Used cars - what do you accept?

[anonymous-user]

I mean is this - Once you have taken ownership and have driven it for a few weeks and washed it a few times you have usually had time to discover all the things that are wrong with it:

You realise the clutch bite is a bit high and maybe due one soon
You spot that scratch or little scuff that you didn't see at the dealership or sellers driveway
You hear that intermittent knocking noise when pressing on
You spot a repair or an area of paint that is not 'factory'

Are you the type that makes a list, gets the prices and gets them done?

Or perhaps you just think that it's a used car and that's just how it is?

Maybe you are the type that starts the worry about the things on the list and start to convince yourself that your new purchase is about to spontaneously melt or spin a shell.

I'm a bit of a mixture whereby if I like the car and decide it's a keeper then I start to look a little closer and decide what I can live with and what I can't. I do try and rationalise my thinking but ultimately the things that don't work as intended or intermittently tend to mither me and I either sort them or get rid of the car.

We have a few cars in the family and a couple are bought new and a couple are pre owned/used and I don't think there is a perfect option. The new ones may have a known history and a warranty but there is always that worry of it getting damaged. The used ones are accepted as not being perfect but the trade offs can be a worry.

How do my PH brethren approach and embrace the ownership of a used car?

[luckystrike]

If it's a £400 shed then as long as the weather stays out and the fluids stay in I'm not too fussed. Couldn't give a crap about paint, might go to the effort of making sure an intermittent stereo works but generally nothing which will take more than an hour of my time or pocket change on ebay to fix.

The more I spend the more little things would bug me, though. For instance the current daily hack Mondeo was bought for less than £2k and I don't mind the average paint condition or carpet wear etc, but the cracked front fog or small scrape on the door where housemate's GF reversed into it bother me. It's not worth it to fix them but I wouldn't have cared at all on a 'complete' shed.

[Rayy]

I have owned cars from new and also bought used. Secondhand cars represent much better value - in almost every case.

And you can relax because the first owner has put the first scratches on their paint for you - so you need not worry. You can add your own at leisure...

[Rayy]

I have owned cars from new and also bought used. Secondhand cars represent much better value - in almost every case.

And you can relax because the first owner has put the first scratches on their paint for you - so you need not worry. You can add your own at leisure...

[helidan]

Depends what the issues are really. Also age of the vehicle is a factor.

[philmots]

I buy around the 6-8k mark, I expect to put around £1000 into whatever I buy.. £400 of that is a wheel refurb and detail, car would normally have decent tyres.

Then new genuine mats and wipers, better bulbs, maybe get the dent guy out, service etc etc

It's my daft ritual to make it feel like mine.