Buying wisely

[purplebargeken]

Buying wisely..... hahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahaha. Hahahahahahahaha.

 

500 quid budget............................... hahahahaha, you rich sod

 

If I buy anything for more than £300 or so, I get very irritated with myself. Ok, so the NYPD car cost a lot more than that but fuck, it has lights and sirens man!

[Mally]

Fitted to mine I got a 2.0 Pinto with 5 speed box in good nick, and an Escort axle with a 4.4 diff.

More than 500 quids worth there alone.

 

How much do you want for the lights and sirens?  I collect useful stuff.

[Jifflemon]

The other problem is when heart rules head; if your after a rarer car, you're more inclined to accept faults as your pool is much smaller.

[HMC]

Im a terrible buyer with no will power, but a great seller. My hobby amounts to- hastily buying things with faults, sorting it, learning along the way, and selling a sorted specimen when I get bored ( boredom ETA 3 months) REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT

 

But its fun* and my life wouldn't be as enriched* if I did things properly.

[Angry Sheep]

Main thing I look for is a seller I feel comfortable about.

 

I bought my RAV4 after walking away from a Rover being sold by a garage by a high-pressure salesman who was desperate for me not to look under the bonnet. The car was lovely but he was definitely hiding something and had presumably bought it from auction for about £50 a few days before.

 

The RAV4 wasn't what I was after at all, but the sellers were lovely to deal with. Made me a cuppa, handed me the keys and told me to help myself. The only issues I could find were ones they'd mentioned so I made them an offer and collected it the next day. So far it's proving to be an excellent purchase - my gut instinct was right. I'm sure the Rover wouldn't have got me home.

[panhard65]

I think at the sub 500 quid price range if it gets you home it has done well. I rarely bother checking anything just the price. The Porsche cost me 4k and did need a fair bit of work to make it perfect but I would rather do the work myself than believe the full Porsche service history, even with spending over a grand in parts it is still a cheap Porsche. At the other end of the scale I bought a 120 quid Peugeot 206 because it was cheaper than getting the train home when I sold my Rolls. I couldn't believe how good the dealer was he topped up the oil and water and even checked the lights before letting me take it. It got me home then I flogged it on for £175. As long as the price is right bollocks to history, as long as it starts, drives and will get you home then buy it

[overrun]

I bought a 200 quid car on Sunday and I asked how many owners it had (2) and as it was just serviced at 24k and now showing 27k asked if the book was stamped. It was lol.

I even made sure I got the second key.

 

It depends on who is selling and what you intend for the car, imo.

[fordperv]

Sorry for raising the tone, please feel free to quote my last line as well.

that wouldnt be as funny now though would it

[strangeangel]

The last time I 'did my homework' and tried to buy wisely I ended up with a Series III Land Rover. I'd have been better off repeatedly slamming my old chap in a door.

 

If it's £500 or less I check to see if it runs, doesn't make noises that suggest impending doom and look for a valid MOT certificate & if that's all good then I cough up the readies.

[anonymous user]

I refuse to take part in this as I never have. Since ebay, many of my purchases have started with a bottle, or so, of wine and ended up with a hang-over and a surprise car the following day. Unsurprisingly I have come unstuck a few times doing this and either had to give the offending item away, or in the case of the RM Riley, where the seller had not mentioned that one side of the bodywork was missing, agree not to purchase.

 

Prior to the internet, when I needed a cheap car, my method was to go through the local paper/autotrader, just ring up starting with the cheapest with a bit of MOT until I got to one that wasn't already sold, then when I went to look at it if it started, steered and stopped it would do. Although on one occasion this got me a Mini with "lowered" suspension (The hydrolastic system had a leak) and a metallic paint-job (done in hammerite, but I didn't notice at the time as I bought it in the dark). It did last me a couple of weeks until it ran out of water in traffic. I took it to a scrappy and came out with a swap for a "better" Austin Cambridge which lasted until the MOT ran out about six months later, whereupon I gave it to a chap who had another one.

