Buying a used car in Ireland guide

L-M

Wait now your 4 year old Corolla did what?

stephenmario

I know nothing when it comes to cars and I am looking to buy my first. I'll be driving Kerry to Cork 2-3 times a week round trip and would like that to be as economical as possible. Other than that I'm really just looking for something cheap and reliable. Could people suggest makes/models and maybe just some other threads on boards to take a look at?

Thanks!!!!

EDIT: Budget - under 4k but the less the better really!

L-M

Budget?

stephenmario

Limerick man wrote: »

Budget?

Oh sorry, under 4k. The less the better really!

beckman

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/1.6-TDCI/34113613754789890/advert?channel=CARS


I am about 5 hours away from buying this car?I managed to get the dealer down to 11, 250 euro....am i being paying too much considering the mileage that is on it, it is also a uk import but I thought that with the mileage being so high if it was clocked they would surely bring it down a bit more than that!!!!!Any advice would be appreciated......

Thanks

Mc Love

The ad says tinted windows and it doesnt appear to have them!

Judging on bringing one in yourself - you are paying a bit more by not importing it, from what I can see for one with the same mileage you could bring one over for approximately eight and a half grand!!

perkydapig

Limerick man wrote: »

Wait now your 4 year old Corolla did what?

Fat Fingers! She's a 99, so 14 years old.

Amaru KGB

Anybody know the difference between a high spec and low spec BMW. I'm looking at a 2006 'high spec' with about 100,000 miles one it

SRFC

Amaru KGB wrote: »

Anybody know the difference between a high spec and low spec BMW. I'm looking at a 2006 'high spec' with about 100,000 miles one it

Higher spec would include stuff like heated seats,leathers,upgraded alloys ect

rocky

This one?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4439295

Seems quite high spec, it's not an MSport though

Manual and no comfort seats...

Amaru KGB

Ahh ok, thanks folks.

StewartGriffin

Hi all,

Just looking for a bit of advice. i'm looking to buy a car and want to choose between the following:

2007 Ford Focus 1.4 petrol, 75000mls, 2yr NCT, 3mnth warranty, 6000 euro

2007 Nissan Almera 1.5 petrol, 50000mls, 5500 euro (not sure of nct or warranty)

2007 Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 petrol, automatic, 35000 miles, 2yrs NCT, Full dealer warranty, 5500 Euro

I'm inclined towards the focus but would the relatively high mileage be a warning sign? No guarantee the other 2 haven't been clocked back of course.

Very grateful for any help,

Thanks.

rocky

Amaru KGB wrote: »

Ahh ok, thanks folks.

It still looks like a nice car, if overpriced.

You could buy a 2008 523i for the same money, less spec though.

Quick question, folks: If a car has changed hands to an individual in the last three months, but is for sale by a dealer, is this anything to be concerned about?

Motor tax site (linked in the opening post) says it was given to an individual, but the advert says it's an auctioneers. From looking at the picture of the car and talking on the phone, the person clearly deals with multiple cars on a regular basis. I believe he sells a lot and also does auctions. Is the 'transferred to an individual' thing of any concern here?

Car is of low enough value (~€1200).

Any thoughts?

(apologies if already covered. I'm only on page 3 of the thread so far, but just working through slowly).

daveharnett

StewartGriffin wrote: »

...

2007 Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 petrol, automatic, 350,000 miles, 2yrs NCT, Full dealer warranty, 5500 Euro

No guarantee [it hasn't] been clocked back of course.

I certainly hope not
Even assuming that the colt was 35,000 miles, I'd take the almera. The focus is generally a better drive, but afaik that 1.4 engine is pretty underpowered.

unwinding

I'm looking for a diesel estate as well, with a limited budget, and I'm finding way too many Passats with high mileage and a couple of Peugeot 406's with dubious backgrounds. This looks like a long and arduous task..

There's one '00 406 in NI, £1795, with the tax it would amount to 2500 euros. I like the car, it's everything I'm looking for. From a dealer, one owner since 2004. But, would it be worth it? Importing a car that old? The 900-euro jobs I'm finding on this side of the border are seriously dubious...

unwinding

I'm looking for a diesel estate as well, with a limited budget, and I'm finding way too many Passats with high mileage and a couple of Peugeot 406's with dubious backgrounds. This looks like a long and arduous task..

There's one '00 406 in NI, £1795, with the tax it would amount to 2500 euros. I like the car, it's everything I'm looking for. From a dealer, one owner since 2004. But, would it be worth it? Importing a car that old? The 900-euro jobs I'm finding on this side of the border are seriously dubious...

brainiac

Hey guys, i'm looking for any semi decent car (Was looking at Yaris, Micra, Soirento, Atoz and anything else similar). First car to buy, been looking around Done Deal and checking the comparable insurance price on Chill to find the cheapest.

