Buying a used car in Ireland guide

agfasfos

I noticed the back seat too, upholstery seems ripped & no attempt to repair it ?. Not a good sign from my point of view, cosmetic I know but I would be wary.

caffers3

Limerick man, if you have a spare minute would you take a look at this and see what you think please?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Focus/1.4-I-LX/37713811415013620/advert?channel=CARS

L-M

Mileage is very high on that. I'd expect to pay less than a grand even with a warranty.

Try get something with a history and lower miles.

Moneymaker

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-focus-5-dr-zetec-a-c/5939553

That looks a good deal better, has the 1.6 engine, all the toys and looks(to my untrained eye at least) in good nick.

Long NCT too.

bazz26

I wouldn't even bother looking at cars in that price being sold by dealers. They offer no value over a private sale imo and don't expect much in the way of dealer comeback in that price range. €1750 for a nearly 14 year old Focus is not cheap either. Dealers selling used cars in this price range usually stock old cars they took in as trade-ins, there is very little or any profit in spending money on them and then trying to resell them. Better off buying privately where you can gauge the owner on how the car was cared for and ask them specific questions about it's history.

caffers3

Thanks for that. Had a look at it on donedeal and it had the mileage at 170,000km. Definitely will stay away from it now that I've noticed that's actually in miles. Moneymaker, as a young driver (24) with no previous insurance I think 1.4L is the highest I could go to try keep the premium down?

bazz26

caffers3 wrote: »

Thanks for that. Had a look at it on donedeal and it had the mileage at 170,000km. Definitely will stay away from it now that I've noticed that's actually in miles. Moneymaker, as a young driver (24) with no previous insurance I think 1.4L is the highest I could go to try keep the premium down?

This could be worth a look at:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-focus-1-4/5937776

trishawisha

Hey, I was hoping for a little advice.
Up until a week ago I was happy driving my (inherited from my grandfather- 215,000 miles!) 00 Opel astra, and then a delivery driver drove straight into me. I think insurance has agreed a right off price of €850, so will be able to add a grand to that.
Im not into looks or speed just want a safe reliable car. So i have spotted a 04 Seat Cordoba 1.2 petrol on DoneDeal for €1900 with 110,000 miles on it. Nct until March 14. Is this a good deal? I have never driven a cordoba, but had an Ibiza before and it was grand.
I would love opinions on this - I did search forum and found a thread on Seat Cordobas,they are only for chubby middle aged people- Im not middle aged!
Thanks in advance

L-M

Coil packs!

trishawisha

Thanks Limerick Man, coil packs are not something I have heard of. Is it something that may go or will definitely go? Iv read some reviews and it seems to be a reliable car besides that issue? Can this be a very expensive thing to keep replacing or does one go and you put up with noise until you can afford to replace it?

trishawisha

Ok, what about a 02 Volkswagen Bora? 1.4 petrol, 100k miles? Anything to look out for? Its priced at €1850, is this a good price? Are these solid reliable cars compared to Seat? Thanks for help in advance, husband has been on nights all week and hasnt been able to help with the search

L-M

Those 1.4s were notorious for burning oil etc. But as far as I know it was well improved by 04. That said, 1850 sounds very cheap for a 04 withjust 100k on it

colm_mcm

trishawisha wrote: »

I would love opinions on this - I did search forum and found a thread on Seat Cordobas,they are only for chubby middle aged people- Im not middle aged!
Thanks in advance

That sounds like something I said

road_high

Hi guys,

Going to give this the once over and interested in buying (for ma). When is the timing belt due on those? Has an 01 Civic for years so it's Civic all the way.
Price?:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-civic-1-4/5829304

colm_mcm

Its got a timing chain, so as long as the oil has been changed regularly you'll have no worries.
Seems a little expensive.

Good colour, nice wheels, 2 owners in 6 years is good.

road_high

colm_mcm wrote: »

Its got a timing chain, so as long as the oil has been changed regularly you'll have no worries.
Seems a little expensive.

Good colour, nice wheels, 2 owners in 6 years is good.

Thanks Colm. Yes, nice clean car I reckon. Pricey enough but hopefully that's not set in stone.

colm_mcm

The models without the panoramic roof can have surface rust where the weather strip on the top of the windscreen meets the roof. Basically the plastic could be loose and rubs the paint off. Can get nasty.

road_high

Had a good look at this car today and a good long drive. Appears stright enough, no major issues I'd say. If interested could get it for 6.5k.
Car was clean and all but clearly not had a full prfessional valet before sale i.e. streaks on the dash, bits of briquettes in the sprea wheel area

road_high

Had a good look at this car (Civic) today and had a good long drive. Appears straight enough, no major issues I'd say. If interested could get it for 6.5k.
Car was clean and all but clearly not had a full professional valet before sale i.e. streaks on the dash, bits of briquettes in the sprea wheel area
I guess I just haven't been blown away is what I'm trying to say and the mileage is high (I do accept it's an 07 car). No real service history bar word of mouth as well.
The 1.4l would not blow the world away but i won't be driving it . Noisy at 120kmh which i found surprising; would like to drive another to compare.

mrmrmr

Hi, I am planning to buy a fairly new car of 3k-20k mileage so I have to buy it from a dealer.

