Buying a used car in Ireland guide

User1998

For used cars if there are no previous owners as in one owner from new it will say:

Previous owners -

It never says: Previous owners 0, does it?

If there are two owners in total, one previous owner and one current owner (excluding a dealer who isn’t an owner) it will say:

Previous owners 1

Wanderer19

Great post, would like to add that buyers should check underneath the car for rust, often hidden by dirt when the visable parts of the car are clean.

colm_mcm

User1998 wrote: »

For used cars if there are no previous owners as in one owner from new it will say:

Previous owners -

It never says: Previous owners 0, does it?

If there are two owners in total, one previous owner and one current owner (excluding a dealer who isn’t an owner) it will say:

Previous owners 1

Yes, but for some dealer cars it’s putting previous owners as 1 on a 1 owner car, whereas if the seller was a private seller it would say - previous owners.

May be a glitch on how they bulk import dealer ads from Carzone or wherever.

L-M

I just checked a few ads I have one DoneDeal and they’re all the correct owners.

I even put on up one yesterday that I traded in yesterday (That hasn’t yet been bought in our dealer code) and that’s still showing the correct owners.

If it’s a PRE Reg I can see how because you don’t get issued a log book until you tax a car, but everything else should be right.

It’s fairly misleading to be fair if it’s not the case.

Manc Red

Thanks all.

Does anyone have any opinions on the current VW dealership pricing structure i.e. they appear to have standard pricing on 2018 VW Polos of €17,995 for instance.

I'm thinking of enquiring about the Polo I posted earlier (it doesn't have any price but I would imagine it's because it has 16,000 km, so I'm guessing it will be a few hundred more)- https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-polo-cl-comfort-line-1-0-tsi-d7f-95hp/24532387

I'm just wondering how low do you think they would go in price given they all have standard prices?

L-M

There isn’t a “standard price”, more of a market value.

If you need an Automatic Polo that’s as good value as you’ll get.

If you don’t need an Auto you’re probably over paying by 2-3k

If you don’t want the Comfortline, you’d probably buy a brand new one in A Trendline, Nonmetallic for the same money.

brimeh

I have a car for sale on donedeal that says previous owners: ---

Does that mean it thinks I am the original owner from new? Or could it be because its a UK import and they can't verify UK owners?

User1998

It means you have been the only owner in Ireland, it doesn’t count UK owners

brimeh

User1998 wrote: »

It means you have been the only owner in Ireland, it doesn’t count UK owners

That makes more sense.

djan

Hi, I will be going to look at a car tomorrow. Was wondering if online checks such as car tell.ie etc are worthwhile?

My main concerns would be outstanding finance and how that would work in practice and mileage and potential write off status etc.

Atlantic Dawn

djan wrote: »

Hi, I will be going to look at a car tomorrow. Was wondering if online checks such as car tell.ie etc are worthwhile?

My main concerns would be outstanding finance and how that would work in practice and mileage and potential write off status etc.

Yes do the check before parting with money. Additionally check that chassis number matches logbook. Only buy from seller as named on logbook.

djan

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Yes do the check before parting with money. Additionally check that chassis number matches logbook. Only buy from seller as named on logbook.

Thanks will do that. I think the seller might be selling the wife's car, so unless it's in his name, should I leave it?

L-M

It’s either his “wife’s” car or actually his wife’s car.

If it’s actually his wife’s car buy away, if it’s not he may be a “part time” trader so just thread carefully.

colm_mcm

Chances that:

Wife will have kept her maiden name
She’ll also have registered it at her sisters house
They just moved house so it’s registered at an old address


Then again, husbands often sell their wife’s car.

djan

Well apparently the wife is out of the country for the past while. Assuming that it's not his name on the log book. Should I leave it at that or what is the worst case scenario. Thanks for your help again!

colm_mcm

djan wrote: »

Well apparently the wife is out of the country for the past while. Assuming that it's not his name on the log book. Should I leave it at that or what is the worst case scenario. Thanks for your help again!

Do some sensible checks, does the address on his drivers licence match the address on his wife’s car etc.

Trust your gut instinct though.

pcasso

Would anyone have any idea what the wriggle room on price might be for a secondhand car from a dealer.
It is a hyundai i30 and the asking price seems to be where most similar are pitched.
Would I be correct in assuming that trading in a low value car against it might reduce the haggling room for lowering the price.
Thanks.

colm_mcm

Sell the cheap car and get a discount off the newer one is usually the way to go.
Try and get a grand off. If there’s loads of similar ones for sale for the same money then try them all.

