Cheap car buying - do's and dont's
Discussion
I wondered if anyone has any advice for buying a vehicle worth less than £1k. I've only ever bought from main dealers in the past, but am now after something cheap to use as a runaround.
Obviously, there are the main signs to look for such as blue smoke from the exhaust, oil leaking everywhere, starting and running issues. But, how far do you actually take it with a cheap car before you start to look like an over-zealous plonker?
Do some marques fit the bill better at the cheap end of the scale?
When shopping for cheap motors, what do the people who do this far better than I can, do? Any hints and tips to make sure you get something ok, but don't annoy sellers?
I understand that any used car at this price point could be a risk. I also understand that there will be faults that you can live with. I'm talking about avoiding terminal things.
Cheers all.
Obviously, there are the main signs to look for such as blue smoke from the exhaust, oil leaking everywhere, starting and running issues. But, how far do you actually take it with a cheap car before you start to look like an over-zealous plonker?
Do some marques fit the bill better at the cheap end of the scale?
When shopping for cheap motors, what do the people who do this far better than I can, do? Any hints and tips to make sure you get something ok, but don't annoy sellers?
I understand that any used car at this price point could be a risk. I also understand that there will be faults that you can live with. I'm talking about avoiding terminal things.
Cheers all.
I'm considering buying the same.
Just rented a small place in London and will be there 2/3 nights a week so need a car to do 30 miles on the M4 a few times a week. Ideally want to buy something that I won't care if it gets banged/dented/scratched by parking on road.
I'm keeping an eye in the back of the paper for a 1 owner micra or something that has been used by a little old lady to pop to waitrose for the last few years.
Just rented a small place in London and will be there 2/3 nights a week so need a car to do 30 miles on the M4 a few times a week. Ideally want to buy something that I won't care if it gets banged/dented/scratched by parking on road.
I'm keeping an eye in the back of the paper for a 1 owner micra or something that has been used by a little old lady to pop to waitrose for the last few years.
Put simply, buy the best condition that you can for the money. Forget about names/models etc. and just buy on the basis of any history (if you're lucky) and condition
Japanese is never going to get your pulse racing, but tend to be fairly bomb proof. Micra is a good shout depending on size of vehicle you require. I ran an Avensis for 2 years that I bought for under a grand. Large, relatively comfortable and never missed a beat - but bland as you could imagine!
Japanese is never going to get your pulse racing, but tend to be fairly bomb proof. Micra is a good shout depending on size of vehicle you require. I ran an Avensis for 2 years that I bought for under a grand. Large, relatively comfortable and never missed a beat - but bland as you could imagine!
1 owner micra with 18,000 miles
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-Micra-1-1L-Petrol...
Something like this is what i'll be going to take a look at. One with some service history would be good.
No advisories on last MOT.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nissan-Micra-1-1L-Petrol...
Something like this is what i'll be going to take a look at. One with some service history would be good.
No advisories on last MOT.
Pieman has some good points, however I think you can be more model specific and rule out certain cars regardless of a possible impeccable history eg a Laguna!
Is200, Avensis and lots of other saloon >1.6L petrol's only go for so cheap as there is almost a zero market for them. Youngsters just wanting a car can't insure them, cost conscious families go for a better load carrier and/or diesel.
Also, at that price point the tyres/exhaust/brakes condition is important as any renewals required will be a massive part of the cost price and so you'll be defeating the object.
I'd search for local private sales, you'll know the good and bad areas and you'll hopefully get a little gem. Look up the online Mot history of each one that hits the radar just to check for gaps and advisories so if you end up viewing you've got a head start.
Is200, Avensis and lots of other saloon >1.6L petrol's only go for so cheap as there is almost a zero market for them. Youngsters just wanting a car can't insure them, cost conscious families go for a better load carrier and/or diesel.
Also, at that price point the tyres/exhaust/brakes condition is important as any renewals required will be a massive part of the cost price and so you'll be defeating the object.
I'd search for local private sales, you'll know the good and bad areas and you'll hopefully get a little gem. Look up the online Mot history of each one that hits the radar just to check for gaps and advisories so if you end up viewing you've got a head start.
https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/ is a god send for any banger buyer.
This is pretty much all you need. The only other thing is when the cambelt was last changed, condition of tyres and when it was last serviced.
