Main dealer or private selling, hmmm...

[BUG4LIFE]

What's the general opinion on your preferred place to buy, say a 3-4 year old car?

Ok, so a dealer is going to be a tad more expensive but you will get a 1 year warranty and [hopefully] a car that's been checked over by the experts. The advantages of a private buy is a reduced purchase cost and the fact you can 'judge' the owner which may help figure out how the car has been treated/cared for etc.

I want to buy a new car, I'll have about 9-10k and I want/need a diesel. If I bought privately and then something goes wrong with the car and I have to pay out, it messes up my plan of why I'm getting a diesel in the first place, to save a bit of dosh [the money I save on fuel having to go on repair costs]! It's just, if I buy from a main dealer and have the luxury of a warranty to cover any issues, I'm not sure if I like that I have no clue how the car was previously treated - I mean where is the car likely of come from?

[Robbo101]

Must say, if I was going to spend that sort of money on a car, Id be looking to buy from a (reputable) Dealer as opposed to a private seller. You mentioned that you'd probably have to spend more but from my experience of looking to upgrade my current car, most private sellers have unrealistically high expectations of theres cars worth - particularly if its something a little sporty or out of the ordinary.

The peace of mind in having a warranty & somewhere to take the car back to should the engine explode far outweighs the few % your going to save by buying privately. In addition, do you really want to attend at a private address with £9-£10,000 in cash in your pocket ? All IMHO ofcourse.

[BUG4LIFE]

I have bought cars before privately for that amount, cash in hand, so that wouldn't put me off.

I haven't included non main dealer dealers as you neither get a manufacturers warranty or a chance to assess the current owner [even though I did buy my current BM this way and touch wood it's been ace].

[BUG4LIFE]

Anybody else?

[LongLiveTazio]

Honestly depends on the car?

Modern diesels seem to have a raft of issues, presumably if it was an 'approved' car you'd have all the servicing there in front of you, if anything's needed doing, if it's had any faults, what'll need doing next, some kind of 1-year warranty on all major bits... etc. Quite worrying that people's solutions for fixing big-money faults on a 1-series or something from the VAG range is getting the light turned off...

Obviously everything is buyer beware and be scrupulous etc. but it isn't hard to buy something that'll cost money to fix even if you've gone in with eyes open.

I guess the other thing is that some people find they do better on finance than outright purchase and dealers try to be competitive.

[jomcvelia]

Sold a few cars to dealers and none of them have looked over the car very well at all, a quick look hear and there, that's it, a lot less than if i was buying the car and these have been £30k vehicles.

So what i'm saying is when buying from a dealer how do you now its been looked over and checked by experts.....very few i imagine.....

Personally i generally buy private if i can, not always that easy.

[jomcvelia]

Sold a few cars to dealers and none of them have looked over the car very well at all, a quick look hear and there, that's it, a lot less than if i was buying the car and these have been £30k vehicles.

So what i'm saying is when buying from a dealer how do you now its been looked over and checked by experts.....very few i imagine.....

Personally i generally buy private if i can, not always that easy.

[BUG4LIFE]

If a car is sold as a Network Q car [obviously Vauxhall] for example, than it has to had all the checks they bang on about right?

[eldar]

BUG4LIFE]If a car is sold as a Network Q car [obviously Vauxhall said:

for example, than it has to had all the checks they bang on about right?

That is the theory. At least there is some comeback if it is not up to scratch.

[E30M3SE]

BUG4LIFE]If a car is sold as a Network Q car though [obviously Vauxhall said:

for example, than it has to had all the checks they bang on about right?

So the marketing blurb says, the standard to which the checks are done is another matter, see Porsche thread, whether all rectification work is carried out is also something that may or may not occur.

Depending on what car you are looking to buy it may be possible to buy the manufacturers warranty to cover the car for a bit of peace of mind.

[BUG4LIFE]

E30M3SE said:

BUG4LIFE]If a car is sold as a Network Q car though [obviously Vauxhall said:

for example, than it has to had all the checks they bang on about right?

So the marketing blurb says, the standard to which the checks are done is another matter, see Porsche thread, whether all rectification work is carried out is also something that may or may not occur.

Depending on what car you are looking to buy it may be possible to buy the manufacturers warranty to cover the car for a bit of peace of mind.

It'll be a diesel...just seems a bloody mine-field when it comes to buying a diesel as it seems pretty much every car I've been looking into has potentially big issues! Which is why I thought it might be worth going down the dealer route. It's not that don't want to pay for bits that go wrong, hell, all the cars I've ever owned needed something fixing on them but the reason I want a diesel is to reduced my monthly fuel bills [I've worked it out that I can save over £1200 a year] - might as well sit on the M5 doing 65mph in a diesel as appose to the 2.8l BM I'm currently driving...it would be a different matter if I had back roads to drive down on my way to work and back!