Buy Private or Trade?

exactiv

Hi. Just a quick survey to see what you all think of buying privately or buying from the trade (as in from a garage with a warranty)

I'm currently shopping for a new second hand car for myself and there are plenty private cars available for decent money. But I do like the idea of a warranty as it has saved me great expense in the past (new gearbox for a golf).
Buying privately you get more car for your money, buy trade and you get peace of mind.

My question really is, if you were spending €8,000 - €10,000 on a car, would you go privately? or would you stick to the dealers for that added peace of mind (and expense)?

crosstownk

Personally I'd buy trade. The amount saved can be put away to act as "insurance" for any problems that may arise. Generally I save between €2000 - €3000 on a trade purchase so that usually looks after tax, insurance and more. Obviously there is a higher risk factor with a trade purchase but most of the time it can be well worth it.

exactiv

I suppose a follow up question would be, would you buy trade from a small independant used car dealer that only offers a 3 month warranty?

kc66

crosstownk wrote:

Personally I'd buy trade. The amount saved can be put away to act as "insurance" for any problems that may arise. Generally I save between €2000 - €3000 on a trade purchase so that usually looks after tax, insurance and more. Obviously there is a higher risk factor with a trade purchase but most of the time it can be well worth it.

Do u mean private?

I recently saved at least €2000 buying a car privately. That is about 25% the value of the car.

conor_mc

Think ye've both got different definitions of "trade" lads.

I assume exactiv meant buying from a garage as opposed to buying private. Looks like crosstownk means buying trade, as in without any warranty etc.

crosstownk

I wouldn't consider that trade - it's more budget retail. Trade, IMO, is at trade price, no warranty and no possiblity of any comeback. For example ex lease cars bought straight from the leasing company, ex rental cars, auctions, etc etc

exactiv

ahh. sorry for the confusion. I meant buying from the trade, like from a garage.

I'll edit the original post.

maidhc

crosstownk wrote:

Personally I'd buy trade. The amount saved can be put away to act as "insurance" for any problems that may arise. Generally I save between €2000 - €3000 on a trade purchase so that usually looks after tax, insurance and more. Obviously there is a higher risk factor with a trade purchase but most of the time it can be well worth it.

I bought a 03 Ford Focus TDCi recently with a perfect service history (it was subject to a service contract for its entire life), 62k miles, and in immaculate condition apart from a few stone chips on the bonnet. I saved about 4k over the price of an identical car being sold by a Ford Main dealer.

EDIT: Got it from the leasing arm of a big Toyota main dealer. I got the number and all of the guy who had it before me so I could ask any questions and be happy.

Eoin

If I had managed to sell my previous car easily and didn't have to trade it in, then I would have probably have bought privately - I would have been easily been able to get the same car for a couple of grand cheaper, which would have pretty much covered all but the more serious issues that may come up.

If the 3 month warranty was only engine and gearbox, then I probably wouldn't bother. A 6 month and up complete warranty might sway me, but only if the price wasn't too much more than the average private sale price.

smash

It depends on the type of car you're going for, high-end cars are generally kept well so private sales are good.