February 4, 2008

There are a number of different places that you can find your next car. The most common places that you’ll find one are; Car dealers, both new and second hand cars, the internet, the local paper and car auctions for second hand cars.

Dealers

Car dealers will provide you with the best warranties and after sales service when buying a new car. They are the only place to buy a brand new car and will probably offer broadly the same deals as other dealers within their group. You may be able to pick up a bargain shortly before a new registration plate come out as they clear out last years plate or obtain a better finance package but the differences are likely to be pretty small.
Most large dealers will also give their second hand cars a thorough check up and service before selling them on and these will have a limited warranty.
This additional security does come at a cost as buying from a dealer represents the most expensive method of purchase for a second hand car, but the additional security does help give you peace of mind.

The Internet

All car manufacturers have their own sites with details of their ranges of cars and the respective specifications of them. They will also have links to their main dealers and details of current finance initiatives.
Most car directories such as Autotrader, Loot and Exchange and Mart now have a website to accompany their publications and e-bay claims to sell a car every two minutes in the UK so it’s a very popular way to both buy and sell a car. It is sensible to use the sites as a list of cars for sale local to yourself and then go to view the car before committing to make a payment. You have no idea how a car runs from it’s picture and if it’s many miles from where you are collection could prove to be an ordeal.

Local paper

The local paper has historically been the bastion of second hand car sales. While this position is being eroded with the advent of new media it still features a wide range of cars for sale. Where possible always look for full service history and keep a keen eye on how long the vendor has owned the car for. You also want to make sure that the log book is registered at the place that you are viewing it. Look to get a test drive in the car and if possible have a look at the engine before you do. If the engine is warm the vendor may be hiding something about it’s reliability. It’s worth checking the history of any car using a service like HPI or Experian

Car auction

The car auction offers the cheapest way to purchase a second hand car but with that it’s also the riskiest as cars are sold as seen and you don’t get much of a chance to look the cars over. You can get some real bargains purchasing at auction but you can just as easily get your fingers burnt. If you can take someone with you who knows something about cars and would be more likely to spot a decent buy for the money. Many auctions will sell fleet cars which will have high mileage but also have a full service history which will mean you will have a better idea of what to expect from them in terms of reliability and future maintenance. You can browse the cars before the auction starts to see which you like the look of and if you take some sort of price guide with you you’ll be able to asses whether you’re getting a good deal or not. Try to keep focussed on the cars that you like the look of and set a limit to how much you’re willing to pay for them. If they go over that price you’re best off walking away form them.

Your car is a significant purchase and one that you want to get right for your convenience and safety. It pays to do plenty of research before you make a purchase so that you get something reliable and safe to drive.

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