Jonathan’s been in the motor trade for 25 years, why not watch our video for his top tips, or read on below for what to do when buying a car:
What are your best tips for buying a car?
Two big things I would say are to do your research and make sure you’re clear on your parameters- what you’re looking for in your next car.
How can I be sure I’m paying the right price for the car on sale?
A lot of dealers today (because the internet is so prevalent in people’s research journey) will be researching the market to understand the right price for that car.
However, for your own piece of mind, you can use good websites like Motors.co.uk, which have hundreds of thousands of cars advertised. This gives you an idea of whether the price of a car you’re interested in is right because you can compare it to other cars (even if the comparative car isn’t in your area).
Is there a good or bad time of the week, month, or year to buy a car?
The best time to buy a used car is right at the end of the year. That’s when the used car market is at its smallest because we’re all spending money on Christmas and things like that.
Equally, you’ve got a lot of cars that have come off fleets, as well as part exchanges that came into the market in September and October and are still unsold. You have a lot of cars in the market and very few customers, so prices are at their lowest.
What discount on the advertised price is reasonable to expect?
Within the market place you’ll have dealers who will price optically (priced to the internet). Their price will be pretty transparent and that’ll be very close to your transactional price. I would expect maybe a gesture or small discount.
What options do dealers offer to people with poor or bad credit?
Each dealer handles it differently, so if you’re in a situation (with poor credit) talk to the dealer. Understand what their solutions are. Then it’s a case of making sure that the relationships they have can’t affect your credit history. The main area there is to make sure you’re not getting excessively searched as a customer.
For more information on buying your car securely, visit www.motors.co.uk/security.
