Buying a second hand car?

[devsdev]

Dear all,

We have finally caved on the car issue and are planning to get one now that we have 2 kids. While we both drive, we've never bought or owned a car so I turn to the trusty forumites to give any advice on negotiating the process!

We would want an automatic car that would fit 2 car seats and still be wide enough to squeeze an adult in the middle (my mom stays with us often). The boot should be spacious enough for a collapsed Phil & Teds double plus at least one suitcase. More space is obviously a bonus - will usually be used for local trips to parks and shopping, occasionally for longer journeys within the UK.

I've been looking on Autotrader, but realise I really haven't a clue! We'd like to have the car for a few years so want it in decent condition. Here are my questions (and I realise all impact on price):

1. Should I look at private sellers or trade sellers? Warranty I imagine is a good thing to have.

2. Is is good to look at "authorised" sellers for certain makes?

3. What is the maximum mileage we should consider?

4. What is the maximum age we should consider?

5. Would you recommend investing more for a diesel so running costs are cheaper?

6. Any makes you would recommend over others?

7. Any trade sellers you would personally recommend?

I've probably not asked the right questions so any advice is very gratefully received. I wish we could stick to just using the buses, but I've had to accept that everyone will be happier if we can get from point A to point B quickly, especially with a 2 year old!

Thank you so much as ever!

[bonaome]

Which? Do an annual report on cars. Goes through all the pros and cons of all the different ways of buying a car, petrol vs diesel, car formats, manufacturers and all that and picks out its best buys in each format for new and used. It's excellent. It's pricey, as I recall, but told me everything I felt I needed to know. I then went off and searched for the model etc I wanted.

2 obvious tips - doesn't sound like you would do enough miles to make diesel worthwhile and if you're prepared to travel you can save a lot. I ended up taking the train and a taxi to a dealer way out in Hampshire and driving the car back, which was a faff but saved me a lot of money on the car.

I don't know what automatics are like nowadays, but you may find that if you are legally able to drive a manual geared car, it will save you both when you buy and on any maintenance or repairs.

[devsdev]

Thank you both - I will look at Which? and WhatCar. I need to spend time reading up and really understanding all the additional costs like insurance, MOT, road tax etc which I also don't have a good grasp on. We will try to head out to a big dealer (any others apart from Car Giant?) though we have a little baby which makes it a bit more difficult. Unfortunately my husband isn't very comfortable with manual so an automatic is the safer option even though we both can drive a manual.

You always hear about people being ripped off by used car salesmen which is making me very apprehensive about the process!

Thanks again!