I cannot be arsed. I can't even be arsed really working out what i need in a car. I can't be arsed trawling through hundred. I definitely can't be arsed travelling to look at cars i'm not that arsed about.
If i could pay someone a fee and say. "Bring forth the best used car that will take a dog and some paddleboards, for X amount by the end of nxt week." I would throw them my money.
Van or a van with seats that's a 'car' on the V5. I spent a year looking at vehicles (on line) and ended up with a new(ish) Vivaro Life - can sleep in it (with add on bed in the boot), carries paddle boards, bike and people. Second camping trip this coming weekend with a paddleboard, and sleeping in it etc.
It's not an easy choice, but we were filling a car to the brim with just two of us going camping and doing bikes/water stuff.
If i could pay someone a fee and say. "Bring forth the best used car that will take a dog and some paddleboards, for X amount by the end of nxt week." I would throw them my money.
There are people that do this!
Someone on the neighbourhood WhatsApp group was recommending this guy the other week. In her words:
"You tell him your budget, style of car, and he finds the car, then drops it off. He also tests it, and negotiates for you. I think he takes a 10% cut of the sale price, but he buys at trade prices so it's not too expensive. P.s. I don't get commission 🤣 he's just been really great and helped us avoid buying a dud."
https://www.acceleratecars.co.uk/sourcing/
So take from that what you will! I have no experience with him or any other similar company.
Go to Motorpoint and pick one?
For ours the car is on a work lease and the van popped up at a garage down the road, just as I was getting bored of travelling to look at them.
I've used Cinch and the process was pretty good.
If i could pay someone a fee and say. "Bring forth the best used car that will take a dog and some paddleboards, for X amount by the end of nxt week." I would throw them my money.
So, basically you're looking for the non-bike equivalent of STW.
"What bike for........?"
Everyone recommends what they own.
Then go and buy something else completely.
I'd suggest a Transit Custom dual-cab 😀
My last one I had delivered. I still don't like the idea. But I wanted a very specific vehicle age and trim.....mainly because the low rent trims are horrendous places to be due to seats that resemble church pews. And I'll be damned if I was driving it back from Oxford.
The Berlingo was bought down in Edinburgh ex motability complete with disability badge in the glovebox. . At 3 years old/6500miles.
Looking at the market it's getting more and more impossible to buy a 3 year old car now. Even those almost always need to be rented on a. 3 year cycle outside of a Dacia. Due to the cost of even benign cars. Eg I saw a Kia on the forecourt as we drove past with 2ft high numbers on the side. £54995 all three of us in the car exclaimed "for a Kia" ......
I've used Cinch and the process was pretty good.
Same. If you're someone like me, for whom buying a car is like buying a washing machine, Cinch is great. Fair price, accurate description, delivered to the door, two week/ 250 mile no quibble returns policy. Absolutely the best way to buy a car.
Get a wife, they will choose the car for you, then you just have to check the mechanicals. Thats how I buy my cars anyway.
I bought our last one (bmw i3) from here
https://www.sandles.co.uk/
and its been fine. Though that might not be the best way to reccomend them since I've not had to test their warranty or after sales.
"You tell him your budget, style of car, and he finds the car, then drops it off.
When I was in my late teens my then girlfriends elder brother had a mental breakdown and ended up being sectioned so one of the things we'd do as a sort of date is go and visit him in a secure mental unit in the evenings.
One of the other residents there that we'd meet at visiting times was quite chatty but all his conversation seemed to exclusively revolve around what clothes you liked, what your measurements were , in terms of sizing for t-shirts, trousers etc, so I politely humoured him, played along and told him all that.
I few days later we visited again and he handed me a pair of jeans, some t-shirts and a jacket - all in my uncommonly lanky sizes.
He'd broken out out the mental hospital, shop lifted what he's taken to be 'my order' and then broken back in again so that he could gift them to me.
OP - have you thought about having a car stolen to order?
That is an amazing story! 😅
Did you accept the clothes?
