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.