I only wanted to buy a car!

Advantages: Choice, worth it in the end, you can save lots of money
Disadvantages: Time consuming, challanging

...Buying a new car should a pleasurable experience, but for many it can be stressful & intimidating. There is something special about owning a new car, choosing something that you have always wanted & getting that new car feeling, that new car smell (albeit the smell of plastic) & driving a car no one has driven before. That is except for the factory workers, test drivers, transporter drivers, garage mechanics & sometimes the handy man at the garage. This is not a review on which new car to buy but a review on the likely pit falls when dealing with sales staff at franchised dealers. Having spent many years working at franchised dealers on the after sales side I have seen more than my fair share of questionable tactics played by sales staff in an attempt to sell cars. DOING YOUR HOME WORK Unless you are the kind of person who...

ScottishWestie 12.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Buying A New Car

Buying A Car Read This

Advantages: Won't get ripped off
Disadvantages: none

...When it comes to buying a used car, it can be a snake pit. There is a lot of con merchants out there, only to willing to take your hard earned money, in exchange for a car that's knackered. I have a few handy hints to follow when buying a used car. Number 1 When you see the car you are interested in, phone up, and say I'm phoning about the car, do NOT say I'm phoning about the metro, escort or whatever car you have seen. If they say which car, leave it, this means they are traders, and you will almost certainly get ripped off. Number 2 Always see the car at the owner's address, if they want to bring the car round to you, this is suspicious, it probably means he's a trader. Number 3 Check all the car papers, mot, registration certificate if the registration certificate is not in the name of the person selling...

mandyco 10.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Buying A Second Hand Car

What Made You Buy THAT Car

Advantages: We often get the car we want
Disadvantages: We are often led by the nose by the adverts

...for the supermarket shopping, while at the same time looking good in the company car park or outside the restaurant. But, of course, never so “over the top” that it suggests you are screaming “look at me”. Car manufacturers in the USA seem to believe that the SUV (small utility vehicle) fits this profile perfectly, and who’s to say they haven’t got it right, given the HUGE increase in sales of these vehicles in America in the last few years. I’m not so sure that this premise holds true here in Ireland though, where the price of most SUV’s puts them firmly in the higher price bracket. (I can’t really speak for UK buyers) Irish motorists tend to buy cars that they feel comfortable with, and the biggest sellers here are vehicles such as the VW Golf, Toyota Corolla and Avensis, the Nissan Almera...

the_mad_cabbie 27.05.2003 · Read review
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Review of Why People Buy A Particular Car

Buying a specialist car needs some thought

Advantages: owning a supercar, the thrill of driving, getting a great deal
Disadvantages: costs, dodgy dealers, possible pitfalls

...How much work you put into buying a car will indicate in reality, how much you can expect to get from it. This is particularly true when you want something a bit different or a bit special. Over the years, I've been lucky enough to own some pretty nice cars. I've owned most of the cars on my hit list and will hopefully fill the list before I'm dead and buried. Here is my guide for making sure you get the car you want, in the condition you want it and at a price you can afford. 1. Be reasonable about what you want. We would all love to own a bright red Ferrari Testarossa or Enzo (if only for the trade in value!) but truthfully, even if you had been gifted the car, could you afford to run it? Could you afford the Group 20 insurance? The endless trips to the petrol stations? The incredible service bills? Look at what you need...

fightgear 01.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Buying A Second Hand Car

Buying a new car..don't just kick the tyres !

Advantages: low mileage
Disadvantages: need to very knowledgable of all the ins and out's

...Buying a new car is clearly a big decision. You need to do a lot of detailed research comparing urban cycle mpg, depreciation costs and load carrying capacity across a wide range of cars. And then when you've finished all this research you get the car you fancied in the first place even if it has the mpg of an armoured personnel carrier and the depreciation of a dot.com share. It's always a good idea to test drive a new car. It's called a test drive, because you suddenly fell like you're doing your driving test again. The ten minutes you have the car for will be the worst ten minutes of driving you've done since you were with your Dad in Sainsbury's car park. It doesn't help that the salesman will be pointing out the superb road holding as you accidentally mount a kerb, because you can't find the clutch. Its much better just to sit in...

joeyhey2007 30.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Buying A New Car

Get smart on secondhand cars buys

Advantages: The key and only advantage is the initial purchase cost
Disadvantages: Conversley, the vehicle can be a dog with out you being aware of it.

