Where/what to check when buying a used car?

[h2o1]

first time buying a used car, advice needed. thanks

[belky]

I would take someone along with you who's got a better understanding of buying a used car.

[cuttsie]

Make sure the car has got full service history.

This year I got a car from a well known Chesterfield dealer who told me that the car had just that and that he would be forwarding me the service book in the post.

 

After a month nothing arrived so I phoned the previous owner and guess what he told me that there was not any service history as he had maintained the car him self.

 

Luckily for me he has done a good job of this but it does not alter the fact that a car with full history is worth more money than one with none.

[alchresearch]

If you have a particular make in mind have a look at a specific owners forum. You'll get lots of advice of what to look for from people who own the cars and know all the faults.

 

For the price of a beer a local member might even go along and give the car a once over. I know I would if it was a Pug you were buying. I even take along the diagnostics gear to thoroughly check out the car.

[willman]

Research the car on forums or via internet.

I've bought several cars successfully over the years privately and from dealers BUT you can never be sure.

The zafira i recently bought has almost had a complete engine rebuild under the warranty but irritating things like key fob batteries,blown fuses have been done my me.

[L00b]

For any specific car you're going to see and potentially buy:

 

(i) VOSA website, to check MOT/mileage history (if mileage is well out-of-whack between the VOSA printout and the ad, save yourself the trip to the seller/dealer); and

 

(ii) HPI/CarCheck (or the like), to check history events not recorded by VOSA, like outstanding finance, Cat.C or Cat.D recordal, stolen/recovered, etc.

 

Pay particular attention to MOT advisories on the VOSA print-out, they often tell much more of the car's story (how it's been maintained, driven, etc.) than just a series of stamps in a service book (even from a main dealer).

 

In this day and age, as many people have been putting maintenance on the long finger for a while due to harder economical times (not to mention endemic clocking/car-ringing/etc.), I can't advise the above enough.

 

The £10 or so you'll pay to HPI (or another) is money very well spent, even if you have to do it a few times until you find and buy 'the right car'.

 

And do these even if you're buying from a dealer. I went to check out a '1 lady owner, mint, low-mileage' Octavia VRS at an independent dealer some weeks ago: the thing looked alright enough in the flesh, but drove "odd" during the test drive, so I grabbed the VOSA from the dealer file, and the MOT advisories over the years cast a lot of light on the "odd": it read about that car like a T-72 tank that had gone several tours of duty in the Stan. I legged it quick, needless to say.

[Tomm06]

It's all pretty relevant to the car you're buying, before you go and look at it, do a little bit of research, there will be some information online telling you exactly what to check for when buying a used 'one of those', also try and find out the common faults with that particular car and quiz the owner/salesmen about them. Also if it's a 1999-2004 Vauxhall, make sure to do their little accelerator/brake pedal test, which will let you know if there are any known faults with that car, if anything, it will certainly get some cash knocked off the price