OP my trusted local independent will do exactly what you describe if you're looking at c. 4 year old or newer.
They will go source at auction through their trade experience and mark it up a bit to a retail price for their profit/time.
They were looking for us until we stumbled on what we wanted idly flicking through Auto trader over a Saturday morning brew.
The STW standard issue Skoda Superb Estate would answer your needs admirably. 🙂
What I do is, I spend about 18 months obsessively combing ebay then I find the perfect car except with a single massive glaring issue, and also it'll be somewhere really inconvenient. Then I'll write that off as obviously a bad idea, for a week, then become obsessed and buy it.
For example, the really nice, really cheap subaru with the really nice mods and addons but also the obviously broken engine which "might just need a service" which I took a train to London and then a train to Portsmouth, just before christmas and the day before a train strike, so I could drive it back to Edinburgh with it making louder and more terrible noises, in the snow.
Works every time.
We liked the car we hired on a holiday, so the day after we got back I looked them up on auto trader, test drove one locally (because it was EV, which we wanted but i'd never driven, we had actually hired the ICE version) and then bought the one online that looked best, got it delivered a couple of days later. Simples.
What I do is, I spend about 18 months obsessively combing ebay then I find the perfect car except with a single massive glaring issue, and also it'll be somewhere really inconvenient.
This reminds me of finding a decent looking 2nd hand X1 M series online. I messaged the dealer about it and didn't hear back. Messaged again. Nothing. Eventually I call, by now getting quite keen on it, worked out how to get to the place to test drive it etc. Then had the most bizarre conversation with the dealer. "Oh, that one. No, I wouldn't really recommend it. It's got a dent." He basically told me to go somewhere else.
The last one I bought I got from Cinch - knew what we wanted (500e, about 2 years old, mileage relatively unimportant, what have they got) That looks the best - press Buy and job done, delivered 10 days later.
FWIW - did the opposite with the PX too - Cinch didn't offer a good price so did the WBAC and Motorway thing, got a good offer from M'Way, dealer was a bit crap on comms for collection but otherwise turned up when they said, didn't haggle on price at all, drove away and cash in my bank later the same day (would have been instant but the accounts person was on lunchbreak - I was mildly dubious but as I had all their details and the driver had a letterheaded collection slip I was prepared to 'take a risk') I did have to have my own £2500 for the deposit on the new one this way, which then came mainly back a few days later in positive equity of the M'way sale against the PCP settlement (bought new one before old one was collected)
The one before Cinch didn't have quite the right thing so put in an Autotrader alert - anything of this or this, three years, less than 30k miles, under £x and within 50 miles of me - set your limits a bit higher than desired so you can see what you're missing out on too. I'd regularly get an email alert to click through to see as new stuff got added (incl Cinch by the way) until a week or two later one popped up at an Indy dealer 10 miles from me. Saw it the next day, put a deposit on it, was driving it 5 days later. PX on this was easy - dealer said I'll give you X against it, I said make it Y so cost of new car is Z, he said OK and we shook hands. But that was owned outright by me already so no finance stuff.
The last one I bought I got from Cinch - knew what we wanted (500e, about 2 years old, mileage relatively unimportant, what have they got) That looks the best - press Buy and job done, delivered 10 days later.
This is where i'm at. cinch os looking hella ideal for me. I can't get my head round how "not kicking the tyres" and just buying unseen is a good idea though.
I mean i think its a great idea but it feels wrong.
Agree with Op, modern cars are all getting a bit bland and dull to drive
Must admit I thought the thread was going to be about how expensive new cars are these days
If i could pay someone a fee and say. "Bring forth the best used car that will take a dog and some paddleboards, for X amount by the end of nxt week." I would throw them my money.
So, basically you're looking for the non-bike equivalent of STW.
Surely the STW verdict for this brief (or any brief really) would be a choice of the following, according to size:
- Skoda Octavia (probably estate)
- Berlingo
- Transit Custom (or Transporter if you're minted)
Reading advice about cars and car buying here, is just as frustrating as reading about cyclists on pistonheads 🤣
There are a small number of us who sit in the middle of that venn diagram and I think we usually stay out of the argument on both sides!
