Buying a used car in Ireland guide

L-M · 24-07-2011 7:04pm

MidlandsM wrote: »

errmm, no, I was too busy today selling jammerz to respond.;)
Re; looking at cars at near nightfall, total bollox..........LOL:pac:

You obviously haven't look at enough cars!

thewheel2.0 · 25-07-2011 9:47am

Lads help. Ive been looking at a lovely Ford Fiesta 2000 1.25L. It has 29000 miles up on it and they are genuine as its fairly well minded. Its taxed and NCTed for 8 months so it will save me a pretty penny in the short term.

Now I went to view the car and it has quite a bit of surface rust, where the windows meet the doors in the corners, in the engine bay, and on the underside. Now this is all surface rust its not too critical. But rust is never a good sign. It was kept near the sea in doolin.

Car drives great and the interior is spotless! Its around 1200 and I dont know wheater to go for it or not. I really like it but how serious is rust?

Also it has never had the timing belt done but does that matter with its way low millage? Do you look at both milage and years for timing belt or just milage? And also th breaks are a bit weak....Is that every fiesta?

Thanks lads, I want to buy it but Im a bit hesiant with the rust...Opinions?

L-M · 25-07-2011 11:22am

They all rust, I haven't seen the car but you should note that the clocks in those only have 5 digits so the maximum mileage they can read is 99,999 miles and then it just starts again, could very easily be 129,000 miles.

Any link to the car?

thewheel2.0 · 25-07-2011 12:20pm

Limerick man wrote: »

They all rust, I haven't seen the car but you should note that the clocks in those only have 5 digits so the maximum mileage they can read is 99,999 miles and then it just starts again, could very easily be 129,000 miles.

Any link to the car?

No its not up on the internet, its in one of those countryside garages down in Balysteen (John Culhane is the dealer dunno if you've heard of him or where you are in limerick) bout a mile down the road from me. Looking at the car I'd believe the mileage but there's a 97 fiesta sitting in the yard that hasn't any signs of rust. So limerick man you wouldn't be two concerned with rust? The spare wheel underneath the car is rotten but the rest of the underneath is just surface rust from what I can see.

L-M · 25-07-2011 12:27pm

No, I would be very concerned of the rust especially if it's lived it's life in Doolin. I can't say anything without seeing it, but I've heard of him alright. I saw a polished up Fiesta with 30,000 miles on the clock and it was actually 130,000 they don't wear a massive pile, only rust.

He probably won't give you a warranty with it at that money, just check the oil level, make sure it's bang on, check when it was last tested and see did it fail on anything (you'll see at the top of the sheet No. Of inspections) if it's more than one ask what it failed on (if he tested it).

Other than that I can't do any more without pictures/link etc. When those engines are going well they're a great engine, but like everything there's a good few bad ones out there.

The belt would of been due at 100,000 miles or ten years, if there's no record of it being done take it as being due.

thewheel2.0 · 25-07-2011 12:39pm

Limerick man wrote: »

No, I would be very concerned of the rust especially if it's lived it's life in Doolin. I can't say anything without seeing it, but I've heard of him alright. I saw a polished up Fiesta with 30,000 miles on the clock and it was actually 130,000 they don't wear a massive pile, only rust.

He probably won't give you a warranty with it at that money, just check the oil level, make sure it's bang on, check when it was last tested and see did it fail on anything (you'll see at the top of the sheet No. Of inspections) if it's more than one ask what it failed on (if he tested it).

Other than that I can't do any more without pictures/link etc. When those engines are going well they're a great engine, but like everything there's a good few bad ones out there.

The belt would of been due at 100,000 miles or ten years, if there's no record of it being done take it as being due.

Hmmm Its a tough one, its mechanically sound and driving well. My dad has bought 17 cars and put it through the ringer. But we are both hesitant with the rust, hes getting a 00 Renault Clio in and my dad says he will compare them side by side and make his mind up. Problem is I like the fiesta and would find it hard to walk away from it nice and cheap and taxed!

L-M · 25-07-2011 1:08pm

Sure tax is only 70 odd quid. The Clio would be a more comfortable, refined car IMO, and should be rust free. Those Fiestas (like many Ford and cars of that era) are known for rust.