Basically i'm looking for the cheapest to run, cheapest to insure and tax, and cheapest to buy car without risking safety or risk having any severe issues, here's the information that will be helpful:

Budget: €600
Price range for insurance: Up to 1500E preferably (gotten similar full quotes from Chill with lloyds for myslef alone, or donwward to about 1000 for myself as a named driver on another policy with a 1.0L car)
Preferred models: Above, but anything decent and cheap
Age: 19
Experience: Possibly waiting until full license acquired, but im fine buying during my learner permit period

Also, any recommendations for the best method of getting insurance (I dont mind being a named driver for this year and have a few people who might help out) or if im just better off going through chill on direct debit for around 1.3k per year for myself and get the NCB. Really lost as to the best choice for me at the moment. Don't have a TERRIBLE amount of money to spare with college.

As mentioned, cheap to run would be preferred, any reccomendations of specific ads or anything helpful will be much appreciated,

-brainiac-

Esel

^ Don't buy a car from dealextreme. The batteries won't last, and you won't be able to get parts...

brainiac

Esel wrote: »

^ Don't buy a car from dealextreme. The batteries won't last, and you won't be able to get parts...

Oh wow, was buying crap on DX when I typed that xD, corrected to Done Deal thanks :P

L-M

For 600 you won't get a Yaris, get yourself a decent Micra and you'll be fine.

NorthenQueen

Quick question folks,

I am looking for a used car at the moment. This will be my first car so I am a little unsure of the market.

My price range is between 4000 and 5000 euros.

I saw a surprising number of mercedes Benz A-Class on sale for around 5000. They seem to be selling as cheaply or even more cheaply than polos or golfs when the year and milage are similar. This surprised me as I would have assumed that a mercedes would be more expensive.

This car appeals to me as I have a baby on the way and it is spacious.

Is there something I am missing here? Is there anything wrong with this model of car?

Laura

L-M

Not really other than the fact people don't like the looks of them.

I have very little experience with them so can't advise you on engines etc. But the boot in them in fairly small so bring a buggie with you, can't imagine you would fit two in the boot though.

Nice high seating position .

MidlandsM

A classes are sh¬t, avoid them, carolla verso ....look at them

brainiac

Limerick man wrote: »

For 600 you won't get a Yaris, get yourself a decent Micra and you'll be fine.

Any recommendations for minimum year? And likely cheapest companies to get insurance from for a young, male, new driver? Thanks for your reply btw

P_1

Going for the test soon so looking for a set of wheels to hopefully go with the full license.

Budget is 2-3k this is to cover the car, insurance and tax.

I'm thinking of a 1.4 Golf/Fabia/Ibiza or something similar.

Any suggestions?

Esel

^ How much do you expect to have to pay for insurance?

It will indicate how much you have left for the car and tax. You should hold at least €200 - €300 in reserve for servicing, unexpected repairs etc.

Have a look at the 1999 Mazda 3 (in Naas) linked in this post by RJ in the Bangernomics thread - asking €800, probably get it for a bit less if you show the folding stuff. It has 112k miles, 10 months NCT and 7 months tax on it. You should follow the Bangernomics thread too - some really bargains get posted there.

I think the Mazda 3 of that era have a very good rep. Get you started anyway, and you'd probably get your money back in 3 months time if you didn't like it.

P_1

Esel wrote: »

^ How much do you expect to have to pay for insurance?

It will indicate how much you have left for the car and tax. You should hold at least €200 - €300 in reserve for servicing, unexpected repairs etc.

Have a look at the 1999 Mazda 3 (in Naas) linked in this post by RJ in the Bangernomics thread - asking €800, probably get it for a bit less if you show the folding stuff. It has 112k miles, 10 months NCT and 7 months tax on it. You should follow the Bangernomics thread too - some really bargains get posted there.

I think the Mazda 3 of that era have a very good rep. Get you started anyway, and you'd probably get your money back in 3 months time if you didn't like it.

I'm guestemating the insurance would cost in and around the 600-800 mark (26 y/o full license with a years NDE).

Basically I don't want to buy a lemon that will cost more to keep running than it cost to buy

Esel

P_1 wrote: »

I'm guestemating the insurance would cost in and around the 600-800 mark (26 y/o full license with a years NDE).

Basically I don't want to buy a lemon that will cost more to keep running than it cost to buy

I don't think the Mazda would be a lemon though. Honest John * gives it a good review. "Sensationally reliable" "Tidy looks, sweet engines and brilliant reliability". Get it for €600, replace the timing belt and water pump (unless you see a receipt for this being done already) and away you go. It would make a good first car for someone. Probably not for you, though!

It would be worth your while following the Bangernomics thread (that link is to the first page, so jump to the last page from there) - some very nice deals are posted there on a daily basis.

* Expect to see someone slagging HJ reviews here soon....

faral

Guys any thoughts about 2006 Ford Focus 1.6 petrol?I saw one with relatively low millage (109k) for about 4500.Im not into any Ford but this one kept my attention for more that just a minute.