Work out roughly what you want, whether that's through logic, gut instinct, or just liking the look of it, then go and find the closest you can at MotorPoint.
Go to Motorpoint and pick one?
That's what we do - go to Motorpoint, have a poke around everything we like the look of, wait forever for a salesperson to sort a test drive, give up, walk out, stop at the main dealer on the way home and buy from them.
Last 2 cars i bought a paid a car finder company to research and deliver my exact model. Cost £500 was well worth it.
pretty sure, what youre describing is what was traditionally known as, "a shop"
As you havent given a budget, you could go to any Main Stealer, or better, private second hand garage, and walk out with a car. easy.
If youre looking to maximise your return and minimise your risk then thats different.
Ive always, chosen the car or cars i want first. Look at size, shape, engine etc. perhaps a bit of research into that model and whether they are any good in general. get a short list of 2 or 3 models.
then chuck it into auto trader and facebook market place, pay your money, take your chance.
Agree with Op, modern cars are all getting a bit bland and dull to drive
I've driven a fair number of different cars via cycle race sponsorship. Race promoter goes to some local dealer who provide cars for the Commissaires during the race. Very few of the cars I've driven actually stand out.
Had a BMW convertible during the World Champs in Glasgow, that stood out for being terrible and was replaced rapidly by a Volvo XC90 which was brilliant but I'd never own just due to it being an ostentatious SUV thing, totally unsuited to driving around a town.
Most of the rest of the cars have just been bland boxy things with a multitude of annoying sensors and lane assist stuff, all of which needs turning off every time you start the engine.
All that said, my ageing estate isn't going to last much longer and I've been in the same situation as the OP - I cannot be arsed to do anything about it although thankfully I have an excellent local garage so anything I'm interested in, I'll run it past them and they'll tell me everything that goes wrong with that model! 🤣
cinch os looking hella ideal for me. I can't get my head round how "not kicking the tyres" and just buying unseen is a good idea though.
2 Weeks 250 miles to try it, better than 20 mins test at the dealer
"You tell him your budget, style of car, and he finds the car, then drops it off.
When I was in my late teens my then girlfriends elder brother had a mental breakdown and ended up being sectioned so one of the things we'd do as a sort of date is go and visit him in a secure mental unit in the evenings.
One of the other residents there that we'd meet at visiting times was quite chatty but all his conversation seemed to exclusively revolve around what clothes you liked, what your measurements were , in terms of sizing for t-shirts, trousers etc, so I politely humoured him, played along and told him all that.
I few days later we visited again and he handed me a pair of jeans, some t-shirts and a jacket - all in my uncommonly lanky sizes.
He'd broken out out the mental hospital, shop lifted what he's taken to be 'my order' and then broken back in again so that he could gift them to me.
OP - have you thought about having a car stolen to order?
Not what I was expecting to read on a car buying thread...
I love buying cars. I browse Autotrader even when I have no intention of buying a car.
Just to add: PistonHeads are quite good for this sort of thing - don't forget to add you're a cyclist.
"You tell him your budget, style of car, and he finds the car, then drops it off.
When I was in my late teens my then girlfriends elder brother had a mental breakdown and ended up being sectioned so one of the things we'd do as a sort of date is go and visit him in a secure mental unit in the evenings.
One of the other residents there that we'd meet at visiting times was quite chatty but all his conversation seemed to exclusively revolve around what clothes you liked, what your measurements were , in terms of sizing for t-shirts, trousers etc, so I politely humoured him, played along and told him all that.
I few days later we visited again and he handed me a pair of jeans, some t-shirts and a jacket - all in my uncommonly lanky sizes.
He'd broken out out the mental hospital, shop lifted what he's taken to be 'my order' and then broken back in again so that he could gift them to me.
OP - have you thought about having a car stolen to order?
