Buying a second handed car

[Love_London]

Hi,

I am thinking of buying a second handed car and I'm struggling to even start narrowing down my search as I don't know what I want / should go for...so I would greatly appreciate any advice you may have.

I'm looking for an automatic car, and am planning to use it for the next 3-4 years and my budget is flexible but would not like to spend more than ?10k. I'm open to most brands and models but something like Golf, Audi A3, Passat, Ford Zetec etc would be good.

So basically, my original budget was about ?5k and I was looking at VW Golf.

I think with 5k, you can get one around 6-7 years old and about 60k miles (of course this is a rough average), which I am happy with but my friends have been telling me that i should not buy a car which is older than 5 years as I will be spending more money to fix it than the car is worth and I should rather buy a more expensive, newer car which is reliable.

As I am planning to only use it for next 3-4 years and not going to drive that much, I think it makes sense to buy something newer and sell it at a decent price later.

But then, if I buy a newer car, I will be spending more on Insurance. Also, not all cars which are over 5 years old break down regularly right?

So my questions are...

- Is the rate of price depreciation for a relatively new car bigger than for an older car?

For example, if I buy a newer car at ?8000 and sell it in 3-4 years time, I could probably sell it at ?5000.

If I buy an older car at ?5000 and sell it in 3-4 years time, I could probably sell it at ?3000.

So is it more economical to buy an older car (under an assumption that i won't need to fix anything major during that period)?

- Is it almost guaranteed that if I buy a car that is 6-7 years gold, something will go wrong and I will need to pay hefty prices to get it fixed? I know we need a crystal ball for this but would be great if you could share your experience.

- Is it really risky to buy a car from a private seller? Someone said that those who sell privately don't sell through Dealers as they may want to hide something..

- I saw this thing "RAC Vehicle inspection". Thinking about doing it (costs about 250 pounds) if I decide to buy a car from a private seller. Is it worth it? Would it highlight all the red flags that I should be aware of?

- How much do people usually get off the asking price through negotiation? 10%? 5%?

- Lastly, Reviews on Audi were not that great when I looked online... If you own an Audi or used to, would you recommend it?

Apologies if my questions are all over the places.

I'm not familiar with cars and in a way, i think buying a car is more difficult than buying a house!

Many thanks for your help in advance.

[steveo]

Jag

[Jeremy]

My rule of thumb for second hand cars has always been <4yrs old and <50K on the clock, with only one private owner. But there's nothing vageuly scientific behind it, it's just my personal comfort zone. Most 7yr old cars will probably be fine for another 5 years, unless it's been badly treated (i.e. company car driven everywhere in second gear by resentful sales reps).

Audis are good cars for sure, but you're paying a large markup for the brand. Seat/Skoda/Honda/Toyota all good cars and better value for money.

[adonirum]

If you want something that is just about depreciation proof try a Volvo. Most are comparatively cheap (compared to price when new) once they get to about 6 years old.

If you wanted to go for luxury and something " a bit bigger" then try a VW Phaeton. Fantastic car, prices depreciated in a heart beat when new and a very unassuming luxury car that gets passed by rather than say a Merc or BMW or Jag that little oiks might scratch/damage etc. Best car I ever had.

[Jeremy]

That is one bloody big car, adonirum! You'll need deep pockets for the road tax too...

[adonirum]

True, Jeremy, that's why it had to go !! But the O.P. stated "not going to drive that much", hence the suggestion for a bit of luxury. No good for using for a school/supermarket run though. And it does get passed by as a Passat most of the time.

[numbers]

Long answer:

Firstly, narrow your search criteria down to compare just 3 makes/models (This is what I did and it really helped).

Go to the AA/HonestJohn/WhatCAr/Moneysavingexpert for advice on buying a second-hand car.

I wouldn't buy a second-hand car from anywhere other than a reputable dealer or somewhere local with an excellent reputation. Look at the stats for dealers nationwide and check out car user forums for the make/model you want (sounds like a chore but well worth it to get a sense of what people really think of their purchases and experiences with certain dealerships).

Once I knew what brand/model I wanted I negotiated money off the list price as well as a 'free' service. Do your sums. I would never buy a used car that was over 5 yrs old or had high mileage because I know jack all about cars and maintenance. If you are quite practical in that way, it might be worth it though.

Short answer:

Skoda

[Jeremy]

numbers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I would never buy a used

> car that was over 5 yrs old or had high mileage

> because I know jack all about cars and

> maintenance.

Yeah, same here. High mileage not only suggests that things might start wearing out soon, but also that the car might have had a hard life (company/fleet car, etc).

[Lin Henden]

best advice if you can take it - get a small van. Diesel fuel but more miles for it! And more useful than you realise. You will need to check online. Mine is perfect! Daughter has moved 3 times now so has saved a fortune x

[Townleygreen]

In fact, if you consult the honest john website on the subject of high mileage you will find that he argues that a car that has been used a lot/high mileage is better than one that has been parked for most of its life.

Cars are - he says - built to be used. Obviously you wouldn't want to get one with VERY high mileage but 10K a year is good, 4K a year is not good. Even if it's one lady owner!

See this Honest John Q&A on the subject:

Q Is low mileage good on a used car?

My wife insists on low mileage, but I consider average, say 10 to 12,000 per year, is best. Who's right and why?

A You are right because low mileage usually implies a life of short runs from cold starts during which the engine never gets to full running temperature and condensation is not evaporated off, leading to oil contamination and high engine wear.

[Love_London]

Thanks all for your advice!

We are still thinking but this definitely has given us some direction.

[bloonoo]

Apart from my last car, both mine and my mum's cars have always cost under ?3000, and in my case less than ?900 (my first car was ?125). All have passed their MOTs and have required little maintenance until they broke to the point it wasn't economical to fix them anymore - Mum usually spends more than me and hers have all lasted around 4 years, my most expensive car was a fiesta at ?850 with 80k miles on the clock and lasted with no maintenance for 5 years until it broke and would have cost me ?400 to fix, me being a cheap skate scrapped it for ?200 instead.

If you buy carefully - check service history, mileage is correct, look for 'mayo' in the engine oil cap, listen to the sound of the engine, check for soot coming out of the exhaust, all the lights work, starts first time etc etc and you should be OK. And try suss the seller out too - why are they selling it, do they seem dodgy etc.

It's never fully guaranteed though as my last car blew up on the motorway and we did all these checks and it drove absolutely fine for three weeks, then died after a trip up to Wales and back.

[Lowlander]

Some observations:

My current car is a 15 year old Volvo s40.

It has 135,000 on the clock, 110,000 when I bought it five years ago from one previous owner.

Passed every MOT with on average ?100 repairs (including a regular oil change).

It's never let me down.

High mileage usually suggests that it's been driven on motorways, with the engine operating at decent revs, at the right temperature, and little wear to anything but the tyres.

Low mileage means having been driven short distances, rarely warming up fully (not a good thing), with lots of wear on the clutch, gearbox, brakes, suspension from speed bumps/potholes etc.