Buying a used car in Ireland guide

Tilikum

Going to look at an insignia on Sunday. The owner tells me the rear electric windows are broken.

Would anyone know how much that would cost to fix?

bazz26

Why not find another one, it's not like used Insignias are rare?

If the seller could not be arsed getting them fixed (especially when selling the car) it might give an insight into how the car was maintained or lack of.

Tilikum

bazz26 wrote: »

Why not find another one, it's not like used Insignias are rare?

If the seller could not be arsed getting them fixed (especially when selling the car) it might give an insight into how the car was maintained or lack of.

It's an Sri though. Better specs.

agfasfos

Electrics can be dodgy, could be a simple fix or a very costly job, I would be very wary of this. If it was a small inexpensive job I would imagine the seller would have sorted it before putting the car up for sale.

kwazar

hi all,

Does this look a bit dodgy to you?


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-s-max-2-0-tdci-140-titanium-5dr/7460407


I'm tempted, although the price looks to be below the market, UK car I'm guessing, private ad.

nice_guy80

kwazar wrote: »

hi all,

Does this look a bit dodgy to you?


hXXp://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-s-max-2-0-tdci-140-titanium-5dr/7460407
http (would not allow me to post URL)

I'm tempted, although the price looks to be below the market, UK car I'm guessing, private ad.

plus VRT, you do realise?

kwazar

nice_guy80 wrote: »

plus VRT, you do realise?

Yes I do. Still cheaper than any other comparable S-MAX available in ROI or NI I think.

bazz26

If something appears too good to be true then it usually is. Tread very carefully.

buckinit

Hi there,

Been looking around at cars on a small budget as I feel I need to sell my petrol car in order to buy a diesel because in a few weeks i'll be starting to drive a lot more (job).

A quick question though: is a second hand car with 160,000 miles just a problem waiting to happen? I understand that a lot of the cheaper cars are naturally high mileage.

Has anyone here bought a car around this mileage before?

colm_mcm

Is it a new job?

Trojan

Looking for pricing advice for a '97 Corolla - a late model E100 - single owner from new, 217k miles. Navy, 1.3L petrol.

It's an "XLI Plus" version, whatever that means, and it has a modern Sony CD/radio unit.

It's in very good condition, family car never abused in any way. Would come with a recent NCT.

Any thoughts what this could get? What would be a good return but still shift it fairly quickly?

bazz26

Despite the mileage tidy Corollas of that vintage still fetch good money. The XLi Plus had central locking, white dials, different fabric seats and a driver's airbag afaik over the standard model. I'd advertise it at about €850 and see how close to that you can get.

Trojan

I noticed the "white dials" in what I read about that - what a strange "extra".

bazz26

Uncommon back then though.

colm_mcm

That was toyota Ireland pushing the boat out!

premier10

Some advice needed guys. Was looking at a 07 Avensis, did one of those history check reports and it had 2 previous owners - the firstowner is down as "private" but the second is down as "private (consumer)". What is the difference between private and private consumer?

Thanks

Thargor

Are there any carcheck type sites that are free?

bazz26

Nope, sourcing their data costs them money.

Best you can do is google discount vouchers for the various car report sites.

kwazar

Hi,

I'm thinking about buying 2011 ford S-Max. I wander, any thoughts on 2.0 tdci 140 vs 2.0 tdci 160? My preference would be 160 HP, I'm aware of higher road tax.

Another more generic question, when buying from dealer it should come serviced, with warranty, service history etc. do I still have to get the car inspected? I never did that before and in fairness this is the first time I'm buying such an expensive car. If I decide to do this who do you recommend in Limerick AA, motorcheck.ie, anybody else?

bazz26

Any link to the advert of the car you are thinking of buying? If the car is being sold by a dealer in Limerick I might be able to tell you if they are reputable or not. PM me if you prefer.

Mackas_view

Can anyone provide any insight into a 1.6Tdi cr sport seat Ibiza 2010? Are they worth buying for a woman or do they give bother?

Dia1988

Mackas_view wrote: »

Can anyone provide any insight into a 1.6Tdi cr sport seat Ibiza 2010? Are they worth buying for a woman or do they give bother?

I don't think a woman would be able to cope with all that power, better getting er something manageable like a 1.0 or at max a 1.2 litre. Should keep her happy!

bazz26

"Cope with all that power" from a 1.6 diesel? Jesus weeps.

colm_mcm

Mackas_view

Dia1988 wrote: »

I don't think a woman would be able to cope with all that power, better getting er something manageable like a 1.0 or at max a 1.2 litre. Should keep her happy!

Your right, in after ringin a man about a 100cc moped. Thatll do her rightly.

Igotadose

I am relocating to Dingle from the US. I'd like to get a used car I can leave at the house in Dingle while away; renting, is brutal, 2 weeks renting seems to cost about 1/2 what you'd pay for a car.

My challenge is time - I don't have time to visit a lot of individuals and buy cars directly. I have a budget of 5k Euros. Would you recommend going to a dealer? Is there one you'd recommend near Dingle? Killarney and Tralee seem to have a number of dealers, was wondering which ones people liked, or not, and why.

Leaning towards a Toyota Corolla or equivalent. Have been a Toyota owner in the US for many years, good reliable cars, straightforward enough to maintain, usually not too costly to maintain.

Thanks.

Dia1988

Mackas_view wrote: »

Your right, in after ringin a man about a 100cc moped. Thatll do her rightly.

That'll be plenty of power for her to go to and fro from the shops. If you're feeling generous throw in a basket for the grocery shopping.

But be careful, make sure all this newly gained independence of hers won't make her all feel above herself.

You know what they say, Treat them mean and keep them keen!

colm_mcm

Igotadose wrote: »

I am relocating to Dingle from the US. I'd like to get a used car I can leave at the house in Dingle while away; renting, is brutal, 2 weeks renting seems to cost about 1/2 what you'd pay for a car.

My challenge is time - I don't have time to visit a lot of individuals and buy cars directly. I have a budget of 5k Euros. Would you recommend going to a dealer? Is there one you'd recommend near Dingle? Killarney and Tralee seem to have a number of dealers, was wondering which ones people liked, or not, and why.

Leaning towards a Toyota Corolla or equivalent. Have been a Toyota owner in the US for many years, good reliable cars, straightforward enough to maintain, usually not too costly to maintain.

Thanks.

Does it need to be automatic?

Igotadose

Doesn't need to be automatic! Hey, not everyone from the US is lame!

Esel

colm_mcm wrote: »

Does it need to be automatic?

That was a bit below the drive belt.