Crazy buying expensive car privately?

VonLuck

I've been looking at buying a used car and have been struggling to find the one I want. The UK is really the best option for me in terms of availability, but there is a lot of added hassle with this.

However, I've spotted the same car I want in Ireland, the only catch is that it's a private sale. Now this car is €10k+ and a voice in my head is telling me I'm mad for even thinking of handing over this amount of money with no warranty. Now, I would do all of the background checks and a full professional mechanic check, but even still, if the engine blows up a week after buying it I've no comeback.

Then I started to think that if I imported a car from the UK I'm pretty much in the same situation. Even if I do get a warranty from a dealer, in all reality it's not practical to make use of this. If the car breaks down in Ireland, what can the dealer actually do? I would need to find a way of transporting the car back to the UK and it just seems unfeasible.

Can anyone provide a bit of advice as to their experience buying relatively expensive cars privately? Would you recommend or think it's best to stay away altogether?

Idbatterim

VonLuck wrote: »

I've been looking at buying a used car and have been struggling to find the one I want. The UK is really the best option for me in terms of availability, but there is a lot of added hassle with this.

However, I've spotted the same car I want in Ireland, the only catch is that it's a private sale. Now this car is €10k+ and a voice in my head is telling me I'm mad for even thinking of handing over this amount of money with no warranty. Now, I would do all of the background checks and a full professional mechanic check, but even still, if the engine blows up a week after buying it I've no comeback.

Then I started to think that if I imported a car from the UK I'm pretty much in the same situation. Even if I do get a warranty from a dealer, in all reality it's not practical to make use of this. If the car breaks down in Ireland, what can the dealer actually do? I would need to find a way of transporting the car back to the UK and it just seems unfeasible.

Can anyone provide a bit of advice as to their experience buying relatively expensive cars privately? Would you recommend or think it's best to stay away altogether?

sorry. You do mean 10k and not 100k?! First of all establish if it makes sense to buy from uk...

Idbatterim

Idbatterim wrote: »

sorry. You do mean 10k and not 100k?! First of all establish if it makes sense to buy from uk...

Don't be an ass. €10k+ is a lot of money for a great many people to spend on a car.

If a car has a full service history (verified), is in as good a condition as you would reasonably expect and a mechanic and detailed cartell type report gives it the all clear, the only thing to consider for me would be what you have to pay to buy it.

Dealers don't give free warranty. You pay for it in the purchase price. If the car you're considering buying is much lower than a dealer will sell you a similar car, but you specifically want the one for sale privately, put the savings aside for 12 months in case of a fault developing. I'd be aiming to pay something like 15-20% less on a private sale than a dealer sale.

There's a very good chance you won't need it, if it all checks out okay when buying and you maintain it correctly. There are exceptions of course, such as not buying a car with a known issue likely to occur during that first year of your ownership or whatever, but you get the idea.

Common sense prevails, or should anyway!

btkm8unsl0w5r4

JayZeus wrote: »

Don't be an ass. €10k+ is a lot of money for a great many people to spend on a car.

I agree that 10k is a lot of money, but its not a lot of money for a car. We are squarely in the lower end of the car market here. Many cars in this category will be older, out of warranty and sold by non main dealers and as trade sales or private sales. OP d0 your due diligence. Get the car checked out and run the HPI checks. This is all par for the course at this budget and this is how a lot of people get more value for their money.

Remember if you buy in the UK its going to cost about 500 euro to get there and ferry back with petrol, thats a fair chunk of your budget.

What kind of car are you looking for.

Hitman3000

VonLuck wrote:

I've been looking at buying a used car and have been struggling to find the one I want. The UK is really the best option for me in terms of availability, but there is a lot of added hassle with this.

Have a look up North.

Skatedude

cartel check, AA engineers check, motor check, etc,

cruizer101

Arian Big Orangutan wrote: »

I agree that 10k is a lot of money, but its not a lot of money for a car. We are squarely in the lower end of the car market here.

It depends, if you are used to paying 2-3k for a car, jumping to 10k is a lot of money, especially if paying it all at once, many people paying more than that would be getting finance.
And it is definitely at the higher end for private sale. On donedeal there are 31,692 cars for over 10k but only 4,044 of them are private sales.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

cruizer101 wrote: »

It depends, if you are used to paying 2-3k for a car, jumping to 10k is a lot of money, especially if paying it all at once, many people paying more than that would be getting finance.
And it is definitely at the higher end for private sale. On donedeal there are 31,692 cars for over 10k but only 4,044 of them are private sales.