Clio's suffer from little niggly problems where the Fiesta wouldn't, but most of the common problems with them are easily and in most cases, cheaply fixed.

At the end of the day all I can do is give the advice I've given in the first post, without actually seeing the car I can only go on generalizations.

leftfooter · 28-07-2011 9:03am

Outstanding Post LM, thoroughly comprehensive!

niallu · 30-07-2011 1:09am

Thanks for the below.....many things I would have never thought of

Esel · 30-07-2011 3:43am

You are welcome.

Sorry LM, couldn't resist!

Mark Hamill · 11-08-2011 8:31am

Hi all, my friend is looking to buy a Merc C Class Kompressor. She went online and found some of cars listed for sale, say, 3 so far. So, she checked the registration numbers in cartell.ie. After keying in the reg numbers, the "Model" description was correct, but only 1 of the car has "Description" as advertised- "C SERIES KOMPRESSOR 1.8 AVANTGARDE SE 04DR A" and the other 2 just have "4DR 200" written. Is it possible that the 2 cars are not of Kompressor model? How accurate is the free check at cartell.ie, any recommendations is highly appreciated.

rocky112 · 16-08-2011 12:54pm

Amazing and very informative post Limerick Man...Really fantastic and I like it. Thanks.

realdanbreen · 19-08-2011 9:57am

Out of curiousity L man, re the windows,I don't see any stand alone number EG ..... 8 ,on any of my windows.Its a '98 BMW 316i.

L-M · 19-08-2011 10:46am

realdanbreen wrote: »

Out of curiousity L man, re the windows,I don't see any stand alone number EG ..... 8 ,on any of my windows.Its a '98 BMW 316i.

Most cars vary... I'll have a closer look at a friends E36 today and see.

Here's the window of my 2001 Golf...

292875_10150763579460176_805400175_20495012_3317678_n.jpg

292875_10150763579460176_805400175_20495012_3317678_n.jpg

Esel · 20-08-2011 12:49am

Limerick man wrote: »

Here's the window of my 2001 Golf...

Ah yeah, but that's the tinted window of a skangermobile.

NCT fail - FACT! :pac:

shaneyboy1 · 21-08-2011 6:06pm

brilliant post limerick man,im actually looking for a second hand focus,i seen a lovely 99 one online for E1200 with 149k miles on it,would you recommend?
thanks in advance

L-M · 22-08-2011 12:57am

Esel wrote: »

Ah yeah, but that's the tinted window of a skangermobile.

NCT fail - FACT! :pac:

What? I haven't got tints?

@shaneyboy, I'd imagine you'd get a lower mileage one for less or the same money anyway, bit on the rich side.

Esel · 22-08-2011 2:49am

Limerick man wrote: »

What? I haven't got tints?

Just pulling your leg, LM.

japanesecars · 25-08-2011 8:33am

This is very useful and informative for us..Thank you!!!

riccardo · 29-08-2011 11:17pm

Great post Limerick man.

I tried to buy a 2008 mini on done deal this week and narrowed the search down to 2 cars. Both looked in great shape and also right colour spec etc for the wife.

One car had a stolen EMS and DME unit and had been heavy damaged in a crash and the other car was been solded with incorrect mileage.

On both ocassions www.carhistorycheck.ie was able to identify mileage and damage status and give me the knowledge i needed etc..

Bottom line is that you need to know that the information is readily available and its up to you not to be lazy and think that everyones going to be telling you the truth etc etc !!!!

-Chris- · 30-08-2011 8:16am

riccardo wrote: »

On both ocassions www.carhistorycheck.ie was able to identify mileage and damage status and give me the knowledge i needed etc..

Is that not a trade-only tool though?

Dunder Mifflin · 12-09-2011 6:49pm

What do people think of €1350 for a 99 Peugeot 206, full service history, NCT'ed for a year, 4 new tyres, just serviced too.

First car btw.

Thanks, and great OP.

Edit: 145,000 miles.

