Where To Buy Your Next Second Hand Car

By Author: Foster Carr
Total Articles: 30
Comment this article

There are many different approaches to buying a second hand car, such as buying from an independent dealership or attending an auction.

There are advantages and disadvantages to every approach, but if you are careful, and weigh up your options sensibly, then there is no reason not to end up with a great bargain on your next automobile purchase. Here is a rundown of the most common options available to the automotive bargain hunter:

One of the more expensive places to buy a used car is at an authorised dealership. However, these places are usually pretty generous with their trade ins, and offer quite a high level of customer service and quality assurance. They only usually sell one or two different makes of car, so if you need a wider choice, you should look elsewhere.

If you feel that you need a certain level of customer service and quality assurance, but want a wider choice than is available at franchised dealerships, then you might want to consider buying a car from an independent dealership. They are usually a little cheaper than their franchised counterparts, and give similarly good trade ins, so they ...
... can be a good way to take the hassle out of buying a used car.

Car Supermarkets can be great places to pick up nearly new cars at low prices, and usually give you more of a choice than other types of dealership. However, they tend to be quite inflexible about prices, and they seldom offer part exchange deals. Buying a car from a car supermarket can also entail a number of hidden costs, and many of their better publicised offers are not available for every vehicle. Furthermore, the cars themselves often tend to be imports, and they do not enjoy the same reputation for great customer care as independent or franchise dealerships.

Private sales, from classified advertisements in newspapers or the internet, can be the cheapest way to get a used car, give you the most choice, and if you get a vehicle inspection done and arrange a private warranty, give you much the same peace of mind as any other option. It is a bit more hassle though, and there is no option to trade in your old car, so it is only a good choice for those who can afford to spend a bit of time making the right purchase.

Auctions can be an exciting way to buy a car, and sometimes you can get a stunning bargain. In fact, this is where many independent dealerships get their cars from. However, your legal comeback is quite limited, as is your opportunity to inspect the vehicles before bidding, so this is a bit more of a risky route to take than some of the others.

You can now buy cars directly over the internet, which is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to do it. However, you are often buying sight unseen, so if you are not prepared to take the risk, make sure that you at least get some sort of warranty with the car. Arranging payment and collection can be tricky, but if the car in question is relatively nearby, this need not be an issue.

Let Kwik Fit Insurance get you a cheap car insurance quote, using our simple and fast quote process.