Buying a used car in Ireland guide

L-M

Laurel67000 wrote: »

I see what you mean... Well hopefully whan I get it back tomorrow, they will have fixed what I asked them to and we shall see about the clutch! To be honest I didnt know why my leg was sore at first, as I changed from petrol to diesel, then I was informed they should feel the same to drive. Is that true?

it depends on what car it is, the clutch should feel the same* but the car would be different to drive than a petrol.

How do you know the clutch is going?

*With exeption to some jeeps etc.

bungaro79

will hopefully have 8/9k to spend on a car in the next few months. currently have a 01 skoda fabia and i'm hoping that i might be able to get some bit of a trade-in value if i buy from a garage, haven't a clue what kinda value they would put on it, anyone got any ideas??? also would a skoda dealership give me the best trade in price??
is there an average mile/km per year that a "normal" car does so i can narrow down the search when i'm looking online?? did a look on carzone and theres so many to choose from i don't know where to even start (especially when i know hardly anything about cars)! low tax and good milage and for the price would i get something about the same size (or a bit bigger) in 2010 or 2009??
thanks!

helimachoptor

Just spotted this,

http://www.dublinmotors.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=767578

880,000 miles!!

Mycroft H

helimachoptor wrote: »

Just spotted this,

http://www.dublinmotors.ie/viewanad.php?ad_id=767578

880,000 miles!!

Pretty sure there has to be an extra nought slipped in there somewhere. Thats too clean for more the 3/4 of a million miles. The leather seats are in good condition.

shot2go

what do ye think off this car http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3108879

good deal or not so good

bhp100

thanks

Teferi

This seems like the place to ask for advice regarding buying a second hand car so hopefully someone can help me out.

I'm looking to upgrade, have previously had a Yaris and have been driving a 206 for the last 5 years. I am definitely lost when it comes to cars. What would be a solid car in the 2000e range or how would I go about educating myself about this sort of thing? What should I be looking out for in regards to bad stuff in that range? What brands tend to have a good name?

mmmn..chicken

hi limerick man you should be charging for all the advice:) i bought my last car a nissan almera 99 off donedeal in the dark in the middle of winter and drove from tipp to kilkenny to meet a stranger from wexford and handed over cash without even trying to drive it as i was afraid i would crash it on the ice.....what an idiot i was , luckily the car is a dinger. but tis getting on a bit so im looking to trade up. after reading your first post in this thread I feel like some "thick eejit" at how naive I was
i have around 4000 to spend
would prefer diesel but would go petrol
around 1.4-1.6 engine
babs due in july so need something decent enough size
year 2003 and up
was thinking peugeot 407 / mazda/citreon c5/ ford focus
been told to get wv/ skoda/nissan or mazda?
any advice or tips on what i should look for greatly appreciated:D
thanks so much

L-M

Throw up a few links of what you like and we can advise you that way

String

Can I request to send off the logbook my self when buying off a dealer? Let them fill out all the information and then I go post it?

Esel

DrMorphine wrote: »

Can I request to send off the logbook my self when buying off a dealer? Let them fill out all the information and then I go post it?

If you were selling your car privately, would you give the logbook to the buyer? No, because there is no guarantee they will ever send it off.....

Seweryn

Esel wrote: »

If you were selling your car privately, would you give the logbook to the buyer? No, because there is no guarantee they will ever send it off.....

You have to hand over the Registration Document to the buyer, if the buyer lives abroad.

First Aid Ireland

How do you know when a timing belt needs changing? Some people have said to me it's at 40k miles, others have said it depends on the car. How do i find out if a 2003 VW Golf needs one?

L-M

First Aid Ireland wrote: »

How do you know when a timing belt needs changing? Some people have said to me it's at 40k miles, others have said it depends on the car. How do i find out if a 2003 VW Golf needs one?

They can snap anytime after 40k but 60k is the recommended.

bungaro79

hi limerick man,

thanks for the excellent tips in this thread. i've been looking at some cars in the past fortnight and have walked away from a couple after not being happy with some things which i never would've know if it weren't for this thread!

i'm liking the look of this 08 astra, don't need a big engine as i don't do huge milage, any comments on it??? are they reliable??

thanks

http://www.beepbeep.ie/used-cars/car-details.html?car=58657_1446190

Esel

^ Sold.

eoferrall

hey guys - i'm very interested in this car or something similar. not knowing much about cars is there anything I should look out for in particular?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/335-335I/201216207817501/advert?channel=CARS

thanks!

L-M

Sorry for the delay!

