...autotrader.co.uk. Essentially the website acts as a channel for distribution for all sellers, trade and private, and therefore this makes the search a lot easier than identifying and searching lots of individual garages. All the big car supermarkets appear to be represented here along with ... Read review
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Advantages: Choice, easily navigated, availability of reviews and car related links Disadvantages: too much choice..!
Since landing myself a new job opportunity 55 miles away (nice career development move!) I have been on the car buying merry go round with a vengeance. Obviously for that distance both fuel economy and comfort are of utmost importance and I am looking for something quite rare - notably a diesel automatic vehicle, budget was stretching to a 3-5yr old vehicle depending on how prestigious a model I elected for, and low mileage was a factor - as I will ... ...years without doing a lot more than commuting.
In years previous, the autotrader magazine has always served its purpose relatively well, although 500 pages of black and white car adverts could be a little on the tedious side. Like everything, the internet has changed the way we shop for goods, although the jury is still out for me on whether it has actually simplified the process or made it ten times harder!
Since landing myself a new job opportunity 55 miles away (nice career development move!) I have been on the car buying merry go round with a vengeance. Obviously for that distance both fuel economy and comfort are of utmost importance and I am looking for something quite rare - notably a diesel automatic vehicle, budget was stretching to a 3-5yr old vehicle depending on how prestigious a model I elected for, and low mileage was a factor - as I will no doubt be doing 100,000 miles in the next 3 years without doing a lot more than commuting.
In years previous, the autotrader magazine has always served its purpose relatively well, although 500 pages of black and white car adverts could be a little on the tedious side. Like everything, the internet has changed the way we shop for goods, although the jury is still out for me on whether it has actually simplified the process or made it ten times harder!
Without question, however, my favourite site for searching for used cars has to be www.autotrader.co.uk. Essentially the website acts as a channel for distribution for all sellers, trade and private, and therefore this makes the search a lot easier than identifying and searching lots of individual garages. All the big car supermarkets appear to be represented here along with the big dealers. Each advert links directly to the dealer's own website and although the distance to the dealer is given in the basic search results, you can quickly pull up a map to locate the exact destination.
The most prominent feature on the Cars homepage is in fact the vehicle search. The search engine facility is one of the best out there, and was updated with new features as recently as a week ago - the current version is still in Beta mode. While the standard search engine may be adequate, the advanced search option is by far the easier to use as you can narrow it down by almost any criteria. Typically this includes Make and Model, Min and Max pricing, age of car, transmission and fuel options and distance from your home postcode.
What I particularly like about this site is the way the number of cars instantly filters down as you add an option, so you can see which choices are restricting you the most. In my case, I was quite flexible on the make and model, but the diesel and auto were my most important criteria so by selecting those, some budget and geographical restrictions, I was able to see which makes of cars were available and quickly navigate my way to the ones that most interested me - rovers and Kias not being on my shopping list even if they did meet my Diesel auto criteria..!!
If your budget stretches to it, you can search for cars up to £1million in value, and there are in fact 32 cars nationwide that fall between 500K and £1million - although I suspect the Renault Megane diesel currently on sale at 760K is either a typo or someone's idea of a joke…
Of course, www.autotrader.co.uk has always traded in more than just private cars, and there is a separate page for other types of vehicles, including vans, trucks, bikes, motor-homes, boats, and surprisingly, even property.
Possibly the second most important aspect of such a site is the ability to read independent reviews. Autotrader actually offers up three types of reviews. Firstly there are their own independent reviews, although there are only about 100 of these, for the most popular makes and models. Secondly you can search Whatcar reviews, whether they are for new or used cars, and finally there are consumer supplied reviews. These seem to be higher in number, certainly for the models I looked at, however while reviews on some sites can be overly long, many of the consumer reviews consisted of a star rating of the vehicle make/model and a one liner on positives and negatives. I also found that the classification of models needed to be filtered down further - if you search on Alfa Romeo 147s for example you get every derivative all lumped together, which is not what most of the car buying public want to see.
Less valuable to me personally, there are plenty of links to articles about cars in general, advertising, as well as links for HPI type checks. There are also links to the best finance deals, through links with Money Expert.com
If you are a seller, you can get an idea of a likely value through a free Whatcar valuation or for £2.95 you can get a Glass's guide valuation and a downloadable certificate. As a seller you can advertise your car on the website for two weeks for a bargain £17.99, which is not bad value at all.
Generally I have found the speed of the site to be fine, although there were a few minor teething troubles after the changes to the car search engine over the weekend, thankfully these seem to have been resolved fairly quickly. Overall, if you are searching for a car, or want to sell your car, I highly recommend www.autotrader.co.uk as whether you are buying or selling the target audience/available stock is massive via this portal.
Advantages: HUGE choice of vehicles. GREAT search facility Disadvantages: None that I experienced
~ ~ As most of you are already probably aware, I am a taxi-driver here in the Fair City of Dublin, Ireland for the past seven years or so. And any of you who have read my car reviews will also be aware of my obvious attachment to Nissan motor cars.
