Deciding Where to Buy a Used Car

There are a wide number of places you can go to buy a used car; the more research you do on your different options, the greater the savings you can make.

Independent Dealers

Independent dealers often have a wide variety of stock; the cars tend to have a higher mileage than those found at franchised dealers, but are cheaper in price than many car supermarkets. The quality of cars and after-sales care will vary on the individual dealer; if you find a good one, they may be your best bet.

Franchised Dealers

Franchised dealers usually have newer cars in stock, which will often be better cared for and have lower mileages. Although in general they tend to charge the highest prices, they usually also offer the highest level of expertise and customer service, along with ease of servicing.

Car Supermarkets

Car supermarkets generally offer ex-fleet mainstream models; as they sell so many cars, making a small profit on each, they tend to be cheaper than franchised dealers. There's usually plenty of choice of the most popular brands, but very few specialist cars. There is usually a very basic approach to customer service.

Buying Privately

Buying a used car privately through the classified ads can be the cheapest option. However, there are many cars that are over-optimistically priced, and so you need to know what the car is really worth to avoid paying over the odds. If the car is under three years old, the owner may be able to transfer the manufacturer's warranty over to you. If the manufacturer's warranty has expired, you may be able to buy an off-the-shelf warranty.

Auctions

You can pick up an excellent bargain at an auction, but it's very easy to end up with a lemon if you don't know what you're doing. There's little chance of a test drive, and older and cheaper vehicles are often sold 'As Seen', which means that they are bought with all their faults, whatever and however serious they may be. You can find out more about buying cars at auction on InterAuctions.