Note: This post has been contributed.
Photo by Brett Jordan from Pexels
If you’re thinking about purchasing your next car, then you may be wondering where is best to do this. Regardless of where you decide to purchase your new car, you still need to make sure you are wary and complete some research before committing to buy. It will help you to protect yourself from being caught out and give protection from a bad car or a bad deal. Have a look below at 4 places that you could look to purchase your next car.
Through A Car Dealership
Buying through a dealer doesn’t always have to mean you are buying new. A lot of dealer offers used cars and some even specialise in them. So if you’re thinking about buying a used go you can go to a franchise dealership, independent dealership or a car supermarket that offers used vehicles. Here are a few pros and cons of buying through a dealer.
Pros:
- Your rights as a consumer are much better as you rarely have any when buying privately.
- You will probably benefit from a warranty.
- Major faults will most likely be sorted before the dealer sells the car.
- You are always able to negotiate.
- They may have deals for you to take advantage of.
- You could possibly get a better deal if you offer part exchange.
- The finance options on offer to you will be much better and may include hire purchase and personal contract payment.
- If you’re buying a relatively new car you may find that you get some manufactures warranty still included.
Cons:
- There could be restrictions to the warranty such as no cover on an engine or over a certain amount of miles.
- You need to be confident that you can barter and that you’re not paying over the odds at price.
- Sometimes the prices can be higher.
Privately
It’s no secret that when you are considering purchasing a used motor privately it can be risky. If there are any problems afterwards then you will most likely be left to deal with it yourself and in most cases, they will be buying as seen, however, buying privately can be good when you’re looking for a quick, cheap car. Just beware not everyone is honest.
Pros:
- You will probably pay a lot less.
- You can often negotiate a seller down on their price, especially if you are eager to sell.
- It’s always handy to meet the previous owner. It allows you to ask questions.
Cons:
- You won’t receive any warranty unless you pay for an independent check. So insurance is an absolute must.
- Car finance is not an option. It would have to be a loan.
- You have next to no consumer rights, the car just needs to be ‘as described’ and road worthy
- You should do a lot of research.
- No part-exchange is available although sometimes you can fall on people wanting to swap.
Auctions
Although they can be seen as one of the riskier options looking for an auction company close by could be the way you look to purchasing your next car. They are a brilliant way of grabbing yourself a bargain but it’s definitely worth researching how to handle yourself at an auction.
Pros:
- You can grab yourself a really good bargain, unbeatable prices compared to a dealership or privately.
Cons:
- Once the hammer has gone down you are in a commitment and cannot back out of the sale.
- You probably won’t have any consumer rights, it’s worth researching it on each auction site as with some you do.
- It’s easy to get into a bidding war and overshoot your budget, especially if you’re a little competitive.
Do you have any other ways that you can purchase your next used car? Please share them in the comments section below.