Itainire

Hey lads I have a budget of about 7-8k and looking for buy a small first car like a Clio, not older than 2014 and not more than 90k km mileage

The budget is all for the car ..I have separated budget for insurance and other expenses.

Is it irrealistic? Should I wait and save more money? I would like a safe reliable car better with touchscreen.. Wondering if my budget of 8k is enough

colm_mcm

Totally doable for that year.

You probably want CarPlay/Android Auto, make sure it has this.

Kilboor

Itainire wrote: »

Hey lads I have a budget of about 7-8k and looking for buy a small first car like a Clio, not older than 2014 and not more than 90k km mileage

The budget is all for the car ..I have separated budget for insurance and other expenses.

Is it irrealistic? Should I wait and save more money? I would like a safe reliable car better with touchscreen.. Wondering if my budget of 8k is enough

There's a some out there but you'll have to sift through a good few Dacia Sanderos, Toyota aygos, and the likes.

Check out 2013+ Toyota auris too.

Itainire

Thanks all! I know absolutely nothing about cars and have no family or friends to help me out lol

I have a possible dumb question.. When in a used car website from an authorised dealership the price is written down as "cash" it doesn't really mean cash cash right? I mean they don't really want me to go around with 8k in the pocket right? I will able to pay through bank transfer?
Sorry I know it's a silly doubt

hoodie6029

They just mean a straight sale, no trade in. Bank transfer. draft or debit card is how I have paid in the past

Goose76

Hi all, I'm looking at buying a new car used and found what seems to be a good car from a reputable dealer in Dublin. The only thing is the car is a UK import.

What additional considerations should be borne in mind here? Is it possible to check the UK service history? The fact that it's an import wouldn't be any sort of red flag, would it?

Thanks - I don't know much about cars:o

Kilboor

Goose76 wrote: »

Hi all, I'm looking at buying a new car used and found what seems to be a good car from a reputable dealer in Dublin. The only thing is the car is a UK import.

What additional considerations should be borne in mind here? Is it possible to check the UK service history? The fact that it's an import wouldn't be any sort of red flag, would it?

Thanks - I don't know much about cars:o

Be careful that it isn't a write off insurance repair in the UK. You can check if it has been using motorcheck.ie or cartell.ie

https://www.myvehicle.ie/car-news/write-off-categories-in-the-uk-explained#:~:text=A%20category%20A%20insurance%20write,as%20a%20total%20insurance%20loss.

Also with UK cars they seem to be more susceptible to rust so make sure you give the underneath a good look, check the arches, the axles, the belly pan screws etc

Also listen for squeaks from the clutch and watch for any revs if the clutch is pressed down while the car is in neutral.

Goose76

Kilboor wrote: »

Be careful that it isn't a write off insurance repair in the UK. You can check if it has been using motorcheck.ie or cartell.ie

https://www.myvehicle.ie/car-news/write-off-categories-in-the-uk-explained#:~:text=A%20category%20A%20insurance%20write,as%20a%20total%20insurance%20loss.

Also with UK cars they seem to be more susceptible to rust so make sure you give the underneath a good look, check the arches, the axles, the belly pan screws etc

Also listen for squeaks from the clutch and watch for any revs if the clutch is pressed down while the car is in neutral.

Thank you!! The pricing etc does seem a smidge too good to be true (FYI: https://www.capitalmotors.ie/car-details/2555483/ ) so I will definitely give it a thorough check as best I can.

It's automatic so no clutch issues to consider at least but then perhaps other issues could be harder to discover.

I'm on the lookout for an automatic small-ish car that will still have a large enough boot to accommodate a large dog and is still large enough generally to accommodate a very tall partner. Unsurprisingly, this combination is a bit hard to find within a reasonable budget:P

Kilboor

Make sure you find out what's covered under the warranty but otherwise dealer seems legitimate!

Definitely grab the reg number and give it a check on motorcheck or cartell!

rai555

Kilboor wrote: »

Make sure you find out what's covered under the warranty but otherwise dealer seems legitimate!

Definitely grab the reg number and give it a check on motorcheck or cartell![/quote

There's free app that gives some UK history , like MOT dates etc. Few extra quids gives even more. Worth a shot imho

rai555

There's free app that gives some UK history , like MOT dates etc. Few extra quids gives even more. Worth a shot imho

bazz26

I'd be wary of those Ford Powershift auto gearboxes. Some of them can be troublesome and not cheap to put right either.

Goose76

bazz26 wrote: »

I'd be wary of those Ford Powershift auto gearboxes. Some of them can be troublesome and not cheap to put right either.