That's brilliant on so many levels 👏
Going back 20-25 years ago when second hand automatics where less common, we went to a big local second hand dealers to look at one but it had been sold by the time we got there. The "salesman" confidentially said they'd be able to source a similar one very quickly. We both came out convinced that the way he'd said "sourced" left us in no doubt he meant "stolen to order". Very odd.
Work colleagues and friends sell me their financially written off cars for effectively scrap value and I tinker them and keep them running for years after.
On the few occasions I have bought cars from a dealership/used car company I've dismissed many on autotrader beforehand for having ditch finder tyres / crap MOT history, having narrowed it down I've usually dismissed a few on viewing, the unicorn cars that I've bought have been good honest well looked after cars that have served us well for many years. It takes time and patience to find older, good used genuine cars.
Autotrader is good for getting an idea.
As mentioned above, I spent a long time looking at various vehicles on line, and decided on a specific spec, engine and auto transmission - so rocking horse poo. I just kept looking then added some to a watch list that were within travelling distance - most of the ones I wanted were in the South. Found one that was as close as I could get to my original spec, in the right colour, but manual, and kept an eye on it whilst I had some cash released, but it went for sale before I could go and view it.
At the same time, the exact spec vehicle turned up at a dealers, just 30 miles away. Right size, right interior, right engine, but not quite the right colour. Went to see it and bought it there and then. Dealer network locally, so servicing can be done within 10 miles from home - bought an extended service pack.
The hardest bit is deciding what you want ! I don't regret going from a large saloon car to a van. Bonus is the van is much more powerful and far easier to drive. It's a nice place to sit for hours.
I decided what make/model/spec I preferred, browsed the national main dealer (Toyota) second-hand list for a couple of weeks, and made a shortish list in Excel. Keeping all the details of 8 or 10 possible cars in my head was never going to work. The very same cars were all on Autotrader too. Then I ranked them into a sort of order based on mileage and price, and ended up getting one from a Toyota dealer about 150 miles away. Not necessarily the most 'convenient' or cheap for that matter, but it's 18 months old with 7000 miles, and was about 70% of the price of a brand new one
"You tell him your budget, style of car, and he finds the car, then drops it off. He also tests it, and negotiates for you. I think he takes a 10% cut of the sale price, but he buys at trade prices so it's not too expensive. P.s. I don't get commission 🤣 he's just been really great and helped us avoid buying a dud."
Surely what they've just described is a car dealer?
Walk in, "I would like a ......." they show you a few options that they've supposedly checked over and will give some sort of warranty to and you walk out having paid ~10% above the trade price.
You've got me looking at car buying services now and wondering if that's what I need.
I'm trying to find a Ford Galaxy of a specific trim and age for less than £12k. But being in East Yorkshire there's not much around and you're very quickly on your way over towards Bradford and Manchester to look at something that's a complete waste of a day. If for £400 someone is going to do all the searching and filtering out the rubbish, negotiating a price and basically sorting everything for me then that sounds very tempting.
I know it's like sacrificing my masculinity and I should be going kicking tyres and haggling with dealers but I really just want someone to bring me the car I want without the hassle. Is anyone brave enough to out themselves on here and admit to using such a service? Did it work out for you?
I know it's like sacrificing my masculinity and I should be going kicking tyres and haggling with dealers but I really just want someone to bring me the car I want without the hassle.
I wouldn't know the first thing to look for - and on a modern car there's not a right lot you can actually look at anyway! Rapidly coming to the conclusion (especially from following this thread, thanks all!) that I'm going to have to rely on Cinch (much as I can't stand that Rylan guy on their adverts) or an Approved Used dealer.
I've had a couple of cheapo cars in the past (back when I was a poor graduate) and I'm not putting up with the extra hassle and maintenance costs anymore.
Just go to a car supermarket and tell them what you told us.
modern cars are all getting a bit bland and dull to drive
Don't be silly. Every day practical cars are bland and dull, but they always have been - unless by 'exciting' you mean 'shit handling'. Hot hatches and sports cars still exist.
