Buying a car, lots of questions

Balmed Out

Im hoping to buy a car soon. At first I was only planning on spending 6 or 7 thousand but after seeing whats available i might double that. At the moment i have a 97 toyoto carina e wine colour. Theres nothing at all wrong with it so theres no big rush but i am sick to death of it. Its tax is up in a few weeks so ill either replace it now or in 3 months.

Im not too clued in when it comes to cars so any advice on what to ask / watch for / handle used car salesmen when i do buy one would be welcome.

Im based in Cork and have noticed that cars seem a little more expensive here compared to other parts of the country on the net. I overheard a conversation between 2 old fellas recently saying the same thing, they had both gone to dublin in the end and reckoned they saved themselves a few quid. Also anytime I have noticed something that seems good value its always been wine which is a big no no as i cant stand it. Is it expensive to get it painted a different colour? Im presuming yes.

Ive always preferred saloon type cars and have been looking at nissan primeras, skoda octavia's, Toyota avensis, Honda Accords, ford mondeo's and Volkswagen Passat's. Prefer something at least 2002 and 1.6L.
Girlfriend is from west cork an hour away and i drive there maybe twice a week. Is it worth getting a diesel ? Have been thinking of doing so but they seem more expensive again and have way more mileage.
Any help much appreciated.

BillyGoatGruff

Shop around.
Buy in the last 5 days of a month.(when salesmen are struggling for numbers)
Haggle haggle haggle
Don't trade in your car - go for straight deal instead
Get car inspected by professional
Do HPI Check
My advice would be to go with the accord. Beautiful reliable car.
Check prices in the UK an up north.
Cant spray a car a different colour for a reasonable price + it will affect residual values.

-Chris-

Balmed Out wrote: »

Im not too clued in when it comes to cars so any advice on what to ask / watch for / handle used car salesmen when i do buy one would be welcome.

There's a dearth of information on car buying and negotiation tactics on the 'net.
Watch these videos as a starter (it's americanised, but you'll get the idea).
http://www.videojug.com/tag/car-buying

Balmed Out wrote: »

Im based in Cork and have noticed that cars seem a little more expensive here compared to other parts of the country on the net. I overheard a conversation between 2 old fellas recently saying the same thing, they had both gone to dublin in the end and reckoned they saved themselves a few quid.

Everyone in Dublin will tell you they get a better deal down the country...
The grass is always greener...

Balmed Out wrote: »

Also anytime I have noticed something that seems good value its always been wine which is a big no no as i cant stand it. Is it expensive to get it painted a different colour? Im presuming yes.

Don't respray your car or the car you buy.

Balmed Out wrote: »

Ive always preferred saloon type cars and have been looking at nissan primeras, skoda octavia's, Toyota avensis, Honda Accords, ford mondeo's and Volkswagen Passat's. Prefer something at least 2002 and 1.6L.

I'd agree with all your choices except the Primera. I wouldn't buy any of these cars in 1.6. I'd go for a 1.8 or a diesel.

Balmed Out wrote: »

Girlfriend is from west cork an hour away and i drive there maybe twice a week. Is it worth getting a diesel ? Have been thinking of doing so but they seem more expensive again and have way more mileage.
Any help much appreciated.

What's your annual mileage, do you think?

BillyGoatGruff wrote: »

Shop around.
Buy in the last 5 days of a month.(when salesmen are struggling for numbers)

Salespeople are under pressure every day at the moment. You don't need to wait until the end of the month.

BillyGoatGruff wrote: »

Haggle haggle haggle
Don't trade in your car - go for straight deal instead

The straight deal/trade-in argument isn't as simple as this. Selling cars privately is proving very difficult at the moment.

BillyGoatGruff wrote: »

Get car inspected by professional
Do HPI Check

Definitely.

BillyGoatGruff wrote: »

Check prices in the UK an up north

Also good advice.

BillyGoatGruff

AudiChris wrote: »

Salespeople are under pressure every day at the moment. You don't need to wait until the end of the month.



The straight deal/trade-in argument isn't as simple as this. Selling cars privately is proving very difficult at the moment.



.

True they are under pressure all of the time. But if you are lucky to get a guy who is off the acceptable level of cars for the month by one or two he may do his best to get the deal and thus be under more pressure to get the low price.

I was saying to go straight deal as the car he is trading in isn't of much value any way and he will possibly do better straight. ( some garages have house charges on all cars, incl trade cars, so he may get the same straight as he does trading.)


