Buying a used car in Ireland guide

L-M · 11-07-2012 2:48pm

irish-stew wrote: »

If going though a dealer and trading I understand that you give the Vechile Registration Cert to the dealer. But do you get anything to send to Shannon to show you no longer own it.

The garage will temporarily put the car in their name. You can check that this has been completed by logging onto motortax.ie and vehicle transacytion enquiry. If nothing showz up contact the dealer.

vonniec wrote: »

The car I'm looking at has a vehicle registration certificate issued in the last three months, but there is no change of ownership...

Not sure what this means?? The post says it should tell you if it was private or dealer...or have i just read it wrong?

This means they have lost the logbook and applied for a new one, nothing sinister there.

JP Liz V1 · 11-07-2012 3:56pm

What is best make of smaller cars e.g. 1.0 or 1.1 cars to get please?

Any advice greatly appreciated

MidlandsM · 11-07-2012 4:01pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

What is best make of smaller cars e.g. 1.0 or 1.1 cars to get please?

Any advice greatly appreciated

yaris ..........

JP Liz V1 · 11-07-2012 4:29pm

MidlandsM wrote: »

yaris ..........

Thanks also the most expensive

Boom_Bap · 11-07-2012 4:35pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Thanks also the most expensive

In the 1.0 or 1.1, Yaris is the best. Corsa is also a decent shout.

If you go to 1.2, I'd recommend a Punto, or a Grande Punto (newer model from 06 onwards)
I've recently been looking and test driving loads of cars in that engine size range and settled on the Grande Punto. Very happy with it. Of all the smaller cars you get a bit of performance from it, it's economical, the parts are cheap, simple engine, looks good and is spacious.

The other contender for me was a Fiesta, but the engine just sounded too mechanical for me.

L-M · 11-07-2012 5:47pm

Boom_Bap wrote: »

In the 1.0 or 1.1, Yaris is the best. Corsa is also a decent shout.

If you go to 1.2, I'd recommend a Punto, or a Grande Punto (newer model from 06 onwards)
I've recently been looking and test driving loads of cars in that engine size range and settled on the Grande Punto. Very happy with it. Of all the smaller cars you get a bit of performance from it, it's economical, the parts are cheap, simple engine, looks good and is spacious.

The other contender for me was a Fiesta, but the engine just sounded too mechanical for me.

All Corsas are crap! Stay away

MidlandsM · 12-07-2012 9:06pm

Limerick man wrote: »

All Corsas are crap! Stay away

+1, god yeah, avoid corsa's ...........

MidlandsM · 12-07-2012 9:08pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Thanks also the most expensive

I know Liz, but you'll get it back at the other end when you sell

It'd be worth stratching a budget an extra grand for a good yaris........trouble free motoring, frugal and decent ncap safety too......which people often overlook..

Jimbob 83 · 12-07-2012 9:22pm

Gonna be viewing 3 cars on Monday but cannot bring mechanic friend along, brother will come for the spin though.

3 cars spread across leinster so should take the whole day. What would you recommend LM view all three and then come back in afew days to buy as tbh if i like the first one i think it might be silly to leave a deposit as i might like the other 2 better. Whole reason for trying out three is because they are all different specs and never driven the make/model before so want some comparison.

Have limited technical knowhow besides common sense/know the basic things to look for as does brother so deffo can't buy/get mechanic friend to view+hook up to diagnostic equipment until i have it narrowed down to one car as my mechanic friend is very busy and is only off 1 day a week.

How would you approach this ?

L-M · 13-07-2012 11:35am

What car is it?

Definitely drive all three before you even consider putting a deposit down! The beauty of this is that you'll a feel for the car and you'll be able to come to a conclusion that one is "Tighter" than the other, or one has this that and the other thing, all three have this problem etc. etc.

MidlandsM · 13-07-2012 2:31pm

if it a popular car Jimbob, well priced etc, chances are some will be sold before you get near then..........if you dilly dally ......

Jimbob 83 · 14-07-2012 10:59pm

MidlandsM wrote: »

if it a popular car Jimbob, well priced etc, chances are some will be sold before you get near then..........if you dilly dally ......