So you have really answered the OP's question, at this level most people in this bracket are going private sale so he should not stress too much. Most people would seem to only consider it too much money above that amount to risk a private sale.

Arian Big Orangutan

Arian Big Orangutan wrote: »

So you have really answered the OP's question, at this level most people in this bracket are going private sale so he should not stress too much. Most people would seem to only consider it too much money above that amount to risk a private sale.

You make a whole lot of generalisations without really knowing much if anything about the OP, or people in similar circumstances perhaps. Why don't you stop trying to prove a point and offer some helpful advice, rather than 'ah sure, that's not a lot of money for a car. Be grand like' or whatever it is that you seem to be thinking. It's not helpful, at all, to anyone. At €10k plus, that's not 'squarely in the lower end of the car market' as you put it. It might be for a dentist, for example, but for most folks that's a lot of change to scrape together to go spending on a car with no warranty. Why be a dick about it?

:rolleyes:

btkm8unsl0w5r4

JayZeus wrote: »

You make a whole lot of generalisations without really knowing much if anything about the OP, or people in similar circumstances perhaps. Why don't you stop trying to prove a point and offer some helpful advice, rather than 'ah sure, that's not a lot of money for a car. Be grand like' or whatever it is that you seem to be thinking. It's not helpful, at all, to anyone. At €10k plus, that's not 'squarely in the lower end of the car market' as you put it. It might be for a dentist, for example, but for most folks that's a lot of change to scrape together to go spending on a car with no warranty. Why be a dick about it?

:rolleyes:

Back up the truck there chief and reread my posts. I am the only person actually offering advice, and being the least dicky on the thread.

Advice is, and everyone seem to agree, that with due diligence buying a car for 10k is not a big deal private sale or without warranty. Thats what most people spending this amount of dosh on a car do. I would ask him to consider the expense of getting a car from the uk. Another poster wisely suggested northern ireland to cut down on travel costs. Then it descended into a match of being blamed for not appreciating that 10k is a lot of money to spend on a car. I suggested that while its a lot of money, its not a lot on a car as is born out by the fact that most at this level are sold without warranties or private sale......gosh people are easily triggered. Last car I purchased cost less than 10k and I got it in the uk private sale.

“We are squarely in the lower end of the car market here” is a snobbish comment and shows little understanding of the fact that for many, many people, that’s as much as they’ll ever be able to spend on a motor.

The OP’s lookong at buying a car and is thinking they might be mad to do that privately. They need advice about how to make it work in their favour, not throwaway comments suggesting they’re shopping at the lower end of the market. Absolute rubbish.

I’m not triggered, I’m just pointing out that you’re being a dick.

KevinCavan

Would you consider buying at auction in Naas for example, I’m sure you would get a decent car at one of the higher end auctions at that price?

KevinCavan

KevinCavan wrote: »

Would you consider buying at auction in Naas for example, I’m sure you would get a decent car at one of the higher end auctions at that price?

The car would also have been checked out through a screening process, you would be sure it wouldn’t have been stolen or have outstanding finance on it at least. Obviously mechanically you would still be taking a small risk.

jimmycrackcorm

VonLuck wrote:

Can anyone provide a bit of advice as to their experience buying relatively expensive cars privately? Would you recommend or think it's best to stay away altogether?

You can pay 10k for a car privately, with a service history; get a mechanic to check it out and be reasonably confident it is going to be ok.

Or you can pay 12k to a dealer and only get a three or six month warranty.

However that 2k difference is what you can spend on any issues a year later, two years later etc.

Homer

For anyone in a similar position in the future you could consider purchasing a warranty from the likes of http://www.mapfrewarranty.ie and it covers anything major going wrong with a second hand private purchase.
I bought a car roughly 2 years ago privately, first week I had it the drive shaft snapped (with 25000km on the clock) which cracked the case for the gearbox and ended up costing mapfre nearly €7k!!!
Had I not had the insurance I actually don't know what I would have done.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Why am I being personally attacked on this thread? JayZeus you obviously have taken a personal issue with me and are Straw man attacking. Jordan Peterson would not be proud of you.

Arian Big Orangutan

Arian Big Orangutan wrote: »

Why am I being personally attacked on this thread? JayZeus you obviously have taken a personal issue with me and are Straw man attacking. Jordan Peterson would not be proud of you.

