Advice on buying a 2nd hand Astra

shmacks

shmacks

shmacks

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Liverpool
Hi guys, i've never really posted in the motor section but was after some advice if you would not mind sharing your knowledge.

I'm looking to buy a second hand car and i've managed to find a decent 2nd half 2001 Astra 1.8SXI going for £1500. The problem is that the car has done 138k miles and even though the owner assures me that it runs well and everything has been fully serviced and well kept i'm always a bit skeptical.

I've had a check on whatcar.co.uk and it values an Astra with this mileage at £1255 for a private sale. Do you think this is a fair price all considering that the car if is in good mechanical condition and shape (after i check it out) or is should i try and barter it down / avoid it altogether?

Any advice is welcome and thanks in advance.
 
If its got a full service history (i.e. you should check this) and is in nice condition, then chances are that it does run well and will continue to do so for some time. If its a shed, then you will have some ammo to barter with!
 
[TW]Fox;16616446 said:
There are loads of cars for sale - enough that you don't need to buy an Astra.
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I'm in West Cumbria at the moment where private sellers charge silly amounts and dealers/garages are not even worth considering. If I don't like this one though i will just have to head to a larger city like Newcastle and look for a better deal there but it involves travelling and expenses which i am trying to avoid for now.
 
Even with travelling expenses taken into account, you may still get a better net result by going somewhere where there are more cars available and cheaper prices.

As for the asking price, definitely work up towards this; never accept the first price given*


*Ok, ok - yes, there can be circumstances where the asking price is not up for negotiation but this is rare
 
shmacks said:
I'm in West Cumbria at the moment where private sellers charge silly amounts and dealers/garages are not even worth considering. If I don't like this one though i will just have to head to a larger city like Newcastle and look for a better deal there but it involves travelling and expenses which i am trying to avoid for now.
Click to expand...


Get yourself down to Newcastle, cheap weekend in a Travel Lodge and find something down there, much better choice, get a Mondeo.
 
As much as there hated here I actually quite like my Astra (dons flame suite) personally though I wouldn't be overly interested in one with that high mileage. At the end of the day I accept that the Astra isn't that well built and although they certainly wont all be like mine mines just knocking on for 80,000 miles and is drinking oil like nobodys business. Things I will say for them is that they are relatively cheap to run, even my 2.2 is hitting just under 30mpg and I sit in traffic most of the time on the way to work, and servicing is dirt cheap on them.

I think if there well serviced and in good nick there perfectly capable cars, but yea, without driving one at that kind of mileage its hard to say if its any good really.
 
I've got a 1.8SXi on an 02 plate and it's proved pretty reliable over the 3+ years I've owned it (from 40,000miles to 70,000 miles). It's surprisingly fast for what it is with cheap insurance. Obviously they're nothing interesting due to the fact they are 10 a penny but that's no reason not to buy a car, especially at that price point. I even did a tank of gas average 40mpg at the weekend, I was reasonably pleased with that!

That said I wouldn't be looking to spend £1500 on one with that sort of mileage. Lower mileage or lower price.
 
Thanks for the advice, i had a look at it today and it seems in fairly decent condition mechanically so all is not lost for such a high mileage. Got the price down to £1250 so i'm going to spend the next few days thinking about it and if i'm better of with this or something down in Newcastle as Mark mentioned.

Stringy nice to know that yours is proving reliable and it's of a similar age, i'm hoping this one will prove to be just as good if i decide to go for it.
 
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