Anything - Dealer or private? | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Wed 15 Jan 2025 18:49

Anything - Dealer or private? - RachJones

Hi there,

I'm looking to buy a used car for £5k (7k at a push).

I know nothing about cars so would like your optinion about which of these options to go with:
-Manufacturer approved from a main dealer
-Local independent dealer (most offer AA covers)
-Private

With this budget, I wouldn't want to cover for a dealer's profit margin but it will give me a peace of mind. I'm in no knowledge position to check a car before buying and only have one friend who's good with cars but I can't rely on him to come with me or help me if any issues later on. I read that the AA cover don't mean much but manufacturar approved is a good scheme for if things go wrong.

Given all this, which option is best for me do you think?

Edited by RachJones on 15/01/2025 at 18:50

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 19:25

Anything - Dealer or private? - elekie&a/c doctor

Don’t think you’ll find a used approved vehicle within your budget at a main dealer . I’d be looking at a good independent car outlet locally , possibly a family owned business that’s got good reviews. I wouldn’t rely on any used car warranty to fix any issues after purchase.

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 19:36

Anything - Dealer or private? - RachJones

I select 'manufacturer approved' option on Autotrader and there have been few within my budget.

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 19:55

Anything - Dealer or private? - elekie&a/c doctor

Anything specific that you are looking at?? Don’t think I’d be looking at private sales in your position.

Edited by elekie&a/c doctor on 15/01/2025 at 19:55

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 20:01

Anything - Dealer or private? - SLO76

If you have limited knowledge and experience then I’d avoid buying privately. The days of picking up a wee private sale bargain are largely over now thanks to buying services like WBAC and others as most people favour the hassle free sale rather than dealing with random people turning up at their door tyre kicking. Much of the metal up in private sales these days are write-offs or they’re overpriced by unrealistic owners. That said, you do get the occasional gem.

Approved used, used to mean something, but sadly standards have plummeted here in the last twenty years. That’s not to say they’re all bad of course, just don’t let your guard down because it has a wee sticker saying “approved used” on it, it means very little these days as the manufacturers don’t seem to be policing it anymore other than the prestige brands like Audi, Merc and BMW.

That all said, many franchised dealers (particularly Toyota, Honda and Mazda) will retain and sell older trade in cars that are in good condition and with sensible miles. These cars usually came in from a private owner against another car from the same brand. This tells you much about how good the car must’ve been if they went and bought another one. But keep an eye out for poor paint repairs and look for full service records.

Smaller dealers shouldn’t be overlooked, some are very good and buy decent stock direct from main dealers who don’t want older cars. This is where the sharks lurk however. Look at online reviews and buy from garages that have been around for years in the same name, if you have any doubts check companies house for the financial status or to see if they regularly charge trading name and director names. Watch out for fly guys stamping up every service book themselves. Look inside a few cars and check if they’ve been stamped with the same stamp and handwriting - this is a simple way for unscrupulous traders to add value now that post Mot clocking is much harder to hide. I used to see cars going through auctions with little or no history only for them to appear up for sale soon afterwards sporting a now “full service history.” I’d beg or bribe someone knowledgeable to come with you.

Give us a few criteria (car size, your typical usage etc) and a rough search area and you’ll get a few local suggestions.

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 20:15

Anything - Dealer or private? - Adampr

I agree with the above. Approved used is normally OK if you can afford it. Independent dealers I very rarely consider. Only worth it if you know that they are good. Private can work, but you need to know what you're doing. A lot of 'private' sellers are dealers trying to get out of their legal obligations.

It's always worth asking friends and family if they have a reliable car with a decent history that they're thinking of changing soon.

If you have a specific car in mind, check their forum classifieds and read the seller's previous threads to find out more.

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 20:20

Anything - Dealer or private? - RachJones

Thanks both!

I like big cars. I'd really like to get one of these:
Kia sportage
Renault captur
Renault kadjar
Nissan qashqai

This is only preference. I understand it's hard with my budget so I'm open to any suggestions.

I don't do many miles in a year. Only about 7,000.

I'm in Sussex area.

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 20:50

Anything - Dealer or private? - elekie&a/c doctor

Kia sportage would probably be the best of the bunch. Renault and Nissan are very much similar vehicles. At your budget, diesel is best avoided with any make/ model .

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 22:09

Anything - Dealer or private? - SLO76

Wouldn’t touch any of the Renaults - and I include the Nissan Qashqai in that as it’s just a rebadged Renault. They’re not good and at this money they’ll almost certainly be a money pit. The Kia could be ok, but at this money it’s going to be older with a fair bit of mileage I’d imagine. The 1.6 petrol is simple and robust if a bit flat to drive, at this money I’d avoid any DPF equipped modern diesel. A 2.0 petrol Honda CRV could be an option at £5-£6k too, an early Mk IV 2wd isn’t too bad on fuel and is huge inside.

