Used car expectations

[Deleted member 37751]

I see differing opinions on the forum on a regular basis as to what people expect of the condition of a used car when buying and thought a thread discussing these might be handy for people to either be more pragmatic or even up their expectations; maybe they're aiming too low! (Couldn't remember how to start a poll!)

 

[Deleted member 150136]

I expect to get my monies worth.

 

[merc85]

To be as described with all faults declared.

 

[bob6600]

Agreed with the points made so far.

1. Price should reflect condition
2. Faults should be declared
3. An older car doesn't mean it is allowed to be a shed
4. If from a trader, they should uphold the statutory warranty by law
5. Car bodywork should be as described and imperfections advertised - saves wasted journeys

 

[SlimJim]

When I have bought a used car, I expected it to be in as new condition. No paint, bodywork or alloy wheel defects considered

 

[clk320x]

1. Should be as described
2. Plenty of pics uploaded to avoid time wasted
3. Known faults declared
4. Not a fan of descriptions such as ‘age related marks’ etc... prefer to know about any noticeable damages. I don’t mind stone chips etc - but massive dents/scratches should be mentioned/photographed.

 

[markjay]

To be as described.

I bought cars from traders who declared the issues up front.

One car had no service history. It had fresh oil and brand new discs, so I assumed it was serviced. I bought it, and a trip to dealer a day later produced a printout of perfect main dealer history.

Another was declared as having only one key and a missing satnav SD-Card. Not a problem, I bought these from the main dealer later.

As long as it's declared up front, it's fine. It prevents a lot of aggravation and time wasting.

But it would have been very annoying to discover this at the last moment, or worse, after buying the car.

 

[John]

I think just an honest description for me also.

If it is 6 years old then I don't expect it to be in mint condition although that is no bad thing if it is.

 

[Lennox]

When I buy used I want issues so I can drive down the price. Long story but our X5 dropped by nearly £8k from advertised to purchase price. Plus I got circa £3k of extras. Now that's a deal!!!

 

[Deleted member 113659]

To be as described with all faults declared.

You'd just want it to be dirty as f*** so you can give it a ruddy good clean!!!

 

[merc85]

You'd just want it to be dirty as f*** so you can give it a ruddy good clean!!!

lol it's more enjoyable for sure

 

[Will]

Some interesting answers already.

How anyone can expect a used car to be as new condition surprises me. I can spot defects on most newish cars - obvious un-repaired damage is one thing, fair wear and tear is to be expected.

I think the classic one is when someone sees say a £10k car for £8k and naively expects to buy a retail condition car for trade money. In the same way as some buyers expect that, you’ll find £8k cars being sold for £10k too.

Sometimes though you have to play the game, as most buyers of older cars these days all seem to want a bargain - so to get your £8k you have to ask £10k to begin with, etc. Because if you ask £8k, be prepared to get offered £6k, and so on

I generally try to buy the very best examples these days, rather than look for something that seems better value. As often in the long run the small premium you pay for exceptional examples (mileage, condition, spec etc) in the grand scheme of things isn’t that great, and typically you spend less on then during the ownership experience. Come resale, if you look after them you will often get most of that premium back too - and you get a nicer car to own/drive for the duration

I think the key is to be patient when you’re buying, works for me

 

[Will]

Having said that above - there’s something nice about getting a relatively nice car with potential. So long as it’s priced right - get the wheels refurbed, and a new set of tyres. Get any cosmetics done, fix those niggly faults etc. Have it serviced so you know it’s been done properly, etc.

The downside of new/newish cars is that from the moment you drive them home, they’ll never be quite as nice again. That first stone chip, the first trolly dink from a car park etc. :-(

 

[Mactech]

Having said that above - there’s something nice about getting a relatively nice car with potential. So long as it’s priced right - get the wheels refurbed, and a new set of tyres. Get any cosmetics done, fix those niggly faults etc. Have it serviced so you know it’s been done properly, etc.