That car seems cheap and has been forsale for a while, i'd bring a mechanic that knows what they're looking at!

eoferrall

Limerick man wrote: »

Sorry for the delay!

That car seems cheap and has been forsale for a while, i'd bring a mechanic that knows what they're looking at!

yeah I have a mechanic that is very familiar with BMW's I know to check it over for me, safety first!

Joe10000

My OH has a commercial 2003 Santa Fe and we need to sell it and buy a passenger as she has a bun in the oven.

2nd owner, 90k miles, maroon, doe due in June.

Blue850

Before looking at a car, try something simple as googling the reg

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3266513

http://www.carnext.ie/28032012.pdf
Check out mileage on 4th last car:rolleyes:

Joe10000

Wow that's shocking.

L-M

People dont realise how rampant it is!

kerry4sam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfJnoXxHPNo

dardhal

Read the whole thread at once, very helpful advice, thanks a lot to all those who contributed, and specially to Limerick Man to get the ball rolling and for all the helpful advice.

Here goes my pledge for advice :-) May need to buy a car in the next few weeks (about a month, changing jobs and home). In all fairness, I may be very well going to work on bike, as it will probably won't be further than 5 Km. away from home, but there are times when you don't feel like cycling in the rain, and doing the groceries could be a bit unconvenient. Also, it could come handy for those few days you have to go to the city or to other commuter towns (around Cork), or even to have a couple of days off driving around the country.

So, it won't be used a lot, probably there will be weeks when it won't be used at all, and I can't think of driving more than 5000 Km. a year. I may pay more, but don't believe is worth paying more than 2000 € for a car that I only need to last two year or so. And it is clear that any engine above 1.5 liter petrol is out of the question (for taxing and insurance reasons).

That being said, I've seen there are truckloads of cars matching those criteria in the usual places on the Internet, and I don't have strong opinions regarding brands or aesthetics (a pink micra would be as fine as a black focus with red stripes, you get the idea). So here comes the question(s) we were all expecting:
a) What would be the most important thing to look at in second hard car to increase the probability of problem-free running it for 2 years, 10.000 Km?
b) Regarding the timing belt, and lacking any guarantee on the mileage it was changed, if ever, would it be safer to go for a car well beyond the belt replacement mileage (because one can assume that at this mileage it is either changed or extremely unlikely to not have been), or hoping for it not to break, betting on the extremely low usage of the car is going to endure during the next years?
c) Being non-Irish as all should have noticed by now, being offered a car with NCT and tax expired, doesn't it make illegal to be driven on open roads? Who's the one that will be fined if during the test ride the gards happen to be around and ask for the red tape to be in order?
d) I understand the change of ownerships is something the seller has to sort himself. How about car insurance, can you sign for a policy in advance (I hope so :-) ), go to the seller's place, exchange money / log book / keys / etc., and take the car back home, and that's all on the buyers TODO list?
e) Provided it is a very vague question and open to strong opinions, any brand/models to avoid, or to look for, according to the requirements above?

Any help would be highly appreciated, but the thread has been so helpful for me so far that I feel bad for asking.

Jimbob 83

Blue850 wrote: »

Before looking at a car, try something simple as googling the reg

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3266513

http://www.carnext.ie/28032012.pdf
Check out mileage on 4th last car:rolleyes:

Jaysus some poor mug paid 8450 for it

Newcastlewest

hi lads I am looking for a small diesel engine car . Driving a 300 miles a week and trying to cut fuel cost . Any advice please. I have budget 8000€.
Thanks

Seweryn

Newcastlewest wrote: »

hi lads I am looking for a small diesel engine car . Driving a 300 miles a week and trying to cut fuel cost . Any advice please. I have budget 8000€.
Thanks

Spending €8,000 on a car when you are looking for savings is madness.
Save your money, keep your current car and drive a bit less.

notsobusy

Thank god for this thread...went to view a car yesterday, loved it but guy wouldn't drop the price on his open to offers car.....he texted me back that evening agreeing on a price. I did a motorcheck report and turned out there is money owed....he is denying there is and has now changed his story about who owns the car. A finance check is a must!!!

L-M

notsobusy wrote: »

Thank god for this thread...went to view a car yesterday, loved it but guy wouldn't drop the price on his open to offers car.....he texted me back that evening agreeing on a price. I did a motorcheck report and turned out there is money owed....he is denying there is and has now changed his story about who owns the car. A finance check is a must!!!

Finance check would be a must on most cars under 5 years.

Tbh honest, with the amount of crap cars for sale at the moment, the 30 euro check is well worthwhile!