First Time Viewing for Potential 2nd Hand Car Purchase (Garage)

SusanC10

So after a delay we are finally ready to start viewing 2nd Hand Cars with a view to purchasing. Going to a garage on Saturday.

Looking for a family Estate Diesel 1.9+ Car realistically 2010-2012 Max Budget 15k.

Have never done this before as both previous cars were new.

So when looking at the car look at - Panels, Paintwork, Boot, Windows, Numberplates, check all Buttons etc. Ask re Timing Belt and request it be changed before sale if needs be. Make sure to get 2 Keys.

Paperwork - Full Service History. NCT & Tax both to be current. Do a Check on Cartell. Ask for Warranty.

Anything else ? All advice welcome.

One of the cars says comes with a 3 month warranty. Is this a red flag ? Should we ask for this to be increased to 6 months ?

Bargaining - If car is advertised at 16k how much is reasonable to offer if buying with Cash, No Trade In, No Finance ?

Insurance - how does this work ? Once we have decided on a car - do we just ring from the garage on collection before driving ?

Scrapping a car - the car we are getting rid of will be 19 years old this year. What is the best way to get rid of this car ?

All advice welcome.

Thanks in advance.

ironclaw

So when looking at the car look at - Panels, Paintwork, Boot, Windows, Numberplates, check all Buttons etc. Ask re Timing Belt and request it be changed before sale if needs be. Make sure to get 2 Keys.

Yes, all good points to check. Brief video here may help: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSesqXlYTIJvR84oAq9IXYQ

Paperwork - Full Service History. NCT & Tax both to be current. Do a Check on Cartell. Ask for Warranty.

Receipts are everything. If the water pump has been done, you need to see a receipt. Ditto with any other major work. No receipt, it hasn't been done. The garage should not be adverse to having the car checked by a mechanic. Garage purchase or not, I strongly suggest a check by a competent mechanic.

One of the cars says comes with a 3 month warranty. Is this a red flag ? Should we ask for this to be increased to 6 months ?

3 Months is a massive red flag. It means the garage is unlikely to stand over their cars. Think about it. You are in business, are you saying your product won't last 3 months? If they say 'all sales final' or 'trade sales', run out of the place. If its a Mapfre Warranty (One of the larger providers in Ireland) its not worth the paper its written on due to all the clauses and exceptions.

Bargaining - If car is advertised at 16k how much is reasonable to offer if buying with Cash, No Trade In, No Finance ?

Entire depends on the car and how quick they want to shift it. They might take 20% off, they might not budge at all.

Insurance - how does this work ? Once we have decided on a car - do we just ring from the garage on collection before driving ?

Once purchased and the paperwork done, you can call your insurer. I recommend doing this ahead of time e.g. Transfer my insurance to this Reg at this time. Most insurers will do this ahead of time (Even a week before)

Scrapping a car - the car we are getting rid of will be 19 years old this year. What is the best way to get rid of this car ?

The garage might take it for pittance along with the sale, ask them. They'll either scrap it or sell to the lower end of the market. You could attempt to sell it yourself, just be realistic about the price.

bazz26

There is a guide to buying a used car in Ireland sticky thread at the top of this forum. It's grown in size over time but the first few pages are still very relevant to your questions:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056198864

Also trading a 19 year old car is a waste of time as it's worthless to a dealer. All it means is that the dealer has to go to the trouble of getting rid of it after you and will just deduct anything they give you for it from the discount off the price of the new car. Better off selling it yourself privately or just scrap it.

Another thing, engine sizes don't have much relevance these days as cars are taxed on emissions rather than engine size.

SusanC10

@ ironclaw - Thanks for the very detailed response esp the YouTube Video.

@ bazz26 - that's what we were thinking and so were not going to mention the old car to the Dealer but rather try to get rid of it ourselves. Do you pay to scrap a car or how is it done ?

It's not worth much at all. Could try and sell it ourselves but on everything I have read it says that you should meet the seller at their own house. I am here a lot of the time either alone or with the kids and I don't really like the idea of people coming to see the car etc. when my husband is not here. Maybe I am being silly.