Focus ST, popular sure but will many people run out and buy one w/o serious consideration, nope.

MidlandsM · 14-07-2012 11:06pm

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

Focus ST, popular sure but will many people run out and buy one w/o serious consideration, nope.

ahhh you are grand so.......

miller50841 · 14-07-2012 11:10pm

Obvious things are check how many owners, vin matches book, nct mileage match, any signs of respray or rust underneath in case imported from north of IRl or UK, wear and tear on seats, steering wheel, floor. Check up on was there any call backs on model you want and see if was sorted. Do not buy if at a car park or so it can be very risky, when buying and owner is going to send log book make sure to get this photocopied.
This all might be already known but just some of what I could think of

Jimbob 83 · 15-07-2012 12:08am

miller50841 wrote: »

Obvious things are check how many owners, vin matches book, nct mileage match, any signs of respray or rust underneath in case imported from north of IRl or UK, wear and tear on seats, steering wheel, floor. Check up on was there any call backs on model you want and see if was sorted. Do not buy if at a car park or so it can be very risky, when buying and owner is going to send log book make sure to get this photocopied.
This all might be already known but just some of what I could think of

Ahh yea well plan is Motorcheck the 3 cars im viewing the night before + Ford Etis reg check (gives full spec/recall info and the like)

Then view all 3 in turn checking for the simple stuff and things known to give issue with the car like sideskirts/underfloor body faults, Oil filter membrane problems and dropped clutches and after test drive to agree a provisional price w/o leaving a deposit.

Main thing is just to get a feel for the car and the owner ofc in each case and then go home(galway 2h 30 mins away) make up my mind which i prefer and ring the owner the following day and agree to have a mechanic friend do a diagnostic check and mechanical the following sunday or so and if it checks out buy at provisionally agrees price and off i go.

Considered a Motorcheck inspection too to make things simpler but it unduly ties you down to 1 car and if the seller gets wind you need to borrow the car for 90 mins to do a check that is costing you guts of 200 bean they might get a little cheeky on price to try and squeeze you as you have commited yourself financially.

I will update you with my tales of woe on tues/weds :pac:

FrontDoor · 15-07-2012 12:26pm

Hi LimerickMan,
Fantastic thread.

Have you ever bought a car and not been happy with it at all? Although every thing is perfect with it?

How long would you be inclined to keep it before selling it again?

Talking 4k range here.

L-M · 16-07-2012 1:15pm

FrontDoor wrote: »

Hi LimerickMan,
Fantastic thread.

Have you ever bought a car and not been happy with it at all? Although every thing is perfect with it?

How long would you be inclined to keep it before selling it again?

Talking 4k range here.

I always buy a car with the mind to be able to change it as soon as possible without losing money.

If I wasn't happy with a car, even it being perfect, nothing would stop me selling it a week later. Just having to convince potential buyers of this is the killer.

FrontDoor · 16-07-2012 1:27pm

Limerick man wrote: »

I always buy a car with the mind to be able to change it as soon as possible without losing money.

If I wasn't happy with a car, even it being perfect, nothing would stop me selling it a week later. Just having to convince potential buyers of this is the killer.

I bought a yoke that is mechanically bang on etc, checked by mechanic. Apparently it is very fresh. Just no interest in it at all.

It came fairly right, cheaper than anything on Donedeal, but probably isn't the most popular of cars.

Might stick it up again in a few months and see does it interest anybody.

Cheers

dibs101 · 19-07-2012 7:42pm

So rang about a second hand car today. The owner emigrated to Australia 2 years ago and his father is selling on his behalf. This is defo a celtic tiger construction vehicle and aside from the potential outstanding finance side of things, how do i stand from a legal point of view?

Would the vehicle have to be in the fathers name to sell it? Otherwise from a legal point of view if the name on the log book is not the sellers, am i essestially buying a stolen vehicle?????!!!!!

Any other comments or concerns about buying a vehicle from a non resident welcome....

Thanks

Esel · 21-07-2012 2:22am

^ IANAL (i.e. this is not a legal opinion), but if the properly completed registration certificate that you have witnessed being posted to Shannon bears a 'signature' of the current registered owner in the appropriate (transfer of ownership) section, then, all other things being equal, a new registration certificate will be posted to you from Shannon.