[Parky]

If the seller has owned the car for a few years, ask when it was last serviced.

 

If their mouth falls open and they say "what?" Like Dougall from Father Ted, walk away.

[Squire_Dawson]

Just reading the advert and checking the MoT history are my first actions and then, if I have good vibes, I make a list of general and specific questions to ask the seller, whom I then telephone to speak to. If I am satisfied on these counts I go to see the car at their home address to inspect the vehicle and take a test drive. I will then either buy or walk away.

 

However, I recently paid £2,000 for a car sight unseen on the basis of being satisfied on my first three points. I then drove the car almost 400 miles home without any FTP and have since covered hundreds of trouble-free miles in it. So, that gamble paid off, but this is not something I'd recommend and for me it is the exception to the rule.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Lack of service history means nothing; I've bought six cars and vans recently with little or no service history and none have thrown up any 'surprises' I didn't expect.

One VW van I bought I should have walked away from, it wasn't as described and I would have been within my rights to do so. In the end there was nothing wrong with it that couldn't be sorted with some service parts and a bit of research.

Having said all that.....the vehicles I buy are usually pre 1980 and simple to work on/diagnose faults.

[Uncle Jimmy]

One give away is a seller that tries to rush you, either openly or more subtly. Slowing down proceedings and talking about other things is often sufficient to get a liar nervous.

[Cavcraft]

I suppose the other thing is you're unlikely to find the exact thing you're looking for for £500. Even if it was (for example) a metallic red Peugeot 307 (or whatevs) with low miles and history and all that, you'd probably struggle. The trick is (imho) to just find the best car that £500 can buy you and be open minded. Yeah, we've all got cars we don't like or wouldn't own, but £500 will get you a really good small/medium/large car, no danger whatsoever.

 

If you want the 'perfect' specific car then you can probably budget for spending three times that mount and still have to wait round for what you want./

[SiC]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201610058456307

 

Might be able to get it for £500 with a bit of haggling...

 

 

Incidentally I have noticed that Autotrader doesn't seem to be the choice of place to list sub 1k cars. So stuff like 307's are low in number on AT but high on Gumtree and eBay.

[surprisingskoda]

For the cars I buy for myself, many of which are totally undesirable and well under 500, the choice is limited so I buy the first one that comes up.

Even when needing a runabout car, I will have some stuff in my head to look for, so it's never buying blind, not really.

For instance, I have a minor hankering for another mk1 impreza, preferably an awful one, or a rover 620 sdi again. Also I want a 214i 3 door in nightfire red. Also an alfa 156 wagon in diesel. P11 primera Sri in grey also on the list. So should the situation arise, I will go looking for these. And then because I want them, I won't care if the locks aren't greased.

 

Of course what actually happens, is because I'm in the trade, someone rings me begging to get rid of their old chod, hence why I am home tonight in a 2001 530d auto with 6 months test and 18 inch wheels I gave £350 for, and feel mildly hard done by. Not that I need it, my mg and fiat are at home too and my alfa is at work, but I deal in crap old bmws so I'll find some victim for it. Or run it into the ground, they are perfect winter cars. Although so is the 156 v6.

[vulgalour]

It's harder to buy something for under £500 now than it was just a few years ago.  It can still be done.  Be prepared to buy something that looks dog rough, has been beaten every day of its life and will reward you with a string of frustrating, sometimes expensive, jobs.  My most expensive purchase was the Princess at £450 with T&T, the best value for money the RobT Corsa for £180, both of which are still around though it's the cheaper one that's been easier and cheaper to look after and required much less attention!

 

I've bought cars on the strength of photographs only - see Dollywobbler Citroen BX estate, Dollywobbler sourced Renault 6TL - and my current daily was bought in the rain at night on a whim at the end of a couple of hours drive on the strength of some pictures on Gumtree for under £300.

 

I'm a seller's dream really.  I'll turn up, have a poke, be happy with the price and take the car away.  I am a mug.  People see me coming.  I don't care!  It usually works out okay in the end.

