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Buying
options
There are
a number of routes in which to buy a nearly new or second
hand car. This section of deals4cars.co.uk aims to guide
you through each of the methods
1. Buying through a manufacturers dealership
2. Buying from an independent car trader
3. Buying privately
4. Buying from an auction
Buying
from a dealership
There are
a number of advantages in purchasing a car through a
dealership. They are experts on these vehicles and often
manufacturers insist on certain standards. The main
disadvantage is cost as these vehicles are generally
more expensive due to large dealer margins put on nearly
new cars..
Buying
from a independent trader
Cars via
this route can be a little cheaper and cars through
this route are often older with higher mileage. Unfortunately,
some traders have some rather dodgy practices. To find
out about some of the tricks check out our what to look
out for section.
Private
sales
Often this
is much cheaper route as you are not paying for a profit.
It benefits both seller and buyer as trade in values
are generally poor from dealers and traders, or the
newer car is marked up to allow for this
There are
a number of sources on the internet and offline to find
second hand cars
Auctions
A great
place to go to access trade priced cars. However, be
waned that if you buy a car through this route you are
regarded as a trader which means little protection from
the law.
Most auction houses check for any outstanding finance,
title and that it is not a write off as part of the
buyers fee you have to pay.
What
the law says about buying a used car
However,
there are some pitfalls to watch out for on both sides.
The buyer has less rights than purchasing through a
trader. It is wise for a buyer to carry out a check
as to the cars history, for example if the car is stolen
it can be taken away from you even if you had no knowledge.
These checks can also help identify mileage fraud (see
what to look out for), and for insurance write-offs
etc and that there is no outstanding finance on the
vehicle [more]. These checks can be carried out by a
number of companies either over the phone, via a wap
phone or over the internet. Check out our review of
suppliers.
Generally you should apply the adage ‘LET THE
BUYER BEWARE’ or also known in the legal profession
as “CAVEAT EMPTOR’.
When you
buy a car from a car trader you have certain protection
from the law. Firstly the transaction is covered by
the sales of goods act (1974 – as amended by the
Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994). This act means that
you can expect your purchase to be:
• fit for its purpose (this includes any special purchase
made known to the seller e.g. if you tell the dealer
that you tow a caravan of a certain weight)
• of satisfactory quality
• as described
The main problems with UK law is that often there are
no exact definitions for these clauses. A good example
of this is ‘of satisfactory quality’ what
is satisfactory to one buyer may not be to another.
However, there are some factors which are taken in to
account by a court regarding ‘satisfactory quality’,
some of these are listed below:
• the age of the vehicle
• price of the vehicle
• mileage
• description of the car
The expectations of buying a 5 year old car with 30,000
miles for £6,000 tend to differ from a 5 year old car
with 190,000 miles for £2,000.
However, in all cases you can expect the car to be roadworthy.
It is important to note that cars purchased from a trader
are always covered by the Sales of Goods Act and a trader
can not take this away. Statements such as ‘SOLD
AS SEEN’ are meaningless.
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