The downside of new/newish cars is that from the moment you drive them home, they’ll never be quite as nice again. That first stone chip, the first trolly dink from a car park etc. :-(

I did exactly that with the used MX-5 I bought a year a go and whilst I instantly put new tyres on it and cleaned it up, it has become a much loved car.
The Volvo I got in November was actually new and it has already picked up a number of very small stone chips which makes it now 'used'....but then I did pay a 'used' (ie 38% off list) price for it

 

[MercedesDriver]

To be described as accurately as possible, to be clean, and before coming to see the car at agreed time I’m expecting the engine to be cold and not warmed up. If not allowed to go for a test drive (with the seller) of minimum 15 minutes I wont discuss the sale further. I’m expecting statutory rights to apply, unless it’s a private sale.

 

[ToeKnee]

My biggest bug bear is a car advertised as having full dealer service history then when you go visit you're told that it's held at the dealership and to go there after you've bought it for the print out! Fortunately, both of the SL's I've bought off a forecourt, the seller had already been to get the sh from the main dealer before hand so it's all ready to view.

 

[219]

Having said that above - there’s something nice about getting a relatively nice car with potential. So long as it’s priced right - get the wheels refurbed, and a new set of tyres. Get any cosmetics done, fix those niggly faults etc. Have it serviced so you know it’s been done properly, etc.

The downside of new/newish cars is that from the moment you drive them home, they’ll never be quite as nice again. That first stone chip, the first trolly dink from a car park etc. :-(

I did exactly that with my £500 W140 S-Class : I saw the obvious faults , mostly cosmetic , went away and looked up the MOT history , I felt it was worth taking a chance on , went back and bought it . I knew the car was going to need tyres , ended up renewing ALL the brake pipes because a couple were very rusty , did discs/pads/shoes/flex hoses at the same time . These were the only two serious issues . The car had been SORN for just over a year ; needs front wings and rear arches repaired but otherwise very nice . I changed out the radio which died after a few weeks , and intend to get the AC regassed this week , if it needs more than that I won't be bothering . Car was last serviced 5000 miles/18 months ago by a respectable indy , and FMBSH up to around 50K , prior to indy servicing ; I will be servicing it myself from now on . Runs smoothly and reliably ; look to get next 5 years or so out of it .

For me , a used car just has to run reliably , and have potential for improvement ; fixing them up is half the fun .

 

[l5foye]

When talking buying secondhand, I remember many years ago buying a VW Polo. I went to a local dealer (a one owner outfit)
He had 5 2nd hand Polos for sale. He handed me the keys of all 5 and said take them for a test drive. I did this and found that
an ex driving school one was the nicest driving one and I duly bought it. The dealer said I was the most sensible buyer he had come across.
2 years later (all it needed was a sidelight replaced) I sold it for more than I paid for it. Years later I bought a new ML-within a week it needed
a gearbox. The replacement gearbox lasted a month and had to be replaced. I was about to reject the ML but the dealer gave me a
life time warranty on the gearbox. There is a lesson in that somewhere.

 

[nickgar]

On a recent thread there was a discussion on whether a car made in 1978 and with 146,000 miles could possibly be advertised by a trader as being in "immaculate condition", as it was. Some, like me , thought it impossible whilst others disagreed.
When I've been discussing used cars with main dealerships, the one word they will never use is immaculate, whist some other dealers further down the food chain may.
Wonder what forum members expect to find when reading a used car described as being in "immaculate condition"?

 

[190]

When buying at 5 years old I expect the car to be perfect functionally i.e. no mechanical faults, but small cosmetic defects are inevitable and therefore acceptable. That's basically what I got when I bought my W204.

It does depend on the price though. In my village there's a small classic car showroom. They have a newish Morgan for sale at £125,000 and I can see the stone chips and possibly some paint bubbling through the showroom window. That's not acceptable.