1. I am travelling about 10,000km per year. Should I look for a diesel engine or stick to a petrol car?

2. Could you recommend it when is the best time to buy, before or after the end of the year?

3. Does anyone have an idea of how much could I negociate with the dealer from the asking price of the car. The car is priced at around 20k.

Thanks!

colm_mcm

mrmrmr wrote: »

Hi, I am planning to buy a fairly new car of 3k-20k mileage so I have to buy it from a dealer.

1. I am travelling about 10,000km per year. Should I look for a diesel engine or stick to a petrol car?

2. Could you recommend it when is the best time to buy, before or after the end of the year?

3. Does anyone have an idea of how much could I negociate with the dealer from the asking price of the car. The car is priced at around 20k.

Thanks!

Re petrol or diesel, its been widely discussed here, you'd want to be doing a few long journies every so often to regenerate the dpf if going diesel. My gut says go petrol but you may not find that many new petrols and resale will prob be lower. 10,000 km is very low mileage per year.

As for the discount, you need to establish what similar cars will sell for by shopping around and getting final prices, only then will you know whether you're getting it right. Its easier to give €2000 off if the car is €3000 to expensive.

mrmrmr

Thank you colm_mcm.

I am planning to buy a 2013 Honda civic with low milleage and after a few weeks of research I decided to go for 1.4l engine (petrol). Going to several dealers I couldn't get more that 750-1000 euro off from the asking price. I was told every time that they don't want to lower the price as they would lose if doing so. Is this right?

Would it be better to wait until next year or shall I buy the car before the end of Decemeber?

Thanks!

colm_mcm

The 1.4 is very overwhelmed in those Civics. How much cheaper than a new one are they? Are they ex rental or what?

131 SE models seem to be starting around €18650 on the window, what straight price did you get?

If you're not stuck, I'd nearly wait till Jan-Feb. They don't magically drop in price on December 31, but you might have More choice (though I dunno how many people will trade in a 131 for a 141)

Garages will lose money sometimes. You have to convince them that you're actually serious about buying and gave money ready if they're gonna do a silly deal (happens)

mrmrmr

How can I find out whether a car is ex rental? Is this important?

I found a 1.4L Honda civic ES which was priced at 20,250 at the dealer and he offered me 750 euro off. It has 17,000km on the clock.

I went for a 1.4 enginer as taxes are lower and I drive mainly in the city. Would that be a problem with the engine size?

colm_mcm

mrmrmr wrote: »

How can I find out whether a car is ex rental? Is this important?

I found a 1.4L Honda civic ES which was priced at 20,250 at the dealer and he offered me 750 euro off. It has 17,000km on the clock.

I went for a 1.4 enginer as taxes are lower and I drive mainly in the city. Would that be a problem with the engine size?

Engine size isn't based on engine size since 2008. 1.6 diesel is less tax than 1.4 petrol

Its €270 on petrol and €180 on diesel. Neither of those are expensive for a years tax anyway.

20250 asking is fairly on the money as the ES is €1400 more new than a SE.
I like the extras on the ES but it still isn't exactly a bargain when you consider a brand new SE should be doable for around €20500

If it's done 17000km then its most likely a rental car, these often get in little prangs or can be driven hard, inspect carefully.

mrmrmr

Thank you for the tip on rental cars. I wasn'r aware of it.

Civic comes only in 1.4l and 1.8l engines on petrol. Should I go then for 1.8L instead of 1.4? The tax for 1.8L is 390 euro per year.

colm_mcm

I have a 1.8 ES and I reckon its just right for the car. They're big money in the current model though and hardly worth the extra cash when you consider cars from the segment above cost the same money. The 1.6 diesel would be nearly as nippy in real life.

If you're just tipping around town the 1.4 would be grand I suppose.

Have you got your eye on any other makes/models?

For example you'd get a Golf TSI 105 Trendline with sport pack or a Comfortline for the same money.

mrmrmr

I like Civic a lot and would not consider buying anything else.

I have a 1L Toyota Yarris at the moment and I am quite happy with it while driving in the city, it is a bit slow on the motorway but I don't mind. Do you think that a 1.4 honda civic would be slower than my current yarris (on the motorway)?

I wish to buy a fairly new civic but still cannot afford a brand new one. It seems that I could find such a car only from dealers and further issues may arise (suc as ex rental as you suggested).

colm_mcm

Its certainly gonna be nippier than your yaris and a bit quieter too.

Its good that you know what you want anyway.
I know from when I sold cars that ex rentals were always costing less than demo models and had more miles and weren't in as good condition. We'd want to be shot of them by the end of the year usually.

Are you trading the yaris in?

mrmrmr

the yarris is old and with many miles. the dealers din't want it for trading in.

Should I consider a demo model for the civic? I saw they have a few for sale and with low milleage (about 2,000 km)