[Closed] Buying a used car

The discount you get depends on the car in question. Some places will have high prices and do large px's or discounts but these places are not the norm any more. With the huge increase in advertising via the internet etc is so much easier to compare prices that those pricing high to allow for bigger drops don't get the sales.

The best thing to do is look for equivalent vehicles and see how the prices stack up. If your budget is strictly 2k then you could look up to 2500 and some of those might get down to budget but definitely not all.

At that price I wouldn't be paying 200 quid for an rac inspection. Having had one on a vehicle i sold last week they don't really do much for the money. A quick drive around, poke a few bits, look at paperwork, leave. You can do a lot of that if you've got a mate with half a clue or a new MOT.

Are you buying privately or from a trader?

Doubt you'll get much if anything off from a trader.

Private sale you should be able to haggle a bit more.

I buy privately at that price point and I'm not ashamed to say I judge the current owners. If I don't like or think much of the owners, unless the car and history is spotless, I generally walk. Plenty more private sales to find one from a respectable seller.

For £2000 I'd be looking at a Nissan almera tino on an 05 plate be better than some beaten up focus !

Have been looking at trade sales only so far. I'm under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that it's safer than buying privately.

The Almera looks a bit small for a family of four, but they are in the right sort of price range.

It's a bit safer than buying privately but not a huge amount really as it could be argued that at that price point cars are without warranty due to being reasonably expected to have faults due to age/mileage etc.

You can do a hpi check for a few quid online or even on your phone to cover those bits (finance, stolen, previous write off etc) and at lower price points the dealers margin has a big impact on what you're getting. As someone else has mentioned do rule out private sales but when you view think about the people as much as the car.

At that price point all the trade places are simply buying their stock from auction and then valeting it with the aim of clearing a coupla hundred per car. Get yourself to the auctions and miss out the middleman or do your homework for a private buy.

@webwonk - personally I think if you've never bought a used car before going to the auction is too much of a challenge.

OP find a website which is active for your area (auto trader ?) and start following the models you are interested in, you can be a bit cheeky and phone a few sellers a week or two after the ad was posted to see if the car sold - if so that's good info for your "database". Most sellers are expecting to be knocked back a bit. I would also suggest you find a mate who knows more than you and go together, as you are a "novice buyer" do not go on your own.

Also your Verso isn't worth zero - you might learn something buy advertising it for sale, that will give you a feel for how car sales tend to go.

The Almera looks a bit small for a family of four, but they are in the right sort of price range.

i said

For £2000 I'd be looking at a [b]Nissan almera tino [/b]on an 05 plate be better than some beaten up focus !

Way bigger than a Focus Estate

I've got 3dr mk4 golf tdi for sale. 112k miles, full service history with 1 year mot and 4 months tax. £2k. I'm upgrading. 8)