In other words, anyone can scrawl a 'signature' on the certificate. You will only have to worry if there actually is something underhand going on (i.e. if it turns out that the actual owner had not consented to the sale), and I presume you will be able to get a gut feeling about this before committing to buying the vehicle.

On a separate point, you mention 'construction vehicle' in your post. If you mean that the vehicle is classed as commercial for motor tax purposes, you should make yourself aware of the new regime regarding the taxation/use of this class of vehicle, which makes it very difficult for an owner to use such a vehicle for any non-commercial purposes. Do a search of this forum for more information on this if it is relevant to you.

patdahat · 22-07-2012 10:12am

lad's in the next few day's ill be looking at a 1.6l focus diesel 06, is there any specific's i should be on the look out for relating to this car??

MidlandsM · 22-07-2012 12:04pm

patdahat wrote: »

lad's in the next few day's ill be looking at a 1.6l focus diesel 06, is there any specific's i should be on the look out for relating to this car??

Basically, DON'T - shyte engine.....the 1.6 tdci is one of the worst ever placed in a ford as its not a proper ford engine. You'd be lucky not to encounter massive bills - im speaking from experience and not hear'say. Search out a 1.8tdci focus, better engine by a million miles, same mpg, more grunt, and the bit more payable in road tax is negligible over the year.

MarthaMyDear · 22-07-2012 3:44pm

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anybody would be willing to give me a quick opinion on this car? Thanks for the buying guide it's brilliant! They are selling the car and buying an automatic because the lady who owns it finds driving manual very difficult. So they havn't had it long should I be wary? If it drives well and ticks all the boxes that are listed above do you think it's ok?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3650407

thanks in advance.

MidlandsM · 22-07-2012 5:06pm

MarthaMyDear wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just wondering if anybody would be willing to give me a quick opinion on this car? Thanks for the buying guide it's brilliant! They are selling the car and buying an automatic because the lady who owns it finds driving manual very difficult. So they havn't had it long should I be wary? If it drives well and ticks all the boxes that are listed above do you think it's ok?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3650407

thanks in advance.

re; the tax, its renewed yet they're selling, caution required alright, could be using that as a sales tool. !
couple of things of note on these from memory.....

they can leak water ...check the carpets for dampness in the footwells, condensation in the windows inside is a dead giveaway....and a musty small inside - watch for too many air freshners in the car of lots of fabrese spray just been used.....
check the wiper linkage for sloppyness...
check the blower fan in the dash, common failure......ensure it works at all speeds....
Re; his quote - Timing Chain = no worries......well, all grand and well isd the chain is not noisey .......then you'd have got an expensive repair bill on yer hands.

...make sure it selecting all gears well and not jumping out of any gears......

...get a good experienced mechanic to eyeball it first if you are unsure.

Good luck:)

MarthaMyDear · 22-07-2012 5:15pm

MidlandsM wrote: »

re; the tax, its renewed yet they're selling, caution required alright, could be using that as a sales tool. !
couple of things of note on these from memory.....

they can leak water ...check the carpets for dampness in the footwells, condensation in the windows inside is a dead giveaway....and a musty small inside - watch for too many air freshners in the car of lots of fabrese spray just been used.....
check the wiper linkage for sloppyness...
check the blower fan in the dash, common failure......ensure it works at all speeds....
Re; his quote - Timing Chain = no worries......well, all grand and well isd the chain is not noisey .......then you'd have got an expensive repair bill on yer hands.

...make sure it selecting all gears well and not jumping out of any gears......

...get a good experienced mechanic to eyeball it first if you are unsure.

Good luck:)

Thanks a million. I'll take that all into consideration! Think the reason the car is freshly taxed is either because it was bought for this lady to drive recently and now she wants a different car or else because cars with tax usually sell for a bit higher. I'll tread with caution though

Thanks

L-M · 23-07-2012 1:45pm

From personal experience the gear shifter in those older Micra's is always stiff.

As long as the car itself checks out you should be ok, I'd ignore/try to avoid taking into their story and just check out the car.