I have no personal problem with you at all. I don’t know you and as far as I can recall we haven’t engaged with each other on any other matter on boards. I don’t like what you posted and I’m disagreeing with you over the phrase you’ve used, which is dismissive, snobbish and rude. That should be perfectly clear to you.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

How is telling a guy, worried about buying a car private sale for 10k, that at that amount all the cars are private sale or trade sales because its the lower end of the car market (which it is). I have no information on whether thats a lot of money for him or not, I know plenty of millionaires that drive sub 5k cars and plenty of chaps broke makeing PCP's on new Mercs. That the OP would ask the question in the first place, seems to suggest he lacks some insight as to the way the car market works and how it is stratified.

To call me dismissive, snobbish and rude is merely your own prejudice against me, and making assumptions that I couldn't possibly know the plight ( yeah your patronizing the OP with it too) of the working man (who cannot defend himself and needs justice warriors to help). I know the value of a euro, and I know how much car it will buy. To suggest otherwise is patronizing.

It is you sir that are acting aggressively and easily offended like the snowflakes you seem to hate so much. If you disagree with me post a rational argument. Dont attack me, call me names or make assumptions about me or my personal circumstances.

Homer - I agree totally. A third party warranty is a great thing. I have been bailed out with them many times. I get stressed by the possibility of a catastrophic failure. It depends on how old the car is. A lot of aftermarket warranty companies have age limits or mileage limits. I pulled 15k out of one aftermarket warranty over a 2 year period for 2k in premiums. Depends on the car and the cost of potential repairs as to whether its worth getting.

VonLuck

Maybe I should clarify before this descends into chaos! Firstly, I may be spending €17k on an Audi A5.

The "relatively" expensive part comes from the view of a private sale. I know a lot of people who would never spend over €10k privately. They tend to see that market for just buying cheaper vehicles because if anything went very wrong, at least it wasn't a fortune that was spent on it without a warranty.

In relation to the third party warranty, I didn't even know that was a thing. Would it be worthwhile on something like a 2012 Audi A5 1.8 TFSI with about 80000 miles on it? What kind of money are we talking here?

Cee-Jay-Cee

VonLuck wrote: »

Maybe I should clarify before this descends into chaos! Firstly, I may be spending €17k on an Audi A5.

The "relatively" expensive part comes from the view of a private sale. I know a lot of people who would never spend over €10k privately. They tend to see that market for just buying cheaper vehicles because if anything went very wrong, at least it wasn't a fortune that was spent on it without a warranty.

In relation to the third party warranty, I didn't even know that was a thing. Would it be worthwhile on something like a 2012 Audi A5 1.8 TFSI with about 80000 miles on it? What kind of money are we talking here?

Mapfire provide 3rd party warranty's for private buyers however I don't believe they're worth the paper they're written on and parts like clutch brakes etc are not covered as theyre wearable items and then when something is covered they will fight you on it anyway.

Do your homework, have the car checked out by someone who knows those cars and you shouldn't have any problems. I would have no problem buying from a private seller for that amount of money however I would be insisting on seeing the log book and ID to ensure the say who they are. I'd also not be bringing any money to the first viewing and I would look to meet somewhere very public (a garda station carpark) would be ideal to ensure all is above board.

aaakev

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Mapfire provide 3rd party warranty's for private buyers however I don't believe they're worth the paper they're written on and parts like clutch brakes etc are not covered as theyre wearable items and then when something is covered they will fight you on it anyway.

Do your homework, have the car checked out by someone who knows those cars and you shouldn't have any problems. I would have no problem buying from a private seller for that amount of money however I would be insisting on seeing the log book and ID to ensure the say who they are. I'd also not be bringing any money to the first viewing and I would look to meet somewhere very public (a garda station carpark) would be ideal to ensure all is above board.

Clutches are not generally covered on a new car warranty unless you can prove a manufacturing fault.

Carprotect also do used vehicle warranty to the general public. From a dealer point of view carprotect prices and options are better than mapfree and so is their claims handling in my experience. Iv used both for many years and carprotect would be my choice between the two.

Henry Ford III

I remember the good old days - selling a car privately for IEP£30k in 2006.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I remember the good old days - selling a car privately for IEP£30k in 2006.

You elitist pig

Marcusm

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I remember the good old days - selling a car privately for IEP£30k in 2006.

Worrying that you were still accepting Irish pounds 4 years after they were taken out of circulation!

Wildly Boaring

VonLuck wrote: »

Maybe I should clarify before this descends into chaos! Firstly, I may be spending €17k on an Audi A5.

The "relatively" expensive part comes from the view of a private sale. I know a lot of people who would never spend over €10k privately. They tend to see that market for just buying cheaper vehicles because if anything went very wrong, at least it wasn't a fortune that was spent on it without a warranty.