Walk 200yrds up the road when the scrap man in the village sticks anything with a MOT and a bit of life left in it up for sale.
I'm currently in a 08 Astra hatch which has done 8000 miles for me and no issues on MOT a month ago, £600. Last week there was a 206 estate for 695. Couple of months back a nice volvo with leather for £1500.
I can go ask....
last time i tried that at three dealers on the way to edinburgh with a vague request "what berlingo/partners have you got access too"
they then went on to try and sell me what they had there which lasted about 30 seconds before id stop them and say - specifically i am looking for a berlingo or a partner those are the only vehicles i want - oh we dont have any of those , - ok thanks then we wont waste any more of your time.
at least i knew there was one at edinburgh.
Surely what they've just described is a car dealer?
Yes, but without having to have stock or premises by having a guaranteed buyer they should be a good bit cheaper...
Went to Available Car (Donnington in my case).
Walked around, tried the dog cage in a few.cars boots to suss out what worked, went and bought it.
No haggling, no BS, just got it. 20 mins to sort paperwork. They have a return policy if it's crap when you drive it away (or can do a test drive if you want first. I didn't. 19k miles at rhe time, if it's bad then it would have been returned.
Went to Available Car (Donnington in my case).
I bought my last car from Available Car.
They were great, but I knew the specific car I was going for.
But if I were in a 'what shall I have next' frame of mind I'd certainly have a saunter around their stock in the future.
How does returning a car with Cinch work? I get that they'll come and collect it but what about insurance that you've just changed over? Sending V5's back? I'm guessing any car you've part exchanged is long gone so you're left without a car?
For a long time I wonder who bought cars from Car Supermarkets?! - I mean the ones local to me are like a tank of sharks, you can't go in without being escorted by a pushy, slightly psychotic salesperson, it's smells of BO and whilst every car is supposed to have 200 point check or something, those checks didn't seem to include replacing missing trim, sorting small parking dents etc.
I suppose if you're not interested in cars and just want the appropriately sized box on wheels and seats they work.
Personally, I spend about 2 years dreaming about what my next car should be, and how it will make me instantly and permanently happy. Then another 6 months of messing around with autotrader / finance calculators and 'man maths' to pretend I can afford it, in fact that it will save me money! Then a few more months trying to look at them at dealership without anyone talking to me and finally, when I'm mentally prepared... I visit a dealer with some intent, surprise the salesperson by knowing every single tiny, pointless detail about it, and make them a nervous offer based on the yearlong soul-searching man maths I've spent an hour a day on and usually agree something close. The salesperson will give me all these things to make me excited, but I'm full of anxiety and dread because I've spent too much, it's too selfish, I should have bought something cheaper to buy and run. I'll pick it up and can't even crack a smile because I'm in bits, maybe by the time I get home I might enjoy it a little bit, then I'll love it and I will be happy, for a bit and then remember possessions can't make you happy or unhappy, but when I'm happy, I love it. You can probably see why Car Supermarkets don't really do it for me.
Agree with Op, modern cars are all getting a bit bland and dull to drive
Exactly how many have you driven, as a matter of interest?
I knew exactly what I wanted, I was even able to supply VIN and registration to my local dealer, as the cars were going through refurbishment, as ex-Motability cars, but it seems that the good cars are actually bought from Motab by the dealership then sent for tidying up.
While my dealer was looking online, one popped up down in the Southeast, that had been in for repairs, but I had to make a decision then and there, to put a deposit on it.
Five years on, I’m still driving it, and couldn’t be happier with it.
But then, I’d been in the incredibly lucky position to be able to drive many, many cars and so discover which ones were absolute misery to drive after half an hour or so, and which ones were still fine three hours later. I can actually attest to the fact that a Smart fourtwo was a great little car to drive from Cornwall to North Wiltshire, with only one stop for a piss and refreshments.
