Put the £4k down on a new one on a PCP contract, drive something decent that isnt going to cost him anything if it needs fixing, which a ‘£4k’ old b anger probably will do in that time
Put the £4k down on a new one on a PCP contract, drive something decent that isnt going to cost him anything if it needs fixing, which a ‘£4k’ old b anger probably will do in that time
Put the £4k down on a new one on a PCP contract, drive something decent that isnt going to cost him anything if it needs fixing, which a ‘£4k’ old b anger probably will do in that time
Except the £300 a month PCP.
For a polo ?
Ok, slight exaggeration, but there will still be a considerable monthly sum to pay which he wouldn’t have if he bought an old car outright.
As Rob Lee says you will be best off looking on Facebook marketplace, ebay and auto trader.
A piece of advice I dont mind giving to anyone is tyres. They are a dead giveaway to how much a car was loved. If the tyres are all different brands and budget ones, walk away. It indicates the car has been looked after on a budget and not as lovingly as I would look after a vehicle. Smell is another, if it smells of cigarettes, walk away you will never get rid of that smell. Paperwork is important, modern cars especially VAG diesels can carry high miles but you don't want to buy something used for delivering takeaways, 20-40k a year would be motorway mileage and is fine.
Sadly, you won't get a lot for 4k nowadays you will be looking at an 11 year old polo with ok miles and few add ons
Or dogs.
Bought my current car off a mate about 3 years ago, they had a dog, and I still get that dog smell in it if I've not used the car for a few days.
Cargiant in west London. Price is price, no haggling, cars are good.
website works well but jump on a train and walk around their site. He deed of cars to choose from.
Oh lord, not cargiant.
Pushy kids trying to sell cars they know nothing about, no proper test drive , huge pressure to take out a warranty and loads of stories around of poor after sales service if the car you buy goes wrong.
Not somewhere I would go .
Are we talking the same place? Its the very opposite of pushy ("here's a car, here's the price, do you want it?"). I agree the test drives aren't the best (quick drive around the estate) but I've bought a few cars from there and no issues. It's extremely easy to decline their offer of a warranty ("no thanks").
Their model is simple - buy cars at auction, quick service and sell with a mark up. They've been going for years because customers go back time and again...
This. Bought my last 3 cars from there and have saved thousands compared to dealer prices, and have had no major problems with any of them or repair bill shocks. The key is to do your research first - I usually start 4-6 weeks before I buy - know what you're after, go with a list of 3 or 4 possibles in case your first choice gets sold while you're browsing (they can turn over pretty quick) and go and get it. Sales staff are largely irrelevant if you know what you're doing, though I've never found them particularly pushy. As for second hand values, they are nuts. I bought a 2 year-old Audi three years ago and would pay the same now for a 4-5 year-old equivalent as I did for it then.
Do you think/predict that these current second hand car values will return to where they should be or really fall off a precipice once new stock finally starts coming through? I've been thinking about buying a second hand car myself for a while now, but the idea that in a year's time the residual value will plummet considerably has made me much more reserved about that.
Cargiant in west London. Price is price, no haggling, cars are good.
website works well but jump on a train and walk around their site. He deed of cars to choose from.
Oh lord, not cargiant.
Pushy kids trying to sell cars they know nothing about, no proper test drive , huge pressure to take out a warranty and loads of stories around of poor after sales service if the car you buy goes wrong.
Not somewhere I would go .
Are we talking the same place? Its the very opposite of pushy ("here's a car, here's the price, do you want it?"). I agree the test drives aren't the best (quick drive around the estate) but I've bought a few cars from there and no issues. It's extremely easy to decline their offer of a warranty ("no thanks").
Their model is simple - buy cars at auction, quick service and sell with a mark up. They've been going for years because customers go back time and again...
This. Bought my last 3 cars from there and have saved thousands compared to dealer prices, and have had no major problems with any of them or repair bill shocks. The key is to do your research first - I usually start 4-6 weeks before I buy - know what you're after, go with a list of 3 or 4 possibles in case your first choice gets sold while you're browsing (they can turn over pretty quick) and go and get it. Sales staff are largely irrelevant if you know what you're doing, though I've never found them particularly pushy. As for second hand values, they are nuts. I bought a 2 year-old Audi three years ago and would pay the same now for a 4-5 year-old equivalent as I did for it then.
