Advice on used car buying In uk

I bought a new car today. We have used the same dealer for years to buy all our cars and works vans so they treat us well.

My previous car was nearly 4 years old and this one is not quite 2 yrs old with only 4,500 miles on clock and is immaculate. Apparently one of the Managers retired and bought 2 brand cars (presumably with a great staff discount) for himself and his wife, exactly the same. She hardly used it as since he retired they went everywhere together. So the dealer rang us to say it had just come in and were we interested.

Thanks everyone. In the end we have decided to buy a brand new car lol.
Mind you, it’s a 6 month wait …

Sikipoo

I put the new car details into car wow. It came up as approx 3k less than the forecourt price.
What do I look at now, sorry ,wasn’t quite clear.

So you need to enter your postcode then you will be sent offers from dealers. You can then either contact them for a test drive or use the figures to negotiate with your current dealer. Hope that helps!

have you shopped around for the car you want, compared prices.
don't be sweet-talked into anything.
or pressured.

You check your current car price on several used car websites then if wanting to do a part exchange deal you have to be prepared to haggle, and if not satisfied walk away and try another dealer (could play one off against the other).

Of course you want a good deal but you have to be realistic too.

I put the new car details into car wow. It came up as approx 3k less than the forecourt price.
What do I look at now, sorry ,wasn’t quite clear.

When negotiating the price on anything Always be prepared to walk away

Sorry just read that you are buying a second hand one. I was going to do that but absurdly it was cheaper to buy new if I was prepared to wait until October.

I’m in a similar position to you and the dealers that I’ve spoken to say to sell your car separately. We buy any car is as good as any as another poster has suggested. I also put the new car details into a website called carwow and then received offers from dealers which were less than the list price. I then used these offers to show my local dealer who then agreed to price match the lowest offer. I’m pleased with the outcome.

You might get a better deal offering to pay cash and selling your car yourself. Not via Webuyanycar though.

You could be right MaizieD.
Decided after I had posted, that I was better off not posting.

I think that only really applies to new cars, fancythat.

The OP's transaction is second hand car part exchanging for another second hand car.

Good advice about getting ideas of current pricing of second hand cars. I'd look for both, current and prospective.

Do bear in mind that second hand cars are really keeping their value these days.

Go onto Auto Trader and see how much you would get if you sold your car first, you could use this amount to negotiate the figure. Then go onto Auto Trader and see how much the car you want to buy is getting at the moment.
Again use these prices to lower the price.
Alternatively or even as well as reducing the price try to get some add ons.
Free service after so many miles ? free RAC membership? Will they do a free service and a complete Valet before you drive it away? A years Tax?
Go onto the Government website to check it’s MOT history, if it has advisories get the dealer to fix all the problems.
Good luck

I have read that time of year matters. Something like, when the number plates change twice yearly, salesmen are more wanting to sell the existing cars faster. Something like that.

I would suggest two things. First, the only important figure is cost to change. On the face of it this is currently £16K.
Secondly, I would put your existing car's details into a car buying site such as webuyanycar.com to get some more ideas about its value.
This may give you some useful information with which to go back and use. If it were me, I would start by offering 14K. As long as you are completely sure it is the car you want. What is the worst that can happen? They say no, but suggest a figure they would settle for. The key is to be prepared to walk away if the deal is not right for you. There are thousands of cars for sale out there. Good luck.