Going back 20-25 years ago when second hand automatics where less common, we went to a big local second hand dealers to look at one but it had been sold by the time we got there. The "salesman" confidentially said they'd be able to source a similar one very quickly. We both came out convinced that the way he'd said "sourced" left us in no doubt he meant "stolen to order". Very odd.
the trick is for the dealer to keep the spare keys for the car they've just sold incase another customer comes in looking for something 'very similar'. 🙂
I've driven a fair number of different cars via cycle race sponsorship. Race promoter goes to some local dealer who provide cars for the Commissaires during the race.
I was at the world champs in glasgow and beside a team car that pulled up to assist a rider with a puncture. It was one of the most unhappy and distressed smelling cars I ever experienced! It just smelt of overly hot everything. Not sure if the city circuit they use in Glasgow is particularly taxing for the support cars - several thousand right angle corners - but I made a mental note to give Peter Vardy's a miss if was in the market for a motor any time soon 😆
Exactly how many have you driven, as a matter of interest?
Me personally, about 30 in the last 5 years. Everything from a mokka pretty woeful to an xtrail, ford edge and forresters. All around scotland.I fully agree with the statement all disengaging blandness. My citroen ax was more entertaining. My old panda fire was hilarious.
Forward reverse, left and right + radio. All a car needs.
Previously i would get a shanner and keep it ticking along. But we need a car that can just be good to go and reliable. I don't have off road parking let alone a garage for general stuff. So newer is the order of the day for the first time ever.
Can just about summon a co sideration for shape, anything from a focus estate up to a berlingo will do. I don't care what the spec is, the colour, the engine doesn't make any difference.
Actually a heated windscreen would be pretty handy. And LEZ probably sensible.
Checking out cinch.
Forward reverse, left and right + radio. All a car needs.
You can't say that none of it matters then start complaining about character...
None of it matters as in it doesn't make a difference. They are all in essence perfect.
The character of an old car is at any moments one of the five key areas might fail.
My last 2 cars I bought from mates, most painless car purchases to date. I sold the first one on to another mate, which was also painless.
So do you know anyone selling anything you fancy?
I was at the world champs in glasgow and beside a team car that pulled up to assist a rider with a puncture. It was one of the most unhappy and distressed smelling cars I ever experienced! It just smelt of overly hot everything. Not sure if the city circuit they use in Glasgow is particularly taxing for the support cars - several thousand right angle corners - but I made a mental note to give Peter Vardy's a miss if was in the market for a motor any time soon 😆
At the Worlds, the teams are all supplied with the same cars - in the case of Glasgow I believe they were all Kia. It's for a number of reasons - overall fairness, sponsorship reasons, to stop the actual WorldTour team riders turning up with their trade team cars, to stop the well-funded nations bringing a fleet of top end cars while the "lesser funded" nations have to cope with whatever they can afford to hire... Etc.
The problem is that the team car drivers are people from that nation (they're not supplied by the organisation) so when someone who's only ever driven a ninth-hand Lada at a road race in Timbuktu is given the keys to a new Kia, they're not necessarily the smoothest driver in the world with it...
When my car needs replacing I'll probably just buy another the same.
My mechanic friend always says:
"Buy whatever you like, they're all shit"
I found something I liked the look of at Kazoo. Bought car, car arrived a few days later, car was exactly as described, no nasty surprises, still have car. I'd buy from Cinch next time, they seem to have directly replaced Kazoo in terms of market share.
Previous car, I bought my wife's car from her. It had seats and a steering wheel. I knew the history.
Come to think of it, the one before that was hers, too. It also had seats and a steering wheel and I knew the history.
One before that I bought from kid's schoolmate's parents. I'll spare the details...
I'm not fussy on exact model, as you may gather I'm way past car snobbery, cars are much of a muchness now, it's not the 70s.
My wife spent absolutely ages messing about with local test drives and the like before going to a (other side of country) local dealer that "offered delivery" because "that's the exact right car I want". The dealer was not local to us. They began messing her about on the very first email, the messing didn't stop, my wife insisted on going through with the sale because "there isn't another one like it available", car arrived with several undocumented cosmetics, they dithered and messed about those, they didn't get sorted, emails went unanswered for ages unless followed up with a phone call where action was promised and failed to happen. They were a shitshow from the get go. The car is ok, but the service she received was dire.