Edited by SLO76 on 15/01/2025 at 22:09

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Wed 15 Jan 2025 22:59

Anything - Dealer or private? - expat

The RAC and the AA both used to offer a service to check cars before you buy. Obviously this will cost you but it will be money well spent. If the dealer does not want to let you get the car checked before you buy then don't buy it. He doesn't want it checked because he knows there is something wrong with it. Also you can look up previous MOT checks on a car and this will tell you if it has problems.

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Thu 16 Jan 2025 06:50

Anything - Dealer or private? - Ethan Edwards

From that list I'd add a Suzuki Vitara and SX4 Scross. The 1.6 versions are a stonking bargain. If you find a 1.4t version atcyour budget, they're great.

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Thu 16 Jan 2025 11:10

Anything - Dealer or private? - Terry W

Any car at the top of your budget with reasonable miles is likely to be 6-8 years old.

Manufacturer approved status is unlikely. Warranties likely to be limited.

The best approach would be to buy on an informed judgement of condition. If you have limited knowledge I would suggest you drive examples of your short list that are 2/3 years newer than your preferred choice so that you know how it should go and sound.

AA can then provide an inspection for £150-200 to confirm your choice.

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Thu 16 Jan 2025 11:43

Anything - Dealer or private? - mcb100

The downside to an AA/RAC report on a car of this age is that a potential buyer potentially gets so traumatised by the list of issues they’ll find that you’ll end up not buying any of them.

You’d have to sift through to see what’s normal and acceptable for a car x years old, and what’s a genuine problem.

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Thu 16 Jan 2025 12:21

Anything - Dealer or private? - catsdad

There’s been a lot of good advice so far in this thread.

To add another dimension, social media can be worth trying. Our local Facebook page (not just the “for sale” one) often has local cars for sale from named people or recommendations for good small dealers. This doesn’t guarantee a good buy but it does reduce the risk of being actively cheated. I’m lucky to live in a small town where reputation matters, I’d be more wary of social media ads in a city where everyone is anonymous.

Going that route might bring up both dealer and private cars and you can decide what to buy when you’ve seen a few.

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Thu 16 Jan 2025 13:16

Anything - Dealer or private? - SLO76

The downside to an AA/RAC report on a car of this age is that a potential buyer potentially gets so traumatised by the list of issues they’ll find that you’ll end up not buying any of them. You’d have to sift through to see what’s normal and acceptable for a car x years old, and what’s a genuine problem.

Agree. I knew that almost every customer who insisted on an RAC/AA report on an older car wouldn’t end up buying it. They pick up every bit of wear and tear, every minor fault as if comparing it to a new vehicle costing five or six times as much. Expectations need to be managed if having one of these very thorough reports done on an older used car. I’m not saying their bad, they’ll certainly pick up any issues, just remember that an older car will be partly worn and will have imperfections.

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Thu 16 Jan 2025 15:32

Anything - Dealer or private? - Andrew-T

If the dealer does not want to let you get the car checked before you buy then don't buy it. He doesn't want it checked because he knows there is something wrong with it..

I suppose that may sometimes be true if he has already sold the car once and it has been returned as unacceptable. But usually a trader is only a middleman with little idea of a car's history, just a good visual once-over for obvious condition. In my (limited) experience even a decent trade-in with a file of servicing paperwork is likely to lose it before resale - it's too much trouble to file and find it again.

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Thu 16 Jan 2025 15:39

Anything - Dealer or private? - pd

AA/RAC checks can be a right pain for a dealer selling.

It is not that they are worried about what they might find but they take ages to book and when someone finally shows as someone else has said describe a perfectly honest car as party worn out (which it will be) and the buyer gets cold feet because it has one advisory mark on the report.

Dealers do not want to hold a car waiting for an inspection to turn up and then the sale fall though and potentially turn away other buyers (who will buy the car) in the interim.

I'd also add the AA/RCA *DO NOT* do the inspections. They send any old garage/mechanic they might subcontract out to - usually a one man band just doing it part time to earn a little bit of cash.

The last one I had couldn't even use the (mickey mouse) code reader he had brought with him and I had to use mine and show him how they worked. A few years back I also had one look at the car for 3 minutes, write a report then ask for £200 cash for him to say the car was a good 'un to the customer.

Edited by pd on 16/01/2025 at 15:40

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