28 Time for Living, March 2011


Motoring T


HERE'S alot of financial sense in buying asecond hand car,rather than abrand new one. Youavoid the


steep depreciation of acar's early life, which means you can buy alot cheaper or get alot moreinterms of power or fea- tures for your money. The conventional ways of buying aused


car arebybrowsing through what's avail- able on the forecourt of adealer or from an independentused car trader or by searching the small ads in the press. Independent traders will offer amuch


moremixed bag of vehicles and aremuch moremixed in terms of the quality of serv- ice they offer.Atthe top end of the market arefranchised dealers, which will often sell used cars under manufacturers' approved schemes, which removes alot of the risk. Lower down the chain aresmaller inde- pendents whose stock will generally be too old for the main dealers to want to sell it, but too young to be relegated to the less profitable small ads. With an independent, you can expect to


pay somewhat less than at amain dealer, but you need to be sureofwhat you're buying. Many of the cars on offer may have been bought in auction or from fleets and have been worked on to varying degrees. As with any used car purchase it's important to know that the mileage is genuine and not excessive, to see the service history and to avoid anything with impending mechanical problems. It will help if the trader is established and offers areasonable warranty on the car. Nonetheless it should be checked out professionally.The big motoring organisa- tions offer checks on cars, and these are money well spent. When reading the small ads, always look for a(T) at the end. This signifies that the


Buying aused car


cars. Again you should observe all the rules applying to aprivate sale, although eBay has the advantage of offering acar history check. Remember that if you put in abid and you win, you will have to pay up, so make your inspection and checks first.


Another comparatively recent phenome-


non is the car supermarket. Fitting in somewherebetween the main dealer and the small independent trader in the user car sales hierarchy,these arehuge sales lots, selling large numbers of cars, ranging from nearly new to well used, at low prices. Finally,some areenticed by the possibil-


seller is trade, rather than aprivate individ- ual. It's not abad thing in itself if the car is from atrader,and indeed you should have the same consumer protection that would apply if the trader had premises on the high street. But if you want to talk to the previous


owner and get the low-down on the car,a private individual should be able to answer all your questions. Another advantage of aprivate sale is


that you arelikely to get the best price. The disadvantageisthat you arenot cov- ered by the Sale of Goods Act and the car will probably be "sold as seen". It is imperative, too, beforeyou part with your cash, that you check whether the car has any outstanding finance on it or whether it's ever been an insurance write-off. For moreinformation on this, see www.car-


watchuk.com, www.theaa.com or www.hpicheck.com. The internet has become increasingly popular in recent years for used car buy- ing and selling. One of the most popular such sites is www.autotrader.co.uk. In effect, these aresmall ads that usually have the advantage of being able to include apicture. All the caveats that go with apurchase from anewspaper or magazine ad apply. Webauction site eBay is also an


increasingly popular place to buy and sell


ity of buying aused car at aknockdown price at auction. But remember,this is the territory of the hardened used car trader, and if you'regoing to mix it with the pros, you really need to know what you are doing. In all cases, the principles that should


guide you arethe sort of car you want and the value for money you aregetting. And that means finding out exactly what a particular car is really like under the shin- ing paintwork and what comeback you have if it turns out to be rather less impressive afew months down the line.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32