Do you think/predict that these current second hand car values will return to where they should be or really fall off a precipice once new stock finally starts coming through? I've been thinking about buying a second hand car myself for a while now, but the idea that in a year's time the residual value will plummet considerably has made me much more reserved about that.
We're two years + away before they will settle down.
Cargiant in west London. Price is price, no haggling, cars are good.
website works well but jump on a train and walk around their site. He deed of cars to choose from.
Oh lord, not cargiant.
Pushy kids trying to sell cars they know nothing about, no proper test drive , huge pressure to take out a warranty and loads of stories around of poor after sales service if the car you buy goes wrong.
Not somewhere I would go .
Are we talking the same place? Its the very opposite of pushy ("here's a car, here's the price, do you want it?"). I agree the test drives aren't the best (quick drive around the estate) but I've bought a few cars from there and no issues. It's extremely easy to decline their offer of a warranty ("no thanks").
Their model is simple - buy cars at auction, quick service and sell with a mark up. They've been going for years because customers go back time and again...
This. Bought my last 3 cars from there and have saved thousands compared to dealer prices, and have had no major problems with any of them or repair bill shocks. The key is to do your research first - I usually start 4-6 weeks before I buy - know what you're after, go with a list of 3 or 4 possibles in case your first choice gets sold while you're browsing (they can turn over pretty quick) and go and get it. Sales staff are largely irrelevant if you know what you're doing, though I've never found them particularly pushy. As for second hand values, they are nuts. I bought a 2 year-old Audi three years ago and would pay the same now for a 4-5 year-old equivalent as I did for it then.
Do you think/predict that these current second hand car values will return to where they should be or really fall off a precipice once new stock finally starts coming through? I've been thinking about buying a second hand car myself for a while now, but the idea that in a year's time the residual value will plummet considerably has made me much more reserved about that.
We're two years + away before they will settle down.
The expansion of the ULEZ zone could be the deciding factor anyway.
Cargiant in west London. Price is price, no haggling, cars are good.
website works well but jump on a train and walk around their site. He deed of cars to choose from.
Oh lord, not cargiant.
Pushy kids trying to sell cars they know nothing about, no proper test drive , huge pressure to take out a warranty and loads of stories around of poor after sales service if the car you buy goes wrong.
Not somewhere I would go .
Are we talking the same place? Its the very opposite of pushy ("here's a car, here's the price, do you want it?"). I agree the test drives aren't the best (quick drive around the estate) but I've bought a few cars from there and no issues. It's extremely easy to decline their offer of a warranty ("no thanks").
Their model is simple - buy cars at auction, quick service and sell with a mark up. They've been going for years because customers go back time and again...
This. Bought my last 3 cars from there and have saved thousands compared to dealer prices, and have had no major problems with any of them or repair bill shocks. The key is to do your research first - I usually start 4-6 weeks before I buy - know what you're after, go with a list of 3 or 4 possibles in case your first choice gets sold while you're browsing (they can turn over pretty quick) and go and get it. Sales staff are largely irrelevant if you know what you're doing, though I've never found them particularly pushy. As for second hand values, they are nuts. I bought a 2 year-old Audi three years ago and would pay the same now for a 4-5 year-old equivalent as I did for it then.
Do you think/predict that these current second hand car values will return to where they should be or really fall off a precipice once new stock finally starts coming through? I've been thinking about buying a second hand car myself for a while now, but the idea that in a year's time the residual value will plummet considerably has made me much more reserved about that.
We're two years + away before they will settle down.
The expansion of the ULEZ zone could be the deciding factor anyway.
The majority of cars pass the ULEZ and that's an ever increasing % as the older cars die off. Plus the non ULEZ cars just get sold further north/south!
Cargiant in west London. Price is price, no haggling, cars are good.
website works well but jump on a train and walk around their site. He deed of cars to choose from.
