to count on something more than just luck.
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