Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Can anyone recommend a good 2nd hand car showroom?  I do not think my car will pass its MOT next month so am on the look out for another car. Family have used Lancers in Beckenham for their last 3 cars, but they only have 1 automatic drive (Nissan Duke) which is too big for me. Would like Ford/Vauxhall etc or similar size. Must be automatic, petrol and ULZ compatible. At this stage just want to get an idea of what is out there and prices. Hopefully my car which is 20 years old, passes MOT this time which will give me longer time to look around.

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/357335-2nd-hand-car-showrooms/
Share on other sites

On 05/02/2025 at 15:37, Pugwash said:

Can anyone recommend a good 2nd hand car showroom?  I do not think my car will pass its MOT next month so am on the look out for another car. Family have used Lancers in Beckenham for their last 3 cars, but they only have 1 automatic drive (Nissan Duke) which is too big for me. Would like Ford/Vauxhall etc or similar size. Must be automatic, petrol and ULZ compatible. At this stage just want to get an idea of what is out there and prices. Hopefully my car which is 20 years old, passes MOT this time which will give me longer time to look around.

Doesn't it depend on how much it would cost to get your existing car through its MOT, if it fails?

To get the best price whether new or used car, a buyer is well advised to study the tactics to be used to counter the tactics used by the car seller. 
It's not just a matter of what to look for in terms of conducting a mechanical/visual inspection but also a matter of how to negotiate on price and extras.

You may well be experienced and confident in these circumstances however many are not so I would highly recommend doing some preparation in advance. There are many  Youtube videos that are most helpful in this regard. A quick search on you tube for, say, "How to buy a used car", "how to check over a used car" and "negotiate a car purchase" will provide many worthwhile tips.

Also check out reviews on honestJohn.co.uk and better still, check for common problems with a particular model on user forums. Here's just a few to avoid:-
Range Rover with  2 litre Ingenium engine( 2.2 is OK)
Citroen C4 Cactus with 1.2 Puretech engine
Ford Eco-Boost engine ( between 2013 -2017)
Mini with petrol engine
Kia 1.6 Mhev engine
Anything with a wet timing belt
Golf Mk5  with CCTA engine
Honda Jazz can be prone to rust

There's more that could be mentioned but these stick in my mind. If need any help just send me a PM

Based on your requirement to load a mobility scooter, I'd suggest something like a Vauxhall Zafira 1.6. VW Turan.

Edited by vladi
date range changed

I'd recommend CarGiant in White City. Last time I was there 25yrs ago you could sit in all the cars (they were unlocked). An Uber will get you there.... Unlike yrs ago, Forecourt space is now expensive and scarce. You can go on AutoTrader and find stuff like this nearby, but like many others they're not selling from a Forecourt

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502068806724?sort=relevance&searchId=fdfc8dae-7d57-4ba6-9202-d421254546a6&advertising-location=at_cars&maximum-mileage=45000&minimum-mileage=500&page=6&postcode=SE22 0HZ&price-from=1500&price-to=11000&radius=5&seller-type=trade&transmission=Automatic&fromsra

Try Autotrader and a private purchase.  Unless I am mistaken you cannot do a test drive at Car Giant, and the ones you buy on line and they deliver.

Never done an auction, others may advise

An ex Motorbility car can be a bargain, these have been returned at the end of the lease and I expect hould have been driven sensibly and properly maintained - again others may have views but an ex-colleague swore by them

https://www.cmwcars.co.uk/ex-motability/

5 hours ago, malumbu said:

Try Autotrader and a private purchase.  Unless I am mistaken you cannot do a test drive at Car Giant, and the ones you buy on line and they deliver.

Never done an auction, others may advise

An ex Motorbility car can be a bargain, these have been returned at the end of the lease and I expect hould have been driven sensibly and properly maintained - again others may have views but an ex-colleague swore by them

https://www.cmwcars.co.uk/ex-motability/

Avoid a private purchase on Autotrader or wherever UNLESS you know the tricks and scams of the used car market and are a competent vehicle scrutiniser. Believe me, the "private" seller market is a jungle for the unwary and inexperienced. There's lots of devious practices for the unaware and uninitiated. Trust me, I've been in the new/used vehicle  market for 30 years. If you really want to buy private, the n tell the seller you will buy it subject to a thorough inspection by an AA or RAC engineer. If they don't agree then walk away, fast. 

As for auctions, that's even worse - especially with Copart where you never get to inspect the car "in the flesh". You have to work off their photos and descriptions which are rarely accurate. BCA and Mannheim auctions are the big auction houses and are better . It's  where the used-car trade buy  a lot of their stock. The trade buyers will spot a private buyer a mile off and will bid you up and dump you with an over-priced lemon so that you don't come back.

Ex-Motability cars have a history of regular services and are well sought after. Consequently, they command a good price. CarGiant and some other outlets have a good percentage of ex-Mobility stock. Plus they check each car and so you have assurance.

PS. I checked your link and could not find any ex-Motability cars there. There's quite a few high performance units such as Porsche Panamera and Jaguar I Pace.

Edited by vladi
  • Like 1

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Where did I say he did a good job? Yup and Corbyn was very close to Len McCluskey and funded by Unite wasn't he...they're all as bad as each other... Labour have to purge their party of the far-left - they're a disaster. Allan Johnson summed it up so well on election night in 2019....  
    • Thank you for the detailed advise @trinidad It is definitely damage we are concerned about. I don’t think Evri would agree to pay the bill to fix our gate or letter box if they were to be damaged as a result of their delivery drivers helper. Our doorbell can be heard from outside when rung so we don’t quite believe the aggressive simultaneous door/letter box banging is necessary. It can be quite a shock it is done very aggressively.  I’ll definitely action the steps you’ve kindly provided along with a phone call tomorrow. I do sympathise with the role drivers have and how busy they are, which is why we tried communicating directly with her but sadly we haven’t succeeded 
    • What outcome would you like? Disciplinary action? Not to have the driver back? Retraining? I know there is alot of pressure on drivers to deliver within a set day. if he slams the gate, is it evidence he is causing damage, or is the noise a irritant to yourself? You could put a sign up or buy a signing asking to close the gate gentle???? can you hear the door bell from the door? he might be ringing, not hearing and therefore knocking. In trhe notes section of the be livery page, there is a note section, although there is not 100 per cent these notes would be read as these drivers are constantly rushing.  I did a google search for you, i found this and you can try the envri website Contact Us | Evri   To complain to Evri, you can follow these steps: Contact Customer Service: Call Evri's customer service at 0330 808 5456 for assistance with your complaint.    1 Write a Letter: Address your complaint to Capitol House, 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0WH.    1 Use the Official Website: Visit the Evri complaints page on their official website for detailed instructions on how to submit a complaint.    2 Email or Call for Specific Issues: For issues like missing or damaged parcels, you can email or call 0800 988 8888, which is free to call.    1 These methods will help you effectively communicate your concerns to Evri.   My driver is called anthony, he is brilliant to be honest. I cant fault him.
    • When I have more time and energy, I will look up the actual number of votes cast for each party in that election, rather than the number of seats won. I'm interested to see that you apparently  think that  Boris Johnson did a good job of "leading the country through Covid." Is your memory really that short? I won't stoop to calling Johnson and his cronies names in the way that you seem to think is appropriate for left wing politicians. At least the left wing politicians have some semblance of morals and a concern for people who aren't in some over privileged inner circle and/or raking in money for themselves on the back of an epidemic. I'm not going to open a can of worms on here  by commenting on the disgraceful so called "purge". 
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...