Some cars are rust buckets believe it or not...early 00's Ford and Mazda's as an example.
That's about it really.
This is pretty much all you need. The only other thing is when the cambelt was last changed, condition of tyres and when it was last serviced.
Some cars are rust buckets believe it or not...early 00's Ford and Mazda's as an example.
That's about it really.
Scootersp said:
Pieman has some good points, however I think you can be more model specific and rule out certain cars regardless of a possible impeccable history eg a Laguna!
Is200, Avensis and lots of other saloon >1.6L petrol's only go for so cheap as there is almost a zero market for them. Youngsters just wanting a car can't insure them, cost conscious families go for a better load carrier and/or diesel.
Also, at that price point the tyres/exhaust/brakes condition is important as any renewals required will be a massive part of the cost price and so you'll be defeating the object.
I'd search for local private sales, you'll know the good and bad areas and you'll hopefully get a little gem. Look up the online Mot history of each one that hits the radar just to check for gaps and advisories so if you end up viewing you've got a head start.
Is200, Avensis and lots of other saloon >1.6L petrol's only go for so cheap as there is almost a zero market for them. Youngsters just wanting a car can't insure them, cost conscious families go for a better load carrier and/or diesel.
Also, at that price point the tyres/exhaust/brakes condition is important as any renewals required will be a massive part of the cost price and so you'll be defeating the object.
I'd search for local private sales, you'll know the good and bad areas and you'll hopefully get a little gem. Look up the online Mot history of each one that hits the radar just to check for gaps and advisories so if you end up viewing you've got a head start.
If you want something a little more "fun" see if you can track down a nice little 306. Lovely little cars - I had 2 of them that I ran for banger money
My family has had sheds for ever, I've bought a lot of them. My checklist is:
- Get something with a long MOT
- Look underneath to check for any obvious leaks, damage or rust
- Check all the dash lights come on and go off (so it hasn't had bulbs removed to hide problems)
- Make sure you see the car start from cold, check for any smoke
- Go for a decent test drive, use all the gears and full power across the rev band to check it runs ok and the clutch doesn't slip, check for smoke on under hard acceleration
- Do a hard stop to check it A: stops and B: does so in a straight line
- Check the heater works. Aircon almost never works in £500 cars, don't worry about it
- Check the lights and wipers work. Everything else is optional but you need those.
Along with the above advice, don't set your search area too wide.
I stayed within about an hours travel. No point spending a day and a large portion of the cars value going to actually get it.
Particularly important I think as these cars are cheap, the adverts and photos aren't always the best, so viewing quite often the best way to be sure of condition.
I stayed within about an hours travel. No point spending a day and a large portion of the cars value going to actually get it.
Particularly important I think as these cars are cheap, the adverts and photos aren't always the best, so viewing quite often the best way to be sure of condition.
Thanks all. Very useful advice. Some of the vehicles I've been looking at only have about 4 months MOT. Will avoid.
Also, I use the MOT history check and it's brilliant. Really annoying though when someone has covered the number plate or blanked it in the ad though. Don't know why they do this.
Oh yes, I live in Lincolnshire so my initial search radius brings up rubbish.
Also, I use the MOT history check and it's brilliant. Really annoying though when someone has covered the number plate or blanked it in the ad though. Don't know why they do this.
Oh yes, I live in Lincolnshire so my initial search radius brings up rubbish.
As above - often the owner/seller gives you clues as to whether you want to buy a car from them (at any price level). Best ones are where the owner has had the vehicle for couple of years (problem cars tend to change hands quickly - especially when they cost sub £1000).
My ZT was immaculate with every receipt and service logged and kept in a folder. The previous owner was a mechanic who did all the work himself and replaced bits and bobs as he went along. He was familiar with his car, knew about and had fixed all the common issues and was generally honest about the faults. It cost me £300 and is quite possibly the nicest vehicle I've owned to drive, to look at, and to own. That's not saying much for a glorified fast Rover I know - but for less than £500 it's a far nicer piece of metal than most of the junk on ebay/gumtree....
Even before I'd test driven it, I was sold on the vehicle simply by the care the previous owner had shown and the interest he obviously took in keeping it looking good and running well. If the owner is honest, pleasant and knows their vehicle inside and out - they generally ask a realistic price and offer the best chance of getting a good'un.