In relation to the third party warranty, I didn't even know that was a thing. Would it be worthwhile on something like a 2012 Audi A5 1.8 TFSI with about 80000 miles on it? What kind of money are we talking here?

Everyone has there line in the sand OP.
it depends really on your own attitude.

I personally would spend 10k privately and do my checks.
I would not spend 17k privately or with a 2nd hand dealer here either.

Spent that kind of money last year with a main dealer up north. Have also done with car giant in UK.

My main issue is not actually the car condition which can be a lottery regardless on things like clutch and other wearing parts. But fraud. Fear of cloned cars etc, robbery etc.

Henry Ford III

Marcusm wrote: »

Worrying that you were still accepting Irish pounds 4 years after they were taken out of circulation!

Must have been € then. I'm getting old I think.

Hitman3000

Just out of interest what type of car were you thinking about OP?

VonLuck

aaakev wrote: »

Clutches are not generally covered on a new car warranty unless you can prove a manufacturing fault.

Carprotect also do used vehicle warranty to the general public. From a dealer point of view carprotect prices and options are better than mapfree and so is their claims handling in my experience. Iv used both for many years and carprotect would be my choice between the two.

Carprotect seems to have a lot of caveats and I'm not sure if you are actually covered for anything at the end of it! Just have a look below from their website:

The insurer will not cover claims caused by, or arising from or in connection with the following:

• Losses arising from manufacturer's defects, inherent design faults, recall campaigns, during or after the manufacturer's warranty period.
• Any Grey Imports
• Vehicles which have been modified or altered where the modification or alteration falls outside the approved manufacturer's specifications.
• Any Vehicles used for competitions, pacemaking, rallies, off road use or use for a taxi or by a driving school.
• Loss or damage where the Insurer is unable to verify the actual mileage of the Vehicle at the time of the claim.
• Routine maintenance operations and/or adjustments of any components.
• Damage or loss which is recoverable under any other insurance or warranty.
• Mechanical or electrical failure resulting from:
  Wear and tear (not applicable for the Car Protect Complete Policy)
  Overheating, frost, corrosion, flooding, impact, fire, abuse or neglect
  A defect which existed prior to the insurance taking effect
  Lack of coolant, lubricant or hydraulic fluids
  Incorrect servicing or faulty repair
  An incorrect grade of lubricants, fuel or hydraulic fluids
  Ingress of foreign matter into fuel, lubricants or cooling system.
• Damage to uninsured components or any consequential damage or loss.
• Bodywork, channels and guides, check straps, cosmetic finishes, door locks, glass, handles, hinges, paintwork, trim, upholstery, weatherstrips and seals.

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

My main issue is not actually the car condition which can be a lottery regardless on things like clutch and other wearing parts. But fraud. Fear of cloned cars etc, robbery etc.

Is there anyway to safeguard yourself against that? I intend on doing the background checks with Cartell which I thought covered what you would be worried about?

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Just out of interest what type of car were you thinking about OP?

Mentioned it above - 2012 Audi A5 1.8 TFSI with about 80000 miles on it.

aaakev

Thats pretty much standard terms for any warranty. Iv used them for years, had a couple of claims rejected in that time but loads paid out on. I sell commercials so lads tend to do higher mileage than your average car driver and would be much harder on the vehicle

Heiser

Buy an OBD scanner and plug it into the car you want to buy. That should show up any mechanical faults

listermint

10k is not expensive to be spending on a used car

I don't give a crap who you are that's the money I would have been spending on a used car in my twenties.

And no that's not snobbish I worked my bollix off in part time jobs to pay for the cars.

But people saying your being snobbish for not calling 10k on used car for what it is (normal) are just looking for outrage .


Yes op it's normal , yes op get someone to do proper checks if you don't have the confidence or skill set.

And no don't be overly worried about it. Just do the usual checks .


It's an average amount for a used car that's not in complete ****e.

Wildly Boaring

listermint wrote: »

10k is not expensive to be spending on a used car

I don't give a crap who you are that's the money I would have been spending on a used car in my twenties.

And no that's not snobbish I worked my bollix off in part time jobs to pay for the cars.

But people saying your being snobbish for not calling 10k on used car for what it is (normal) are just looking for outrage .


Yes op it's normal , yes op get someone to do proper checks if you don't have the confidence or skill set.

And no don't be overly worried about it. Just do the usual checks .


It's an average amount for a used car that's not in complete ****e.

He's spending 17k
That was quite the angry post