MarthaMyDear · 23-07-2012 4:13pm

Limerick man wrote: »

From personal experience the gear shifter in those older Micra's is always stiff.

As long as the car itself checks out you should be ok, I'd ignore/try to avoid taking into their story and just check out the car.

Thank you. First car so fingers crossed it's ok!!

veruca salt · 24-07-2012 10:08am

Hi, desperately trying to find a Honda civic 2006+ hatchback (either 1.8 or 2.2) for around 6,000, do you think this is just totally unrealistic? Does this seem a bit dodge? http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3669179
Or this cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3439256 60k milage?
Thanks a million for any advice!

MidlandsM · 24-07-2012 10:24am

do the checks on the cars and get them independently inspected if needed be, then you can decide. You'll only know so much over the internet.

veruca salt · 24-07-2012 10:47am

Thank you for that, hopefully we will manage to find one!

MidlandsM · 24-07-2012 12:15pm

one thing about those civic, avoid the auto/semi auto gearbox in them, they can be hassle.

boystarone · 24-07-2012 12:32pm

hi guys first time posting to this tread, and like everyone else i'm looking for some advice. don't have much experience of buying cars/ or much of a clue when its comes to them for that matter, things is mine just packed in and i ned it for work, I do a lot km, about 20,000 per year. and my budget is 3500/4500 what i'd love to get some advice on is diesel vs petrol. specifically does a 1.8 diesel give as good MPG as a low engine size petrol say a 1.4? it seems like there more diesels available at this engine size for the money I have. would anyone have any recommendations? for 1.8 diesels,

also i'm going to check this later what do you think?

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3655657

any advice would be very welcome

Glebee · 24-07-2012 11:18pm

Hi guys, looking for an opinions on my choice. Time to change my old reliable 03 Golf TDI. Liking the Volvo S60 Diesel and on the look out for a 2010 model. Dont see to many for sale though. Any opinion on the volvo...
What else should I consider in the same price range..
Thanks all

boystarone · 25-07-2012 12:04am

I went to look at this car today:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3669892

I drove it and everything seemed fine but an 'anti pollution warning' message came up on the display when I switched on the engine. The owner said it had been there since shortly after she bought the car (about a year) and she hadn't had any problems. I'm just worried the car won't pass an NTC because of this (its up in 6 months) or it's an underlying bigger issue. I can see online that people encounter this problem a lot with the 307, but just wondering will it pass an NCT with a warning like this? I was going to get a mechanic out to look at it but do you think it's worth my while with a fault like this or should i just try again?

MidlandsM · 25-07-2012 10:36am

boystarone wrote: »

I went to look at this car today:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3669892

I drove it and everything seemed fine but an 'anti pollution warning' message came up on the display when I switched on the engine. The owner said it had been there since shortly after she bought the car (about a year) and she hadn't had any problems. I'm just worried the car won't pass an NTC because of this (its up in 6 months) or it's an underlying bigger issue. I can see online that people encounter this problem a lot with the 307, but just wondering will it pass an NCT with a warning like this? I was going to get a mechanic out to look at it but do you think it's worth my while with a fault like this or should i just try again?

yeah, move on ......next time when calling about a car/making an appt to view, clearly ask the seller "are there any warning lights currently "illumenated"on the dash, like a airbag,anti pollution or any other warning lights? - be clear in your questioning, and if you get anything else than a straight clear answer, forget about it, and move on.

L-M · 25-07-2012 10:38am

That could easily cost you a lot of money OP.

To be honest, try stay away from the 1.6 HDI, they're a very troublesome engine and they're just not worth the hassle.

boystarone · 25-07-2012 11:27am

Thanks for the advice Limerick man and Midlandsm. I talked to my mechanic this morning and he was of the same opinion - didn't think it was worth my while having him look at it. He also thought a peugeot with that mileage would probably be a money pit over the next few years so I'm definitely going to keep looking.