Look at the type of owner and their attitude to the vehicle, then decide if the car they're offering is any good.
My ZT was immaculate with every receipt and service logged and kept in a folder. The previous owner was a mechanic who did all the work himself and replaced bits and bobs as he went along. He was familiar with his car, knew about and had fixed all the common issues and was generally honest about the faults. It cost me £300 and is quite possibly the nicest vehicle I've owned to drive, to look at, and to own. That's not saying much for a glorified fast Rover I know - but for less than £500 it's a far nicer piece of metal than most of the junk on ebay/gumtree....
Even before I'd test driven it, I was sold on the vehicle simply by the care the previous owner had shown and the interest he obviously took in keeping it looking good and running well. If the owner is honest, pleasant and knows their vehicle inside and out - they generally ask a realistic price and offer the best chance of getting a good'un.
Look at the type of owner and their attitude to the vehicle, then decide if the car they're offering is any good.
my theory is aim to buy something that nobody else wants , with a long mot.
i bought an 05 vectra with a 2.2 petrol engine with an auto box . very clean inside and out , ice cold aircon . nice relaxing place to be after a hard day.
i paid £700 for it. so far i have done 10k in it over a period of 6 months.
the other bonus is that it is totally anonymous and can be left anywhere. yes i would like an xfr but in the meantime it will keep me mobile
i bought an 05 vectra with a 2.2 petrol engine with an auto box . very clean inside and out , ice cold aircon . nice relaxing place to be after a hard day.
i paid £700 for it. so far i have done 10k in it over a period of 6 months.
the other bonus is that it is totally anonymous and can be left anywhere. yes i would like an xfr but in the meantime it will keep me mobile
owners forum, retro rides. but you are in competition with others, good cars sell quickly.
it will always be hit and miss, i prefer cars that need some work but some people like a car to have everything done. at this end of the scale the car will have faults but usually you can live with them.
it will always be hit and miss, i prefer cars that need some work but some people like a car to have everything done. at this end of the scale the car will have faults but usually you can live with them.
Word of mouth is useful (a friend of a friend of a friend has a car he hasn't used for a while and would take £X for it, that kind of thing). Depends how much you trust your friends!
Local newspapers can be handy - but out of date quickly.
Ebay is a case of picking through the tat and finding the occasional gem - which every other buyer is trying to do. A 50/50 mix of dodgy/okay sellers.
Gumtree is mainly tat and dodginess. Would use it to find parts but not vehicles due to the lack of controls/ID involved on the part of seller/buyer.
If you are near a Copart or similar auction place - that's often interesting source of Cat and non-Cat examples that may simple need cosmetics attending to. Used car sales places often off-load unwanted part-exchanges via auction - so you get a real mix of different vehicles to look at.
Some of the local used car places sell off their unwanted part-exchanges for less than you might think (esp. if they cannot shift them for a while and auctioning isn't an option).
It's just a case of slewing through a number of different sources online/offline until you find something that ticks the boxes....
(EDIT - depending on mileage - big petrol cars are worth very little due to the MPG figures that people obsess over. For example £1000 will buy you a really nice Mondeo 2.0 Petrol compared to a ropey Diesel that will be older, lower spec, potentially wallet-blowing and higher mileage.)
Local newspapers can be handy - but out of date quickly.
Ebay is a case of picking through the tat and finding the occasional gem - which every other buyer is trying to do. A 50/50 mix of dodgy/okay sellers.
Gumtree is mainly tat and dodginess. Would use it to find parts but not vehicles due to the lack of controls/ID involved on the part of seller/buyer.
If you are near a Copart or similar auction place - that's often interesting source of Cat and non-Cat examples that may simple need cosmetics attending to. Used car sales places often off-load unwanted part-exchanges via auction - so you get a real mix of different vehicles to look at.
Some of the local used car places sell off their unwanted part-exchanges for less than you might think (esp. if they cannot shift them for a while and auctioning isn't an option).
It's just a case of slewing through a number of different sources online/offline until you find something that ticks the boxes....
(EDIT - depending on mileage - big petrol cars are worth very little due to the MPG figures that people obsess over. For example £1000 will buy you a really nice Mondeo 2.0 Petrol compared to a ropey Diesel that will be older, lower spec, potentially wallet-blowing and higher mileage.)
Edited by LandRoverManiac on Monday 10th October 15:53
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