L-M · 12-09-2011 8:33pm

Jaysus no! Way over priced, mileage is too high. Presuming it's a 1.1 petrol, that is.

tfitzgerald · 12-09-2011 8:42pm

Just came across this thread and have to say some very useful info in the op and all the post well done to Limerickman

Dunder Mifflin · 12-09-2011 8:57pm

Limerick man wrote: »

Jaysus no! Way over priced, mileage is too high. Presuming it's a 1.1 petrol, that is.

What would you consider a fair price?

Bombbastic22 · 12-09-2011 9:21pm

500 euro max

L-M · 13-09-2011 9:26am

I wouldn't even buy it!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2517296

Same money, 3 years new, and 25k less miles.

irishproduce · 16-09-2011 4:03pm

Any general advikce when making payment privately?
i.e. so that you are getting confirmation the car is yours??

Thanks
irish

irishproduce · 16-09-2011 4:14pm

Any general advice on paying cash privately?
i.e. ensuring the car is actually yours after handing over cash...

L-M · 16-09-2011 8:33pm

Best way to do it is to bring a stamped envelope, and both of ye go to a post box and post of the logbook.

Bring a printed page with you saying

"I ___________ have sold the vehicle with registration number _________ to ___________"

And both of ye sign it.

After that, it's up to trusting the owner.

Deiseboy01 · 16-09-2011 11:21pm

Hi Limerick Man,

Love the OP, did you ever get around to posting a sellers version?

I'm about to flog an 05 Renault Megane Monace 1.4L with 70,000 km's on the clock plus a 00 Lexus IS200 with 80k+ miles on the clock. Any idea what I should be asking?

Lexus has had a new timing belt and clutch in the last six months.

L-M · 17-09-2011 12:52am

Sadly neither of those cars would have a great resale, the demand for the Lexus Is200 has decreased alot lately and the supply has increased.

If it was me, I'd be cleaning up both cars, chancing the Megane at €4250 (and decreasing the price to around €3750 if it doesn't sell within a reasonable time frame) and about €2250 with the hope of getting somewhere between 1500-1800 for the Lexus.

Kev_ps3 · 17-09-2011 2:45pm

Whats the story with bringing a car to a garage to get it checked over before you buy it? Ive got a car last febuary and never bothered to do it, and when I went to sell it a few weeks ago no one wanted to do it. Is it the done thing? Is it really necessary? I never heard of anyone doing it.
I am having a look at a car during the week and I will probably do a motorcheck, would that be not enough?
cheers

L-M · 17-09-2011 3:01pm

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

Whats the story with bringing a car to a garage to get it checked over before you buy it? Ive got a car last febuary and never bothered to do it, and when I went to sell it a few weeks ago no one wanted to do it. Is it the done thing? Is it really necessary? I never heard of anyone doing it.

Very, very few people would bring a car to a garage, most people will bring a mechanic with them but never bring it to a garage.

I am having a look at a car during the week and I will probably do a motorcheck, would that be not enough?
cheers

No, a motorcheck is not enough. That's purely to check the history of the car, it's far from enough to check the current condition of a car. You really are best off bring a qualified mechanic with you to view a car for peace of mind.

Kev_ps3 · 17-09-2011 4:29pm

Limerick man wrote: »

Very, very few people would bring a car to a garage, most people will bring a mechanic with them but never bring it to a garage.

No, a motorcheck is not enough. That's purely to check the history of the car, it's far from enough to check the current condition of a car. You really are best off bring a qualified mechanic with you to view a car for peace of mind.

alrite man cheers, how much would a mechanic cost roughly to check it?

L-M · 17-09-2011 9:08pm

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

alrite man cheers, how much would a mechanic cost roughly to check it?

I can't honestly answer that question because it completely depends on the mechanic.

Deiseboy01 · 17-09-2011 10:05pm

Limerick man wrote: »

Sadly neither of those cars would have a great resale, the demand for the Lexus Is200 has decreased alot lately and the supply has increased.

If it was me, I'd be cleaning up both cars, chancing the Megane at €4250 (and decreasing the price to around €3750 if it doesn't sell within a reasonable time frame) and about €2250 with the hope of getting somewhere between 1500-1800 for the Lexus.

Thanks LM, went to the garage today and the guy offered me a fair bit less than that for them so its a private sale for me.

I've also got an 01 BMW 520 Mtek which has 86k miles on the clock, any ideas as to its value?