In July 1999, I found myself on the lookout for a replacement for my trusty 1991 Nissan Bluebird, which was long past due for an honourable retirement. I had a notion that I could just possibly manage ... ...my usual round of daily and evening newspapers, local garages, and main dealers. And there my problems began. Although Nissan, and the Bluebird in particular, is a very popular marque here in Ireland, the last of these marvellous cars was manufactured in early 1992. And although there are still plenty of Bluebirds around, finding a "clean" example, which would stand up to the rigours of use as a taxi, proved a very daunting task.
Looking through ...
the_mad_cabbie 08.12.2000 (26.08.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of autotrader.co.uk
Advantages: Easy, full of features Disadvantages: Can be slow and search doesn't work 100% of the time
...favourite website, due to its wide range of features! Although I had a few minor complaints, they really are minor. You really couldn't find a more comprehensive site of this kind - making Autotrader.co.uk the only online used car showroom you need ever visit when looking for a second-hand car. ...
MikeWhalley 25.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of autotrader.co.uk
Advantages: expansive data base Disadvantages: None really
Autotrader is an icon of the eighties that has moved into the new century with grace and skill. This is not through active management but it has been driven by market forces and as such it has survived. Both a magazine and a website, it is dedicated to the sole aim of selling cars and car accessories to the Great British public and it does this very successfully.
The website is found at www.autotrader.co.uk . It has a search facility that allows ... ...Basic search allows you to search for manufacturer and model only. This is useful if you are looking for a rare car such as a TVR chimera (47 results today). For your more common models it is too extensive, you cannot hope to find your desired Ford Ka from 760 found. The advanced search allows you to hone your criteria to price range, geographic area and yes even colour.
Www.autotrader.co.uk contains lists of motors that individuals want to sell ...
cabletow 18.05.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of autotrader.co.uk
Advantages: Nice quick website. Disadvantages: Nothing if it sells your car.
Ive been a fan of the autotrader since I started using the magazine back in the dark ages when I was 18.Ive tried a lot of different ways to selling cars, via free and local papers, agencys , and local shop windows.The one that Ive had the most success out of by a long way is the Autotrader.I how this as I always ask the person whom have bought the car where they saw it advertised, so I know where to look advertise in the future.
I have to say since ... ...service.Every time you advertise in your local Autotrader your picture will appear on the internet free of charge.This has worked for me as Ive had people come to Tyneside from both Scotland and Hull to buy cars Ive advertised in the past and they only been bog standard cars, nothing special or rare.ALWAYS include a photograph in your advert which autotrader will take Free of charge and they will even come to your door.Adverts without photographs ...
bazza1603 28.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of autotrader.co.uk
Advantages: great for finding a car to buy Disadvantages: need to know exactly what you want
This is a really quick and painless way to find a new or used car its worthwile noting the following tips for searching the dattabase because its not that easy to browse around if you are not sure what model of car you want to buy. Definately register, as you can look for a particular model number (ie. GL GLX etc) and you can look for a particular mileage and age. And don't bother if you don't least know the make of the car and model of the car that ... ...topgear site www.topgear.beeb.com to find a specific model. This is even more useful if, say, you want a sunroof because you may not find this by simply putting sunroof in the keyword search, as the search engine looks for the advertisers text of rather than the spec of the vehicle ...
primetime 30.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of autotrader.co.uk
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Advantages: Cheap to run, looks, practicality. Disadvantages: performance not fantastic
blowing off any BMW M3's at the lights, but then again it hasn't been made for that. With a not so breath taking 1242cc engine offering 60bhp, the Punto lacks in performance, but it makes up for this with its practicality and cheapness to run. This little beast will average around 50 miles per gallon, which for a petrol car is fantastic. With an insurance group of just 3, this makes this car a young drivers dream!
Putting the 60bhp aside, as well as the 14.3 seconds to get to 60mph, this car does what it says on the tin. It is comfortable, nice to drive, looks good, and is cheap to run and buy, what more could you ask for?
(Details about mpg and hp taken from autotrader.co.uk) ...
Advantages: great range of vehicles of all sorts, cheap magazine, buyers guides Disadvantages: black and white on the whole
the magazine for you.
Also they have an excellent website at www.autotrader.co.uk with a selection of the cars that appear in the magazine and a lot more also with an excellent search facility letting you specify anything from age to mileage to cost to model. Also they have links to a number of online insurance quotation services. ...
CyrixDes 07.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Auto Trader
Advantages: Quick through traffic Disadvantages: small
Scooters are getting used more and more these days because of the ease, the cost and the fuel use. You can weave through traffic with ease and scoot around on 130mpg! You can buy a good quality scooter for about £600 and the makes I would personally recommend are Benelli, Aprilla and Suzuki.
You can ride a 50cc scooter at age 16 and a 125cc at age 17. If you are interested and would like to have a browse at some scooters on offer, then I personally recommend www.autotrader.co.uk. They have a wide range on offer and you can also sell your scooter too. ...