If you're buying remote, buy from somewhere that does it properly.
Or buy one you already know from someone you know.
Forward reverse, left and right + radio4. All a car needs.
FTFY @joshvegas
Exactly.
AM radio minimum.
40 going on 68
I think the combination of modern cars, online sales and distance selling regulations have made the actual buying process much easier.
The days of the old dodgy car dealer who would try to cover up a fault and punt it on to an unsuspecting customer are largely over. In fact we seem to have gone to the other extreme with dealers being expected to fix issues that crop up on old cars months after they have been sold.
It's now easy to see how the price being asked compares with the market average. If you still like to haggle you can go for one priced a bit higher and talk them down or you can just buy something that is below market average and know that you are paying a fair price.
It seems to basically be a numbers game these days. Dealers buy at trade price, fix any issues they can find and sell on knowing that they will have to fix any issues that crop up in the near future, so a small percentage will end up costing them money but hopefully they make enough overall to make a profit. There is no incentive for them to sell anything with a known issue though as it's just going to come back and bite them.
You can take the gamble yourself if you like and just buy from one of the auction sites that allows private bidders. On average that will be cheaper but obviously it could go wrong.
I find test drives largely pointless. The dealer is far more likely to spot a fault on a test drive than I am. Fair enough if you have a strong preference for a certain driving style then you might want to see if the car suits you, but I've lost count of the number of cars I've driven over the past 20 years (mine, my wife's, children's, courtesy cars, hire cars) and to be honest I could live with all of them. Some feel a bit more sporty, some are set up more for comfort, but they all do the job.
I've bought a couple of cars towards the lower end of the market (~£5k) for the kids over the past few years. Both bought from the other end of the country based on pictures and a chat with the dealer. One did throw an engine fault after a couple of weeks and needed a new timing chain (around a grand) but the dealer worked with my local independent garage (and the warranty company) to sort it out at no cost to me. The fact that I could have just rejected the car and got my money back if I wanted made the process pretty much stress-free. The other one has been faultless for the year we've had it.
At the newer end of the market you may still have the manufacturer's warranty anyway so you can often get any issues sorted out before the warranty expires.
So, the buying part I don't find to tough. Deciding what to actually buy on the other hand is a nightmare. I've been looking at newer EVs for over six months now and can't find a single one that I actually want to buy.
"Buy whatever you like, they're all shit"
This irritates me. Today for a few grand you can buy a car that has sorted handling, is quiet, comfortable, economical, powerful, safe, and will probably do 150k miles with minimal repairs. Given how they actually work, this is absolutely a triumph of engineering, it's amazing. You should talk to someone about what cars were like in the 60s and 70s if you want a reality check. Or even the 80s - compare the Mk2 Fiesta 950cc that I first drove in to the 2015 Corsa that my nephew is about to buy a generation later, it's absolutely no comparison.
Think about type of car (i.e. body type, fuel type, anything you really want) conduct autotrader search, speak to owner, arrange to go see car, see they aren't total loons, buy car.
Worked for my Golf GTi, the seller did say I was the only sane person who contacted him about it, everyone else wanted to come in with low offers then argued why their price was right. Then also worked for the Octy estate I also have, pano roof, VRs model (although diesel) comfy mile muncher that can be good on fuel if driven well from a family who were being shipped over to Washington DC with the military. Both have been pretty normal in respect of maintenance etc, the Golf has had some expensive problems like the heater matrix going and the compressor for the aircon needing replacement, but it's at 100k miles was paid off years ago and remains a pleasure to drive IMO.
My boss swapped out a Lexus SUV petrol as it was 'costing him too much money' replaced with an electric that's on 30k miles deal over 4 years, but he's done 20k in less than the first year and now lives a lot further from work than he did. So PCP deals, don't do them unless you have some clear ideas on your mileage and usage patterns!
