Buying used car, advice as to where from

EnderXi

EnderXi

EnderXi

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30 Mar 2009
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404
So I am looking to get a car to replace my old polo twist, its a 04 plate with 76k on mileage and its costing me a lot in repairs, I got it as my first car had it 1 year now and before it hits me with another bill I want to sell up to something much newer and lower mileage.

I am looking at Honda Civic 2010 or newer or Toyota Auris again 2010 or newer, I am not averse to Ford Focus.

My main question is Car Giant or Approved used from a dealer?

I know that Approved used dealer cars are higher priced but I am concerned with Car Giant, if I buy something from them and it isnt good I have little to no recourse with them without facing a massive fight, with a dealer you get warranty and with some a 5 day swap to another car if you are not satisfied.

Anyone have any advice?
 
At that age, approved used, might even still have factory warranty on the Toyota (5 year warranty) for example. Then you've got possibilites of haggling for inclusive servicing or whatever, which a car supermarket can't offer. Also they've been known to lie, though I can't imagine a huge amount could be wrong with a 3 year old car.

I suspect you'll have some others along shortly to berate the idea entirely, or to chastise your choice of cars.
 
You don't even want to know,

So about 2 weeks after i got it the EGR valve went that was £400, i recovered £300 from warranty insurance that i bought on it, then the exhaust and a bushing went which was another £300, the instrument cluster warning speaker has failed (£200 to fix that but i'm not going to bother) and the latest failure is a airbag crash sensor (£125 for the sensor £110 plus VAT to fit)

The car trade in is worth £1000-1500 depending on condition and i have easily spent that on it already when you take into account road tax, MOT and servicing which adds another £350.

Basically the car has gotta go, the question is what for and where do I buy it from
 
Sorry should say I have a budget of £8500-£10k for the replacement car and I do about 3-5000 miles a year depending on work :) mostly rush hour commuting with a scattering of motorway driving for meetings and training.
 
yeah I know I have to tax and service most cars so i dont really count it but it is an expense and older cars need servicing more often due to their age
 
EnderXi said:
Sorry should say I have a budget of £8500-£10k for the replacement car and I do about 3-5000 miles a year depending on work :) mostly rush hour commuting with a scattering of motorway driving for meetings and training.
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So including the trade in of your current car, that's £9.5-£11k for a replacement.

How long do you think it will take for your current car to cost you £9.5k in repairs? Bearing in mind you know the things you've just repaired aren't going to need to be done for a while.

That's not taking into account the cost of repairs/servicing for the new car.

TL,DR: you want to spend ~£10k on a new car to save a few hundred on repairs on your current car?
 
Yeah primarily its a nice shiny new car with decent spec as opposed to the first car that was a bit of a compromise to get my insurance down.

I am 6ft2" tall and getting me comfortably into a polo is not always easy, it isnt the most comfortable motorway drive, its okay in the 30-40 min commute to work but anything else is a real pain.

Basically I could keep running this car but it lacks some of the features I want (AC, better driving position, MP3 CD player, controls on the steering wheel and something that i can run for 5-6 years happily with minimal issues) I do understand that all cars will have something go wrong on them but in 12 months i have had this in the garage 5 times not counting services/MOT.

Basically I have the funds, the increase in insurance moving up wont be huge (£60-£150) depending on model/make and I will personally be happier without having the worry of something else going wrong.

My current concern is CarGiant or Main Dealership approved used so if anyone has tips on that would be appreciated.
 
so far, i bought it with 73k on the clock im at 76854 now, as i said i use it for some motorway driving for meetings and the like but its so far been just under 4k mileage
 
Don't go near Car Giant with a barge pole. They buy them cheap at auction and flog them on.

If you must buy a second hand car from a trade source, go to a franchised dealer. That said, you'll get more for your money buying privately.

If you like the Ford Focus too, take a look at a Mondeo. Much nicer place for motorway cruising, and more toys / ££ too.
 
EnderXi said:
Yeah primarily its a nice shiny new car with decent spec as opposed to the first car that was a bit of a compromise to get my insurance down.

I am 6ft2" tall and getting me comfortably into a polo is not always easy, it isnt the most comfortable motorway drive, its okay in the 30-40 min commute to work but anything else is a real pain.

Basically I could keep running this car but it lacks some of the features I want (AC, better driving position, MP3 CD player, controls on the steering wheel and something that i can run for 5-6 years happily with minimal issues) I do understand that all cars will have something go wrong on them but in 12 months i have had this in the garage 5 times not counting services/MOT.

Basically I have the funds, the increase in insurance moving up wont be huge (£60-£150) depending on model/make and I will personally be happier without having the worry of something else going wrong.

My current concern is CarGiant or Main Dealership approved used so if anyone has tips on that would be appreciated.
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Fair enough - just that we seem to see far too many people on here wanting to spend ££££ on a new(er) car just to save £££ :p
 
Oh I am fully aware that overall this is probably not going to save me money, its more the worry of not knowing what is going to go next on the damned thing, with a 1-3 year old car the likelyhood of failure is lower and moving to a more reliable brand (honda, toyota etc etc) should make things slightly better.

Plus I will have a nice new comfortable car with air-con, parking sensors, Mp3 capability basically something more modern than the one I have currently with a Tape player :)

In regards to usage, its been pretty constant give or take 2 weeks for holiday and 3 weeks that it has been in and out of garages for repairs and the like
 
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EnderXi said:
Oh I am fully aware that overall this is probably not going to save me money, its more the worry of not knowing what is going to go next on the damned thing, with a 1-3 year old car the likelyhood of failure is lower and moving to a more reliable brand (honda, toyota etc etc) should make things slightly better.

Plus I will have a nice new comfortable car with air-con, parking sensors, Mp3 capability basically something more modern than the one I have currently with a Tape player :)

In regards to usage, its been pretty constant give or take 2 weeks for holiday and 3 weeks that it has been in and out of garages for repairs and the like
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Bear in mind of course that if a more modern car does break, then chances are it'll be more expensive to fix - something to take into consideration with the purchase - some brands are better value for money with regards to parts cost, BMW vs Toyota for example.
 
I have done some research into average repair costs of the vehicles I am looking at and they are considerably lower than my costs have been so far as they are for more reliable than the make/model I have now.

I honestly am not expecting to make massive savings but I want something that only has to go into a garage two times a year and one of those is the MOT/Service combo :)
 
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