New car

[The Devils Arse]

Hi,

Recently came into a bit of money, so looking to upgrade my car. I don't want a brand new one, was thinking of one that is 3/4 years old. I'm just wary of spending a load of money on a car and then have issues with it.

Is there anything I need to ask / look out for when I'm looking at cars? I'm looking at either a mini. Or a small Audi or BMW.

My current car is a 2010 mini, there is an oil leak and the parking sensors have packed up. I'm guessing they won't part exchange it?! I'm loath to sell privately in case I get ripped off, they know where I live if anything goes wrong with it, or being murdered whilst on a test drive. My OH knows less about cars than me, so is no hope!

Any advice would be grand!

 

[Former_Antelopee]

I have no idea about cars. I sold my car recently on eBay. I tried Facebook marketplace and got let down for viewings or scammers messaging me. My dad's friend who used to sell cars often until recently said to use eBay. The guy who bought it ended up coming to look at it and bought it from me with cash rather than via eBay so I ended up cancelling the eBay listing. He asked what was the best price so I took £50 off what I had it listed for. I got my dad to come over when he came so I want alone and my dad knows more about cars

 

[missdaisyjane]

Out of the three I’d definitely get a Mini. I sound biased but I bought a Mini that was barely 6 months old a few years ago. Similar circumstances as yours. I had some cash. I wanted a decent car that was reliable… and It’s been the best purchase I have ever made. It’s the perfect car.
It’s held its value and I cannot fault it. I recently was approached by the dealer to sell it back and they offered me what


I’ve driven many different cars from Range Rovers, Mercedes, Jaguar SVR’s and BMW M’s and I can say the Mini is up there. I would recommend one to anyone.

Have a look at what you want in a car. Apple car play? Sensors? Cameras? Size? Then go to a dealer, do not say about any issues you are having with your current car.
Go in and explain your inheritance and you are looking to upgrade to a newer car. Tell them you want to part ex it - they will part ex it! If you give them a starting point with your spec they will have a look at what stock they have. I’d recommend a mini/bmw dealership for a start.

 

[AlwaysSummer]

You have an option to buy outright or buy on a lease (ie pay in instalments) with part exchanging your old car. You can buy an approved used car which would come with some warranty, def do that as if you have issues with the car most of them will ge covered by the warranty. Recommend go to a dealership.

In terms of what car, consider how many miles you average a year, what size would suit your needs, fuel consumption, do you care about performance, interior needs. I’ve driven various models of BMWs for years and they have all ticked all boxes, most of all are reliable.

 

[Clickbait]

You can definitely part exchange a car in most conditions (if they are fixable and it is still running, has an active MOT) all that will be affected is the price. Likewise the price you get may be reflective of where you’re selling it onto - some places will sell on the cars to auction which means the price you get is much lower than market value.

I recently sold my car - I didn’t have a full service history but would have sold it on the first day of listing on Autotrader if I had. Ended up selling to a local dealership who gave me a good price and they fixed some minor paintwork issues and sold on quickly for an almost £2k profit. The part-ex price I was offered from the place I bought my new car from was £2k less than I got from private sale.

I’d defo recommend Autotrader if you want to sell privately - there is a cost but all you really need to do is take and upload photos, answer basic info and then all the spec is listed for you. You can do a write up to point out any issues or additional features, set a price (they help with this) and then you’re set up with contact details that hide your own personal details.

FB marketplace is good for older cars I’ve been told but mine was <5 years and in really good condition so was looking for more than I think people would be willing to spend. I also didn’t have time wasters and didn’t have to field scammers.

 

[RandomAlpaca22]

Hi,

Recently came into a bit of money, so looking to upgrade my car. I don't want a brand new one, was thinking of one that is 3/4 years old. I'm just wary of spending a load of money on a car and then have issues with it.

Is there anything I need to ask / look out for when I'm looking at cars? I'm looking at either a mini. Or a small Audi or BMW.

My current car is a 2010 mini, there is an oil leak and the parking sensors have packed up. I'm guessing they won't part exchange it?! I'm loath to sell privately in case I get ripped off, they know where I live if anything goes wrong with it, or being murdered whilst on a test drive. My OH knows less about cars than me, so is no hope!

Any advice would be grand!

Hey, thought I would throw my 50p in as I have a family member who is a mechanic and has helped me with all my cars!

The main things you'll want to ask are the full service and MOT history, how many prev owners, maybe also worth asking how much the road tax is per year, how many miles the vehicle has done, has the vehicle ever been involved in an accident (if you are going via approved used, then this will almost definitely be a no), also ask to test drive it if you see one you like. You should also ask if it will pass a vehicle history check/HPI (this will ensure theres no unpaid finance on the vehicle, reported stolen etc)

I wouldn't worry much about the condition of the car regarding part ex - my old car had a busted inner console button and no working parking sensors, and I still got £6k for it somehow. It would definitely be worth your while enquiring about part ex. Alternatively autotrader is great too, facebook market place I tried to sell my very first car on there and the only people that really seemed to be interested were traders that wanted to pay peanuts for the car. Then you also have webuyanycar - they will offer you a lower price but it saves the hassle of finding a private seller.

Personally of the brands you have mentioned I would go with either BMW or Audi (I have an S3 myself) and can honestly say I've never ever had an issue (this is my second Audi). As the poster above said, definitely have a look through used and approved, pretty much all dealerships will have something on their website about this. With this as well, you are often allowed to pay a fee for a warranty, I.e. my first car was an A1 and I paid £360 I think for a years warranty, to ensure that if anything did happen with the car, it would be sorted no questions asked.

 

[HeyBabes]

I’d also recommend taking the car to an independent garage after you’ve bought it for a once over. My last 2 used cars were utter dogs, purchased from a very well known car dealership in Scotland, the first one the engine exploded and the 2nd one failed it’s MOT a few months after purchase with dangerous defects, after having been promised by the salesman he’d given it a personal look over and promised it was perfect.
Not to scare you or anything, I’ve also bought a couple of brilliant wee second hand cars, an Audi A1 (great wee car) but car salesmen will say anything and sell you anything to get your cash.