All in all though, I think your advice was better.

regedit

as there are quite a few persons involved in the car sales industry here, I'm just wondering would they be prepared to disclose when negotiating the purchase of a new car, what discount could one obtain. I.e., ifd the price of a new car is say 25.000, would a 10% discount (25000 minus 2500 Eu) be something most dealers would be prepared to go with. A few years ago, it used to be some 7%.

-Chris-

regedit wrote: »

as there are quite a few persons involved in the car sales industry here, I'm just wondering would they be prepared to disclose when negotiating the purchase of a new car, what discount could one obtain. I.e., ifd the price of a new car is say 25.000, would a 10% discount (25000 minus 2500 Eu) be something most dealers would be prepared to go with. A few years ago, it used to be some 7%.

There is no simple equation/percentage. It depends on the car, the brand, the time of year etc. etc.

And I doubt anyone would disclose that who's currently working in the motor trade - I could tell you the margins available on an Audi quite easily, but I'd be subject to disciplinary proceedings from my employer...

regedit

AudiChris wrote: »

There is no simple equation/percentage. It depends on the car, the brand, the time of year etc. etc.

And I doubt anyone would disclose that who's currently working in the motor trade - I could tell you the margins available on an Audi quite easily, but I'd be subject to disciplinary proceedings from my employer...

I appreciate that. The two last cars that we bought (2003 Corolla and 2007 Yaris), managed to get 8% discount. I reckon the dealer was happy as well as I was. I know people who get new cars without even trying to negotiate a better deal than the one offered by a salesman. I think that is madness.Will be getting a new can at the beginning of 2009 and while I have not decided what it will be (narrowed the list-that I have done), I would like to know what discount would keep the dealer making a profit while at the same time, the customer would be happy with the saving.

-Chris-

regedit wrote: »

I appreciate that. The two last cars that we bought (2003 Corolla and 2007 Yaris), managed to get 8% discount. I reckon the dealer was happy as well as I was. ...
...I would like to know what discount would keep the dealer making a profit while at the same time, the customer would be happy with the saving.

That's my point though, the Toyota dealer was happy giving 8% discount, but if I sold a car with 8% discount I'd be making a loss - margins differ from make-to-make and car-to-car...

Balmed Out

Thanks for the replies.

AudiChris wrote: »

I'd agree with all your choices except the Primera. I wouldn't buy any of these cars in 1.6. I'd go for a 1.8 or a diesel.

Initially I really liked the Primera its nice looking but ive heard its heavy on petrol.
Im 29 but have only been driving for 3 years so im guessing insurance could be fairly high above a 1.6. Whats wrong with them at 1.6?
How much extra do u reckon its worth to spend for a diesel?

AudiChris wrote: »

What's your annual mileage, do you think?

I reckon I do about 18000 miles.

-Chris-

Balmed Out wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.


Initially I really liked the Primera its nice looking but ive heard its heavy on petrol.
Im 29 but have only been driving for 3 years so im guessing insurance could be fairly high above a 1.6. Whats wrong with them at 1.6?
How much extra do u reckon its worth to spend for a diesel?

I reckon I do about 18000 miles.

18,000 miles pa would make me seriously consider a diesel for reduced running costs and better residual value.
If you're doing that kind of mileage a 1.6 in a large family saloon will be unrefined and strained.

As for the Primera, I just don't like them - I think they're ugly and plastic-y and no fun to drive - it's a personal opinion.

R.O.R

AudiChris wrote: »

As for the Primera, I just don't like them - I think they're ugly and plastic-y and no fun to drive - it's a personal opinion.

+1, but you also forgot slow and wallowy.

OP - run a few different cars through the likes of 123.ie to check insurance pricing. It might not be as bad as you think on a 1.9 or 2.0 diesel.

kuro_man

Did you consider a 1.6 Focus. Available as a saloon, good to drive and its light enough to have a 1.6 that isn't trashed. Big sellers, so plenty to choose from.

I would bother with a trade-in, at your price level a cash discount would be equal to the allowance on the old car. Selling it privately is no problem if you are realistic and you price it properly. In a recession, old, cheap, reliable japanese cars are just what people want.

kuro_man

Here's one in cork, haggle hard
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Ford/Focus/GHIA/1180539/

smash

Alfa 156 or Mazda6?

Balmed Out

yeah i like both of them but i know too many people with alfa's, prefer something different. Mazda 6s do look good but not too many of them for sale.