You should talk to someone about what cars were like in the 60s and 70s if you want a reality check. Or even the 80s - compare the Mk2 Fiesta 950cc that I first drove in to the 2015 Corsa that my nephew is about to buy a generation later, it's absolutely no comparison.
With cars (and to a certain extent, bikes) people stick to what they know plus (in most cases) it's a very expensive purchase so there's always an element of "just making do" with what you've got and you know the foibles and limitations and just sort of put up with it all.
And then when you get behind the wheel of something new, it's amazing how good it feels.
After working on RideLondon one year, I had to drive a massive Ford pickup truck back to the vehicle drop off point near Heathrow (it was one of the tech support vehicles which had been carrying gantries and lighting rigs, it wasn't used in the actual race convoy). For such a colossal vehicle, it was actually quite scary how well it drove. Light steering, cameras and sensors everywhere, super comfy and quiet inside. I remember Land Rover style utility vehicles from years back being rattly and loud and crap steering. This was like a couple of armchairs with a small warehouse behind them.
Although it wasn't pleasant trying to squeeze it along the insanely busy 3-lane A4 on the way out to Heathrow, I'd have been a lot happier if it had been about a foot narrower...
compare the Mk2 Fiesta 950cc that I first drove in to the 2015 Corsa that my nephew is about to buy a generation later, it's absolutely no comparison.
Or compare the Mk1 escort that I put into a ditch aged 17 with the suzuki swift that my son wrapped round a tree at 19. Thankfully he had ABS and 7 air bags to help him walk away. I didn't even have a seatbelt*, just a lot of luck.
Modern ICE cars really are amazing for anybody who remembers what cars used to be like. My current car has just ticked over 150,000 miles and the only things that have needed replacing in all of those miles are tyres, brakes, suspension bits and one ABS speed sensor (at 120k). It's still on the original exhaust, clutch, timing belt, alternator, water pump etc. That old escort was considered to be knackered at 60k.
*OK, the car had them but I'm not even sure they were inertia reel and anyway I was far too cool (i.e. stupid) to wear one.
You can have my E-class Estate for 4.5k. It will swallow everything you require of it. Quite sad to be letting it go tbh and I don't tend to get attached to metal things. In answer to your OP I used Car Supermarket. Other than quite a lot of pressure to get everything together quickly as things move fast once you buy the car, it has all been fine so far. Car arrives on friday, hopefully the same one as in the video they sent over.
You can have my E-class Estate for 4.5k
Model/age/spec/mileage? 🙂
Model/age/spec/mileage?
15 plate, Night Edition, 164K with new subframe. Pretty sure this is against forum rules, sorry mods
"Buy whatever you like, they're all shit"
This irritates me. Today for a few grand you can buy a car that has sorted handling, is quiet, comfortable, economical, powerful, safe, and will probably do 150k miles with minimal repairs. Given how they actually work, this is absolutely a triumph of engineering, it's amazing. You should talk to someone about what cars were like in the 60s and 70s if you want a reality check. Or even the 80s - compare the Mk2 Fiesta 950cc that I first drove in to the 2015 Corsa that my nephew is about to buy a generation later, it's absolutely no comparison.
This is from the point of view of a guy who has spent the past 30 years working on them, from his perspective most of what comes in through his doors is there because it's got issues.
I'd be sick of that too...
I've had my fair share of old runabouts, and I agree, modern cars are pretty good. Except the A class I had, what a disappointment that was!
This is from the point of view of a guy who has spent the past 30 years working on them, from his perspective most of what comes in through his doors is there because it's got issues.
No bias there then. Everything breaks eventually or for many drivers....if treated badly enough. .
Normally I put “Passat” “estate” & “<50000” into auto trader. Then go buy one of them.
worked the last few times that the current Passat went nearish 200000
given that I just did that and the prices were a surprise, I think I’ll let the current one get nearer 200000
I suppose if you're not interested in cars and just want the appropriately sized box on wheels and seats they work.
yes, that about sums me up: it’s transport. It’s not important.