MidlandsM · 25-07-2012 11:35am

boystarone wrote: »

Thanks for the advice Limerick man and Midlandsm. I talked to my mechanic this morning and he was of the same opinion - didn't think it was worth my while having him look at it. He also thought a peugeot with that mileage would probably be a money pit over the next few years so I'm definitely going to keep looking.

that mechanics a keeper!

my advice in that segment is to seek out a nice 1.8tdci focus....good engine, good mpg, good car and not to bad to tax/insure. Much better all round.

something like this -
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3499601

boystarone · 25-07-2012 12:40pm

That looks like a great car - 4,500 is my budget though - I do see a few older Focus's coming up there.

What do think about the Ford Fusion? I've seen a few of them coming up in my price range too.

MidlandsM · 25-07-2012 12:42pm

boystarone wrote: »

That looks like a great car - 4,500 is my budget though - I do see a few older Focus's coming up there.

What do think about the Ford Fusion? I've seen a few of them coming up in my price range too.

they're basically a tall fiesta......the diesels a 1.4 psa unit, same as you'll get in a pug,citroen and the fusion/fiesta .........reliable enough, very frugal, but man, slllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooow ...........:pac:

Mister Jingles · 25-07-2012 1:22pm

boystarone wrote: »

That looks like a great car - 4,500 is my budget though - I do see a few older Focus's coming up there.

What do think about the Ford Fusion? I've seen a few of them coming up in my price range too.

There an okay car, big enough inside for what they are, plenty of room in the back but only if people in the front haven't got long legs. Grand sized boot. Driving position isn't the most comfortable but they are fine when it comes to handling, bit of body roll in the corners but that's to be expected.

Never drove the 1.4 diesel but have heard they are dog slow. The 1.4 petrol is okay, its a lighter car then the Focus but not by much but as with the 1.4 Focus is does struggle when there is a lot of weight inside. I've always felt that it could do with another 10-15 bhp.

boystarone · 25-07-2012 2:12pm

Oh ok - the look of them always put me off a bit but you've definitely made up my mind now!

I didn't know that about 1.4 diesel engines and I've never driven one either - so I should be looking for 1.5/1.6 upwards.

MidlandsM · 25-07-2012 2:32pm

boystarone wrote: »

Oh ok - the look of them always put me off a bit but you've definitely made up my mind now!

I didn't know that about 1.4 diesel engines and I've never driven one either - so I should be looking for 1.5/1.6 upwards.

1.8 upwards tbh imho:pac:

L-M · 25-07-2012 4:38pm

Those 1.4s are known for their injectors, too.

dark crystal · 26-07-2012 12:51am

Limerick man wrote: »

All Corsas are crap! Stay away

Can you explain further...

Am looking at this one tomorrow: http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3675354

On a VERY tight budget and this one seemed like a decent buy. What are the main problems associated with Corsa's?

MidlandsM · 26-07-2012 10:01am

dark crystal wrote: »

What are the main problems associated with Corsa's?

head gasket failure just for starters..........horrible insipid yokes.

...and just because its got an nct does'nt mean its not sh|t.

.

L-M · 26-07-2012 10:03am

dark crystal wrote: »

Can you explain further...

Am looking at this one tomorrow: http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3675354

On a VERY tight budget and this one seemed like a decent buy. What are the main problems associated with Corsa's?

Just buy a Micra.

I was more refering to the Corsa's with a timing chain rather than a belt, which the above has, but still.

dark crystal · 26-07-2012 12:35pm

MidlandsM wrote: »

head gasket failure just for starters..........horrible insipid yokes.

...and just because its got an nct does'nt mean its not sh|t.

.

Well I bought a 00 Passat in January and the head gasket went last month, so not sure such problems can be associated purely with one brand over another, tbh. This Corsa seems to have been well taken care of (low mileage for the year, regularly serviced etc.)

I agree Corsas aren't the most exciting cars, but with a budget of €650, beggars can't be choosers!! I'll definitely be using a few of the tips outlined in OP just to be a bit more cautious than I was last time, though

L-M · 26-07-2012 2:16pm

Someone in the bangernomics thread had a 97 polo for 400 not so long ago!

MidlandsM · 26-07-2012 3:53pm

dark crystal wrote: »

Well I bought a 00 Passat in January and the head gasket went last month, so not sure such problems can be associated purely with one brand over another, tbh.

yes, yes they can .....

Buying a used car in Ireland guide

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