Dealer V Private seller

Gaspode

Currently looking for a second car/banger as a runaround for the better half - sub €2k and less than 1.6 engine size.
There's plenty of choices out there from private sellers, less so from dealers.
My inclination has always been to buy my cars from a reputable SIMI dealer but I'm wondering is it worth doing this for an older car, do they even give warranties for cars worth €2k or less?
Opinions?

CiniO

Gaspode wrote: »

Currently looking for a second car/banger as a runaround for the better half - sub €2k and less than 1.6 engine size.
There's plenty of choices out there from private sellers, less so from dealers.
My inclination has always been to buy my cars from a reputable SIMI dealer but I'm wondering is it worth doing this for an older car, do they even give warranties for cars worth €2k or less?
Opinions?

IMO it's not worth buying from a dealer no matter if it's sub €2k banger, or €15k 2 year old car. Buying private, you'll always get a better deal.

Only cars worth buying from a dealer are brand new.

colm_mcm

A €2k dealer car would have most likely been picked up for a few hundred either at auction, in a cash for cars scenario. Either way, the seller will be better at selling than you will be at buying. They won't know or care about the cars life over the last few years. I'm a firm believer in buying cheap cars from the owner. You can tell a lot about a car from the owner, and if you ask a question about the car you're more likely to get an honest answer.

Agricola

Gaspode wrote: »

Currently looking for a second car/banger as a runaround for the better half - sub €2k and less than 1.6 engine size.
There's plenty of choices out there from private sellers, less so from dealers.
My inclination has always been to buy my cars from a reputable SIMI dealer but I'm wondering is it worth doing this for an older car, do they even give warranties for cars worth €2k or less?
Opinions?

You'd be lucky to get a 3 month warranty at that price.

Personally, for that money, I wouldn't go near a dealer. Did it once and paid way over the odds for the car in comparison to private sale price. The only "up side" being I did manage to make use out of the 3 month warranty as the in-tank fuel pump went and I got all that sorted with them. In all the other cheap jallopies I've picked up privately, nothing ever cropped up anyway.

If you do a bit of research on the bad points of the model you are thinking of buying, know what to look out for and in general are decent at avoiding lemons, then you should always go private for this kind of price bracket, IMO.

colm_mcm wrote: »

A €2k dealer car would have most likely been picked up for a few hundred either at auction, in a cash for cars scenario. Either way, the seller will be better at selling than you will be at buying. They won't know or care about the cars life over the last few years. I'm a firm believer in buying cheap cars from the owner. You can tell a lot about a car from the owner, and if you ask a question about the car you're more likely to get an honest answer.

Good point that. Buying a cheap car from an auction is basically taking a punt a lot of the time. Buying a cheap car from the back yard of a dealer which he has got for half nothing and wants rid of, is the next worst scenario. The best option is to buy a cheap car from someone who has actually driven it for some time. It's very easy to get a good vibe or a "run for the hills" vibe from the seller in person.

Atlantic Dawn

Best of buying private from someone who has owned the car for a year plus.

bazz26

And buying from a SIMI dealer over a non SIMI dealer adds no value to a buyer. The SIMI are a group who represent the motor trade, not the customer and there are just as many chancers with SIMI signs over their door as there are honest dealers who are not SIMI members.