Oh lord, not cargiant.
Pushy kids trying to sell cars they know nothing about, no proper test drive , huge pressure to take out a warranty and loads of stories around of poor after sales service if the car you buy goes wrong.
Not somewhere I would go .
Are we talking the same place? Its the very opposite of pushy ("here's a car, here's the price, do you want it?"). I agree the test drives aren't the best (quick drive around the estate) but I've bought a few cars from there and no issues. It's extremely easy to decline their offer of a warranty ("no thanks").
Their model is simple - buy cars at auction, quick service and sell with a mark up. They've been going for years because customers go back time and again...
This. Bought my last 3 cars from there and have saved thousands compared to dealer prices, and have had no major problems with any of them or repair bill shocks. The key is to do your research first - I usually start 4-6 weeks before I buy - know what you're after, go with a list of 3 or 4 possibles in case your first choice gets sold while you're browsing (they can turn over pretty quick) and go and get it. Sales staff are largely irrelevant if you know what you're doing, though I've never found them particularly pushy. As for second hand values, they are nuts. I bought a 2 year-old Audi three years ago and would pay the same now for a 4-5 year-old equivalent as I did for it then.
We bought our Zafira from there about 6 years ago now, they weren't at all pushy and were very helpful even to the extent of me not noticing that it didn't come with a parcel shelf which when I called them about a week later they took one off another car and I collected it for free.
A friend of mine is in the trade and his view is that the high prices for secondhand cars has peaked and may now start following the more normal pattern soon.
As Rob Lee says you will be best off looking on Facebook marketplace, ebay and auto trader.
A piece of advice I dont mind giving to anyone is tyres. They are a dead giveaway to how much a car was loved. If the tyres are all different brands and budget ones, walk away. It indicates the car has been looked after on a budget and not as lovingly as I would look after a vehicle. Smell is another, if it smells of cigarettes, walk away you will never get rid of that smell. Paperwork is important, modern cars especially VAG diesels can carry high miles but you don't want to buy something used for delivering takeaways, 20-40k a year would be motorway mileage and is fine.
Sadly, you won't get a lot for 4k nowadays you will be looking at an 11 year old polo with ok miles and few add ons
Or dogs.
Bought my current car off a mate about 3 years ago, they had a dog, and I still get that dog smell in it if I've not used the car for a few days.
Don't forget that the ULEZ may be extended to the M25 next year.
Buying a £4k car may be a waste of money.
Isn't that only likely to be an issue with a diesel in the £ 4K range?
the (in effect) age limit for ULEZ on petrol cars is quite a bit older than for diesel cars (the price of second hand older diesels seems to have come down with a bit of a thump in the home counties.)
My (petrol) car is 2008 / 58 reg, must be worth less than £ 2K now, and is OK for the current ULEZ (this was a factor when I bought it two or three years ago - mumcat lives two streets outside the south circular, but everything like her local shops, doctor and local hospital are inside it so I wanted to have that flexibility.)
Or have i missed something and are they talking about making the rules / age limit tighter soon?
Don't forget that the ULEZ may be extended to the M25 next year.
Buying a £4k car may be a waste of money.
Isn't that only likely to be an issue with a diesel in the £ 4K range?
the (in effect) age limit for ULEZ on petrol cars is quite a bit older than for diesel cars (the price of second hand older diesels seems to have come down with a bit of a thump in the home counties.)
My (petrol) car is 2008 / 58 reg, must be worth less than £ 2K now, and is OK for the current ULEZ (this was a factor when I bought it two or three years ago - mumcat lives two streets outside the south circular, but everything like her local shops, doctor and local hospital are inside it so I wanted to have that flexibility.)
Or have i missed something and are they talking about making the rules / age limit tighter soon?
It depends on the car. That's why I said may be affected.
Comments
Bought my current car off a mate about 3 years ago, they had a dog, and I still get that dog smell in it if I've not used the car for a few days.
I've been thinking about buying a second hand car myself for a while now, but the idea that in a year's time the residual value will plummet considerably has made me much more reserved about that.
Buying a £4k car may be a waste of money.