I've just found out that number two is on the way so we're in the market for a people carrier, was looking at the SMax Ford, looks decent yet costly, what the general opinion of them?

L-M · 17-09-2011 10:11pm

Deiseboy01 wrote: »

Thanks LM, went to the garage today and the guy offered me a fair bit less than that for them so its a private sale for me.

I've also got an 01 BMW 520 Mtek which has 86k miles on the clock, any ideas as to its value?

I've just found out that number two is on the way so we're in the market for a people carrier, was looking at the SMax Ford, looks decent yet costly, what the general opinion of them?

The 520 without looking at other prices and if it's nct'd I'd be sticking it up for around 2250 and seeing how you go from there.

As for the Smaz I have only experienced one in my time, I was mad about it. Probably my favourite people carrier, main thing would be to watch out for service history etc. like any car, but they are a nice place to be in

Deiseboy01 · 18-09-2011 12:08pm

Went to clean up the damn Lexus which has been in the garage for a couple of months and it's as dead as the proverbial Dodo. Missus has buggered off in the BMW so I only have the Megane on hand, is it ok to charge a Lexus battery from a Megane?

L-M · 18-09-2011 12:10pm

Deiseboy01 wrote: »

Went to clean up the damn Lexus which has been in the garage for a couple of months and it's as dead as the proverbial Dodo. Missus has buggered off in the BMW so I only have the Megane on hand, is it ok to charge a Lexus battery from a Megane?

Charge it? No, jump it, maybe. I'd do it, but I'm not saying it's ok to do so. Probably better of buying a new battery for it, if it's fubbered it's going to stay fubbered

connie147 · 18-09-2011 1:06pm

Hey LM, very good post.

Im going buying myself a car and wondering if you could help with a guideline price. The car I have my eye on is 2007 Ford Focus ghia, 1.6l, 115BHP with 1 owner and 48,000 miles. Its been sold in a main dealers. Im not trading anything against it, straight deal. They were asking 8,900 for it, I have them down to 8,000 and reckon I could squeeze another couple of hundred off them.
Is this a fair price, or should I be getting it cheaper? I know the garage and the salesman, so no worries at all about anything being wrong with it. I also rang the previous owner who told me he just traded it against a new car.
Just looking for advice on price and indeed if anyone here has good/bad things to say about the 1.6l Focus Ghia?

connie

L-M · 18-09-2011 2:58pm

If you're happy with the car, a bit under 8k wouldn't be bad at all! Any link to it?

connie147 · 18-09-2011 7:15pm

Limerick man wrote: »

If you're happy with the car, a bit under 8k wouldn't be bad at all! Any link to it?

Yeah, heres a link

http://www.beepbeep.ie/used-cars/car-details.html?car=52027_1408819

Thanks for your advice anyway. What do you think of the focus ghia, and I guess, what do you think after checking the link?

Connie

L-M · 18-09-2011 7:38pm

Hmmm...

You'd probably buy this for 6k,

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2429015,

That gives you two grand to play with...

connie147 · 18-09-2011 8:10pm

How much do you value buying a car you know from a main dealer you know with a warranty against buying a car privately as in on done deal?

Connie

L-M · 18-09-2011 8:18pm

connie147 wrote: »

How much do you value buying a car you know from a main dealer you know with a warranty against buying a car privately as in on done deal?

Connie

Simple, how far would 2 grand get you? On a relatively basic engine! I'd be bargaining a bit harder. Again it depends on the car, if that one is absolutely spotless, it's in your home town etc. You have to weigh up your own options whether you want to "risk"buying privately, but to be fair, we've heard of as many bad stories as buying privately to buying from a dealer.

FrankGrimes · 20-09-2011 6:24pm

My car gave up the ghost recently so I'm driving the other half's Fiesta for the moment but it's a temporary measure only. I've decided I'll buy a Skoda Superb either 09 or 10 in the Elegance model and in diesel with the DSG gearbox (must-have requirements).

Friend's uncle owns a Skoda dealership so I've been discussing with them and they're looking into it, but given the specific requirements and the relatively low pool of cars sold in 09, options in Ireland are relatively few and they're asking if I could hold off until Jan/Feb 2012 as people upgrading will result in more 2nd hand options - that might be tool long for me to wait but I could manage if it was to make a big difference.

