Motoring
Alan Judd
‘Like to see you in one, sir, like to see you in one,’ said the oleaginous salesman at the Mercedes dealership where I was loitering without intent.
None of the 77 cars I’ve owned was new and I wasn’t about to forsake a lifetime’s frugality for the fleeting pleasure of newness. But I was tempted. Still am. Daily.
Given my relish for the second-hand – pre-owned, in marketing speak – people sometimes seek my all-too-fallible advice on buying. I recommend you start by knowing thyself.
What do you want a car for – the school run, commuting, shopping, dog-walking, out-of-town weekends or camping holidays? Where would you keep it – in a garage, on your drive or on the street? If the last, will you have to pay emission-based parking or use charges?
How many miles might you do a year (the fewer, the less fuel consumption figures matter)? Do you mind if it’s expensive to maintain, tax and insure? Does its age concern you? Is it important that you actually like it and enjoy driving it, or will any old set of wheels do? Finally, how much do you want to pay?
Then there’s where to buy – privately, from a dealership, at auction, online or from a car supermarket? You should get it cheaper privately but you have no comeback if the gearbox disintegrates on your way home. Buying through the trade often gets you a warranty, but anyway the 2015 Consumer Rights Act protects you for up to six months against major faults present or developing at the time of purchase.
At auction, you reckon to pay trade price or not much more but it’s fast-moving, you can’t drive the car or change your mind after the hammer falls and you must be disciplined about what you’re prepared to pay (including commission and VAT).
If you have a car to trade in, then a dealer or car supermarket – where prices are usually competitive – is your best bet. If buying new or nearly new, you can get substantial discounts via online outfits such as drivethedeal.com or carwow.co.uk, though choice is limited to what is available on the day.
Outlets such as autotrader.co.uk and motors.co.uk – my latest favourite – show what’s available nationwide and give an idea of asking prices. If you want advice on particular makes, go to the excellent honestjohn.co.uk and look up its reviews section.
Remember it’s a buyer’s market, always. If you can’t get the deal you want, you’ll find it elsewhere. Dealers know that and are usually prepared to deal, if not on the asking price then on what they’ll allow on your trade-in, or by extending the warranty, fitting new tyres or whatever. Don’t be unreasonable – they have a living to make – but try to make the deal feel like a collaboration. Instead of, ‘I’m not paying that for it,’ say something like, ‘I like it but can we sharpen our pencils a bit on the price?’
About 80-90 per cent of new or nearly new cars are bought on credit, most often by personal contract purchase (PCP). You pay monthly for three years or so, in effect hiring the car, after which you hand it back or pay the value remaining to buy it outright. Or you can get a loan or do it through hire purchase. Dealers like you to borrow because they get commission, but if you pay cash you can often negotiate a discount.
Overall, be clear about what you want, study the market, take a sceptical friend along for a reality check and always be prepared to walk away. Don’t be tempted by what you neither need nor can afford. As I am, daily.