Well, the first thing you will need to decide is when you need to buy a car. Most second hand car purchases are decided by circumstances, IE something has happened to bring on the change of vehicle, eg car accident, growing family, extra members of the family, current car failed its MOT or broken down etc etc…

 

In this article we will only be talking about used cars from garages because deals on new cars change so quickly depending on the marketing programmes available at the time.

• You will need to be clear on how you intend to fund the purchase, there are several options to choose from; you can pay out of your savings, credit card (although this will normally incur at least 1.5% additional charge as this is what the dealer has to pay), bank/building society loan, finance from the garage you are buying from (which there are some really great deals available depending on your circumstances) , and internet loans.  The options will all need to be explored to work out what is going to be right for you when you need to buy .

 

• What sort of car you will need to suit your needs. The choice of cars available in today’s marketplace is vast, every manufacturer has a list of shapes and sizes to suit most needs. From the new super mini with £35 a year for its annual road tax to the people carriers that seem so cavernous and can fit many people inside. Work out your requirements and the type of driving and uses you intend to get from the car. Many of the people carrier style that offer 7 seats will also have the ability for the rear 2 seats to fold away completely, a great example and pioneer of this is the Vauxhall Zafira. At our garage, we sell many of these because of their flexibility.

 

• Fuel. it really comes down to petrol or diesel. Traditionally diesel was seem as a smelly dirty alternative to petrol, these days this is not really the case. many of the diesel cars are now in some of the lowest CO2 emission categories. The general rule of thumb is that if you are doing under 15,000 miles per a year then a petrol car is probably the right choice for you, over that then go for a diesel.

 

• Always make sure that you ask he garage where you are viewing cars to see the HPI Check certificate to make sure that there are no hidden things lurking in the past, these can include being written off, stolen, on finance, or anything else you would want to know before parting with your hard earned money. Ask to see the service history and the registration document to check these are all in order.

 

• If you are intending to part exchange your current car, do yourself a favour and get more money for it by getting all the documents and history together and then give the car a really good clean. If the dealer can see a well maintained, bright and shiny car in front of them they are bound to give you more money for it than a dull car with a few bills as the history.

 

• The negotiation on the price is really down to how confident you are, and whether you really want to buy the car. many people can get a really good deal on a car, but please make sure that it is the right car for you. there is no point in wasting everybody’s time if you get a great deal on a car you don’t even want!! we often find that the best way to make a deal is to get “price to change” that way the garage values your part exchange, then adjusts the price you have to pay out. If it is too high then you can ask about what the best price is then, don’t let the dealer confuse the issue by quoting trade terms that don’t mean anything to the the customer such as “over allowance”, “SIV”,”trade car”, “margin” etc.

 

We hope that this arcticle helps you in your quest for a new car. I have included a link to our website which there are over 100 quality used cars available for you to view.

www.whitleybridgecarsales.co.uk ; www.eastbournevauxhall.co.uk

Watch the video related to used cars

Your new used car may have problems you haven’t been told about.

Help answer the question about used cars

How Come Used Japanese Cars Are So Popular At Auctions & Dealerships?
I came across some pretty fantastic cars at Japanese auctions but sadly they were out of stock. BTW, how do you find out the quality of cars at used car auctions?

About Author