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Buying used cars


Alph

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Any tips or advice? I've had 5 in 8 years. I would say 2 of them have been good vehicles. I crashed one of them.

Any tips on what to look for if you're a guy that knows where the steering wheel is and that's about it.

I'm looking at Mitsubishi L200 for work as it saves me from running 2 cars. I need this one to be a winner because I'm in the verge of asking Tom Lawrence for lifts. 

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7 minutes ago, Alpha said:

Any tips or advice? I've had 5 in 8 years. I would say 2 of them have been good vehicles. I crashed one of them.

Any tips on what to look for if you're a guy that knows where the steering wheel is and that's about it.

I'm looking at Mitsubishi L200 for work as it saves me from running 2 cars. I need this one to be a winner because I'm in the verge of asking Tom Lawrence for lifts. 

Vanarama lease. ??

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10 minutes ago, Alpha said:

Any tips or advice? I've had 5 in 8 years. I would say 2 of them have been good vehicles. I crashed one of them.

Any tips on what to look for if you're a guy that knows where the steering wheel is and that's about it.

I'm looking at Mitsubishi L200 for work as it saves me from running 2 cars. I need this one to be a winner because I'm in the verge of asking Tom Lawrence for lifts. 

Arnold Clark are good, Pentagon, etc etc.

Are you based in Derbyshire?

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7 minutes ago, Squid said:

Arnold Clark are good, Pentagon, etc etc.

Are you based in Derbyshire?

Yeah.

I don't mind travelling I just want to get this one right. I need the seats and the tool space. Crew cab Vans are scandalous. The L200/Navara trucks are smart, do what I want and I think you get more bang for your bucks. Got a couple on my watch list but buying used cars haunts me!

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6 minutes ago, Alpha said:

Yeah.

I don't mind travelling I just want to get this one right. I need the seats and the tool space. Crew cab Vans are scandalous. The L200/Navara trucks are smart, do what I want and I think you get more bang for your bucks. Got a couple on my watch list but buying used cars haunts me!

I personally reckon the VW Amarok or Ford Ranger would be the best option especially for reliability and value ?

Don't really know that much about the L200's to be honest

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19 minutes ago, Squid said:

I personally reckon the VW Amarok or Ford Ranger would be the best option especially for reliability and value ?

Don't really know that much about the L200's to be honest

They've got good reviews. 

My money goes further with an L200 over the Ranger but I do trust Ford. Best vehicle I had was a ford focus. For my budget you get a newer L200 than a Ranger. But maybe that just shows that the Ranger holds value well? 

I'm gonna check out the Amarok

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Best advice i can give is don't rush it, narrow the field down to 2 to 3 car types, follow the advertisements daily and be ready to pounce when a promising car is available at an acceptable price, because those will usually go within 2 days of being put on sale.

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33 minutes ago, Alpha said:

They've got good reviews. 

My money goes further with an L200 over the Ranger but I do trust Ford. Best vehicle I had was a ford focus. For my budget you get a newer L200 than a Ranger. But maybe that just shows that the Ranger holds value well? 

I'm gonna check out the Amarok

Best thing about fords is that they are always reliable, and thats the case with the ranger.

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44 minutes ago, rynny said:

Best advice I can give is don't buy the first one you see, make sure you have a look at quite a few. 

Defo good advice but I'm in a bit of a rush so I'm not going to follow it and I'm going to regret it. 

Just wish I had a pocket mechanic. 

I'm gonna go in, kick a tyre, lift up the bonnet for no reason, do 2 laps of the van, go for a test drive and then potentially chuck my money away. 

No idea what to look for.

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So do your research on prices 

Always ,a;ways do an HPI check preferably one that guarantees to cover you in the event of outstanding H.P. or damage .

Do not buy a car from Birmingham ,Manchester ,Leeds or London if possible.

Car market is tough for dealers so be tough yourself .

Check service history can be meaningless so if receipts back it up  so much the better .

Buy on condition not mileage .

Having said the above beware of cars going over the 100,000 mile in your ownership much harder to move on even if they will carry on with no effort .The British car buyer has a thing about 100,000 miles .

Don't be afraid of indie service history can be better than main agents ,research the indies .

Always see and start a car from cold ,be aware if seller has warmed it up.

Dip the oil [if possible] is it clean ?

Matching tyres?

Cheap tyres means cheap maintenance .

Cash / no part exchange is king.

 

Hope this helps.

 

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Ask about cambelt history

 

If no history of it below 60k miles odd I'd just walk away as that's a 400 quid bill before you start

 

Check oil, if white/creamy engines knackered so walk away

 

Be picky and choosy, if unsure just walk away and find something else. People sell any old crap for top money now so I'd also go to a reputable dealer. Pick a budget and stick to it

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