SusanC10

One more Question - How do you know that a car has been clocked ? Can a Mechanic tell ? Or the AA Inspection ? Or the Cartell Report ?

Thanks in advance.

CharlieCroker

You've a lot of the details nailed already and going in with your eyes open.

The 3 month warranty is a no-no. For a car less than 5 years old, I'd be looking for a 12 month warranty, 6 months warranty for anything older than that up to 10 years.

There's plenty of used cars out there and you're in a strong position to do a deal. Don't be pressured into dealing. Its your money, spend it wisely.

What's the old car? Throw up some details here to get some idea of value. (Miles/NCT/problems, etc)

c_meth

SusanC10 wrote: »

@ ironclaw - Thanks for the very detailed response esp the YouTube Video.

@ bazz26 - that's what we were thinking and so were not going to mention the old car to the Dealer but rather try to get rid of it ourselves. Do you pay to scrap a car or how is it done ?

It's not worth much at all. Could try and sell it ourselves but on everything I have read it says that you should meet the seller at their own house. I am here a lot of the time either alone or with the kids and I don't really like the idea of people coming to see the car etc. when my husband is not here. Maybe I am being silly.

You should get 100 - 200 for your end of life vehicle from a scrap yard, presuming you bring it there yourself. Be sure to get a certfcate of destruction from them.

SusanC10

CharlieCroker wrote: »

What's the old car? Throw up some details here to get some idea of value. (Miles/NCT/problems, etc)

It's a 1997 Renault Clio. Approx 110k miles. Current NCT (Sept). No real problems. Serviced once a year.

bazz26

Clio is probably worth less than €100 to a scrap yard these days. I'd stick it up on donedeal and see what sort of offers you get. Only problem with that is that cheap cars tend to attract unwanted dodgy characters to your door.

ironclaw

SusanC10 wrote: »

One more Question - How do you know that a car has been clocked ? Can a Mechanic tell ? Or the AA Inspection ? Or the Cartell Report ?

Thanks in advance.

Very difficult to tell. There are no official records kept in Ireland for mileage. Your best bet is old NCT certs or dealer stamps in the service history, you can often ring the dealer and they will confirm. Then calculate out based on the last confirmed mileage where the mileage 'should' be. Failing this, you should look at the car itself i.e.

Pull the sealtbelt and feel it retract, is it quick or sluggish for the year and mileage of the car?

The edge (bolster) of the drivers seat, does it show excessive wear versus the year and mileage?

The steering wheel, how does it feel both in the material and the movement?

The floor and pedals, are they worn? Is the carpet around the clutch and accelerator worn?

The service book, are there large gaps in mileage and then rapidly successive services? Are the stamps the same one after another? Are the services for 'known' buyer things like Water Pumps and Timing belts? Is the pen used the same? Are the stamp marks the same? (Remember, a stamp 6 months to a year apart will not be the same, look for nicks and damages in the edging)

None of these indicate a clocked car, but they can help you gauge is everything is above board or requires a closer look. Clocking is getting rarer in the dealer sector given the heavy sanctions that can now be imposed, it's fairly rife in the private sector however.

SusanC10

Thanks for all the advice.

The one with the 3 month warranty turned out to be a UK Import. How does that work if it is already in the country but still with UK plates ? Haven't test driven it yet.

More to view next weekend.

A lot of the ads have a Price on them and then say in the description that the Retail price is more - usually €1k higher. But if a car is on a Forecourt with say €16,950 on it. Only that Price on the ad online - no mention of a higher price. How much would be reasonable to offer in a negotiation ? Our Budget is €15k Max. Cash - No Trade In. Should we just rule this car out ?

kindalen

Have you considered using your 19 year old clio to get a brand new car on a scrappage scheme?

vistaphotos

kindalen wrote: »

Have you considered using your 19 year old clio to get a brand new car on a scrappage scheme?

Good idea. OP mentioned "Looking for a family Estate Diesel 1.9+ Car realistically 2010-2012 Max Budget 15k.". With scrappage what family estate would be available within that budget do you think?