The above is specific to my case, but the following are general questions that will likely be useful to others, so including them in the buying guide thread seemed to make sense.

How much of a price difference could you expect in buying an 09 in Jan/Feb 2012 vs now (i.e. does price generally drop once the next calendar year kicks in or not)?

In general, on a 2nd hand car bought at a dealer, on a say €20k asking price, where would be the right ballpark to start negotiating a price from (e.g. offer €18k, €19k, €15k)?

Does buying in cash really make any difference to the dealer? And when people say buying in 'cash', am I right to assume they actually mean via a bank draft?

If price is not that negotiable, are there other areas the buyer can try negotiate on (e.g. any post-sales support additions/extensions to request)?

Given that the spec I'm looking for is not readily available in Ireland, if the dealer was to import from the UK for me (to save me the hassle and get the warranty from the dealer), should I estimate price based on Autotrader.co.uk price + VRT (about €5500) + maybe a grand for transporting/hassle? Or would the dealer likely get it at a good bit less than the Autotrader.co.uk asking price and are there other considerations to take into account?

Thanks for any pointers.

L-M · 20-09-2011 6:50pm

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Friend's uncle owns a Skoda dealership so I've been discussing with them and they're looking into it, but given the specific requirements and the relatively low pool of cars sold in 09, options in Ireland are relatively few and they're asking if I could hold off until Jan/Feb 2012 as people upgrading will result in more 2nd hand options - that might be tool long for me to wait but I could manage if it was to make a big difference.

Tbh no, you won't see major price differences in used cars until maybe March of next year.

How much of a price difference could you expect in buying an 09 in Jan/Feb 2012 vs now (i.e. does price generally drop once the next calendar year kicks in or not)?

No, it wouldn't drop straight away, they drop gradually over the year.

In general, on a 2nd hand car bought at a dealer, on a say €20k asking price, where would be the right ballpark to start negotiating a price from (e.g. offer €18k, €19k, €15k)?

Best thing to do is go in and ask what the best deal would be if you were to buy straight, if they say 19,000, then hit low with 18,000 and worth your way up from that. If I had a car forsale for €20k and you offered me €15 I'd literally tell you to f off.

Does buying in cash really make any difference to the dealer? And when people say buying in 'cash', am I right to assume they actually mean via a bank draft?

It doesn't matter, once the dealer is paid they're paid.

If price is not that negotiable, are there other areas the buyer can try negotiate on (e.g. any post-sales support additions/extensions to request)?

Yes, absolutely, make sure it has mats, good tyres, a tank of petrol etc. etc. I'd be bargaining these even if I got 1500 off. When you're just about to sign the deal, act a bit hessitant and tell them if they put some petrol in it you'll be happy to go ahead with the deal.

Given that the spec I'm looking for is not readily available in Ireland, if the dealer was to import from the UK for me (to save me the hassle and get the warranty from the dealer), should I estimate price based on Autotrader.co.uk price + VRT (about €5500) + maybe a grand for transporting/hassle? Or would the dealer likely get it at a good bit less than the Autotrader.co.uk asking price and are there other considerations to take into account?

TBH unless the dealer already had it I wouldn't bother, as most of them won't buy on "spec" in a hope that you'll buy it. In a way, they'd want at least 2 grand profit after it to cover with warranty etc. Most 09 diesels would have high miles anyway.

Kev_ps3 · 20-09-2011 7:39pm

Im looking to buy a civic type r at the moment and im ringing around a few people. What the story with people having no paper work? Is that normal? Some have service work paper from their own ownership but nothing from previous owners. I find that strange esp since alot say they imported it from the UK, your hardly going to buy a car in another county without paperwork are you?
Just want to get opinions, cheers

Bombbastic22 · 20-09-2011 8:41pm

Do you think it's worth buying a car with 130,000 miles?

Which of these do you think is the better buy? I've heard the old model passats are more reliable.

What do you think of these two:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2546757

http://www.alhayesmotors.com/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201123202812493

Buying a used car in Ireland guide

Comments