[matty879]

not strictly shite,but for less than 500,i have bought a 2003 zafira with a misfire £100 sold after putting vacuum pipe back on inlet for £650,focus 2.0 tdci 06 non runner 18 months ago £450 (50 to fix,still my daily)tigra twintop 2005 full test dodgy roof,£600.£25 in second hand bits,sold £1400,07 pug 207 1.4 pez to buy and fix,less than £350,sold £700 plus daysil 206 in px,07 207 hdi sale pending,so if you can scour gumtree which is where i buy my sellers,they are about,im saving the money ive made for a astra 1.6 sr mk1 or even better an opel kaddett sr,from early 80s vintage

[cros]

Buy wisely by going for a car that has as little as possible in the way of comfort, features or lovely paint. I avoid power-anything along with air-con which isn't hard if you restrict yourself to MOT free pre-60's motoring. Within this range there are names to avoid like MG and Jaguar (high wankers-tax bracket) which just leaves you the easy task of identifying a motor that can actually move under its own power and doesn't leave a a trail of vapour or fallen off body parts in its wake.

  Concern has been expressed around here about cars with no MOT; shoving your cock through the glory hole in a Moroccan public lavatory is what comes to my mind as dangerous, inspecting cars that never had brakes anyway is largely a waste of time.

[burraston2006]

I just go on instinct. Just bought a car (Range Rover P38) and really pleased with it. Called the guy and he was happy to talk for ever about it. We went to see it, the seller invited us in like we were old friends- coffee offered etc. For the test drive he just gave us the keys and said be as long as you like. We seem to buy cars this way. If the seller is honest usually the car is ( I think he mentioned he sold snake oil for a living and the Rangie did 50mpgs!!!!).

[DodgeRover]

At £500 for me it's does it drive straight and feel ok engine/ gearbox wise, have the tyres got tread, does it run/ sound ok is it chucking out smoke, stick my head underneath and check for big holes and does it look like it will test again. Anything else is a bonus

[oldcars]

WHS. I think you are looking for perfection tbh. When you find this Mondeo with full history, dealer plates, working air con, a set of four new Michelins and concours bodywork for £500 let us know.

Sorry, had to http://autoshite.com/topic/25915-ford-mondeo-18-for-sale/  

[Captain Slow]

For £500 I look at a car and think "Will this last me 12 months?"

 

If yes, winning. If not, I'll haggle. Tenner a week seems a fair price to pay when there are people financed to the hilt on Kias and Hyundais paying a lot more for less car!

[sierraman]

Sorry, had to http://autoshite.com/topic/25915-ford-mondeo-18-for-sale/

Ooh that sounds a bargain!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

If the seller is OK, then 9 times out of 10 the car will be.

I've lost count of the cars where I've got straight back in the car and gone home because I didn't like the cut of the sellers jib.

To be honest it's also how I run my business- I'll never be rich, but at least I don't have to deal with cunts.

[strangeangel]

I'll never be rich, but at least I don't have to deal with cunts.

 

This is very much my eBay/Scumtree selling policy.

 

Meanwhile... I may just have purchased a scooter in a most unwise fashion

[sierraman]

I agree. On gumtree if you come across moronic in your message I'd simply ignore it. I'm in the process of selling some paving slabs at the moment, countless idiots I get that want to move 25 3x2 council pavers by car beggars belief. I half want them to turn up in a Micra and watch out the window as the shockers rupture as they are loading the 6th slab into the back!

[egg]

Incidentally I have noticed that Autotrader doesn't seem to be the choice of place to list sub 1k cars. So stuff like 307's are low in number on AT but high on Gumtree and eBay.

 

This is true, but one of my 'favourite' searches is on autotrader under £500, private sales within 50 miles of me which I then sort oldest (model year) to newest (which you can do on the app, but not the web). With daily searches some true (often giffer owned) bargains pop up.

[inconsistant]

Simples just by German and you can't go rong. Avoid everything else make sure it's a vw or Audi or BMW or whatever theyre are faultless and mega reliable, dont need maintenance or repairs or anything. Or get a merc they go on forever.