...Seven years ago I bought what I thought was a very decent car. I bought it from an aquaintance who should have know better, I was younger and rather nieve. Had I looked around I would have found the car was worth about 1/4 of what I paid. The car required frequent maintanance, the steering system was weak, and this cost me lots, the car eventualy developed irreparable faults and I got rid of it for £100. I spend around £3000 on it in total. Later I decided to learn about cars. I worked with a master mechanic - HGV, military vehicles, racing cars and mining equipment. Good guy. I later took on a very hands on fleet manager job, I learned how to look at a car and figure out its real value. Ok, here are some tips: Never buy a car at the price being asked. Alway knock at least 10% off and take it down from there. A car over 5 years old...

redmerc 15.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Buying A Second Hand Car

Buying a second hand car

Advantages: May save hundreds of pounds shopping for the right car
Disadvantages: May not do enough exercise by walking

...When going to buy a car secondhand, one should be very careful of the pitfalls as my brother in law found out when he bought a second hand audi. After two weeks of buying it he found out that it had been a write off and it cost him extra money to get the problem solved when buying a secondhand car you should not only just hand over the money and get the paperwork and keys in return. One should also check if one is getting value for money also check if it has been stolen, Or resprayed and also see if the chassis number has been changed the best way of doing this is first and foremost seeing the cars service history and checking the cars previous mot history . Also some places you can get a check to see if it mechanically sound before buying it such as second hand car dealers. Also one should not rush into buying a car...

manchester12345 18.08.2004 (13.10.2004) · Read review
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Review of Buying A Second Hand Car

Avoid buying an old dog

Advantages: Cheaper than buying new and you can get a very good example
Disadvantages: Car is unknown quantity and could have a hidden past

...looking for, you then have to decide where you are going to buy it from. There are three main ways to buy a second hand car and each of them have their advantages and disadvantages. It really is down to the individual to choose the best way for them. ++ Buying from a private seller This is one of the most common ways to buy a car in the UK. The advantages of buying privately are that you can get a much better price because there is no dealer trying to make a profit out of the car. Another advantage is that you get to see the current owner of the car to possibly get an idea of how they may have treated it - although this is not guaranteed, you would probably feel happier buying a car from a middle aged housewife than from a 18 year old lad. There are various ways that private cars are advertised, which include local newspapers and regional...

xr2i16v 10.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Buying A Second Hand Car

Not a good place to buy a car!

Advantages: Price of the car was cheap.
Disadvantages: It took 3 attempts to get car driving properly. Horrible customer service.

...I have just bought a car from CarGiant and found it an extremely stressful and unpleasant experience. Buying a car from Car Giant is not something I would recommend that anyone does. At one stage the ?customer service? people were being so unreasonable when I made a request of them that I vowed that I would share how bad my experience had been with the widest possible audience unless they at least considered my request for some sort of refund for their poor service. They just didn?t care! I?m now making good on that promise as I felt very badly treated and I want to make sure that anyone who buys from Car Giant does so with their eyes wide open. I?m posting this review in as many places as possible in the hope that everyone who needs to see it will see it and avoid the error that I made. I had read a few poor reviews of Car...

drkings1 18.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Car Giant Car Supermarket

  The motoring minefield

Advantages: Bargains to be had, large choice
Disadvantages: Can be risky, it's a minefield

...offered for sale in the UK every 20 minutes and one in four cars for sale still have outstanding finance. The only safe way to avoid being caught out is to have the vehicle details checked out before you buy. It is money well spent as you will be the loser should you purchase one of these vehicles. Many companies at present offer a vehicle history check service, some include HPI (short for Hire Purchase Information Limited), the trusty AA, Reg Check and My Car Check. HPI is the most famous, the most expensive but the most thorough. Established in 1938 they will confirm if the vehicle is stolen, still in finance, an ex-write off and if there are any known mileage discrepancies. The AA is a little cheaper but just as thorough, although the other two companies are considerably cheaper they failed to impress Autocar magazine in a recent...

ScottishWestie 10.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Buying A Second Hand Car