Thanks - had no idea! Reading more about that now.

Dazed2020

Hey all, wanted to get some views on a couple of used cars I'm looking at.

Looking at 3yr old Mercedes GLE 250s & torn between two that suit my price range (I'm based in the UK, so much more affordable than Ireland).
Both have approx 17,000 miles (27,000 km).
One has had two previous owners & now the dealer, The dealer assured me (of course) that it's normal & with higher end cars people trade up every year, which i understand. but still raised my suspicions about whether it's a lemon & why people would sell so quickly.
The other car has had 1 owner but did 16,000 miles from 2017-18 then pretty much laid up. It's done a couple hundred miles since & been untaxed since august 2018 & sold to the dealer in February this year. Dealer didn't know history, said the driver could have been ill etc. makes me worry about the diesel engine having been used much at all for the past 2 years,
Both will be approved used, so come with 100 point check, full service & MOT, 1yr warranty which puts me somewhat at ease.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

newboard

Found a car I'm hoping to go see tomorrow. Private seller (although he's had about 20 listings on DoneDeal). Price listed is for 3k.

Sounds like a stupid question but how does payment usually work - is it always cash for this amount?

If I can't get the actual cash (bank closed on a Saturday) what's usually done then, hope that he holds it for me and I go back down on Monday? Do people usually give a deposit so that he'll hold it for me?

Thanks!

Atlantic Dawn

Cash only I'd say, make sure you see the logbook. If you know nothing about cars bring someone with you who does, they could spot something seriously wrong with it. Seller could be fine in that he is sourcing cars dealers are offloading as trade-ins they have no use for or may be selling cars there's issues not worth fixing on.

Check the NCT is legit by putting reg in to NCT.ie. A car history check not a bad idea either that check if it's a write off that may be hard to insure.

newboard

Thanks for the advice. I don't really know anyone who'd be available to come down with me tomorrow. Looks like the car will be at the guy's house at least.

Put it into NCT.ie and the NCT date is legit (nct.ie actually gives a few months later due date, which I guess is due to Covid extension).

I rang my insurance and gave them the reg, nothing seemed to pop up for them on their end.

The ad has the 'greenlight' on DoneDeal also.

bazz26

All that is great but it doesn't mean much in the way of certainties. Somebody selling about 20 cars is a trader so it means he knows more about selling cars than you do about buying them. Unless you know your beans then a novice buying a car without having someone mechanically knowledgeable looking it over first is a recipe for disaster. 3k is a fair chunk of change to spending blindly.

newboard

Yeah very true. Car is in the Wexford area. I'll see about getting someone to come down with me or try the carinspection website if seller is happy to facilitate

Thanks again

colm_mcm

Try buying a car from it’s owner that’s had it a few years instead of these tax dodgers.

ooter

planning on heading out to a dealer's garage tomorrow to have a look at a used car, would it be better to just cold call and ask to see the car there and then rather than contacting them in advance?

colm_mcm

It mightn’t be there when ye get there so maybe ring ahead

Muahahaha

Anyone know the lie of the land for insurance on cars over 10 years of age these days? Just dipping my toe in the market, dont currently have my own car policy. Had heard something a few years back that insurance companies dont want to insure cars over 10yrs and if they do it is big money, does that still ring true?

Back Home

Muahahaha wrote: »

Anyone know the lie of the land for insurance on cars over 10 years of age these days? Just dipping my toe in the market, dont currently have my own car policy. Had heard something a few years back that insurance companies dont want to insure cars over 10yrs and if they do it is big money, does that still ring true?

Yes

colm_mcm

Not really much of an issue unless it’s 15 years old.

boomshakalaka

This has probably been asked but couldn't find a solid answer.

Paying in full for a car later this week (already paid deposit), total of 8k left.

My debit card only allows 2.5k in transactions per day. I have Revolut but I think the limit is 5k. I imagine actual cash is also not desirable and an online bank transfer would take a couple of days to clear.

What's the done thing here?

I would guess it's bank transfer but will I be able to drive the car away while the money is in limbo on the way to the dealer?

colm_mcm

Are you sure about the 2.5k thing? My BOI visa debit allows something like €25k

boomshakalaka

colm_mcm wrote: »

Are you sure about the 2.5k thing? My BOI visa debit allows something like €25k

Yea I checked with KBC chat customer service

L-M

KBC are such a pain.

Just ask for the bank details of the garage, transfer it each day. You should be able to transfer 5k a day. So do 5 Monday and the balance Tuesday.

F5500

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/seat-leon-fr-240bhp-btcc-body-kit-may-swap-/24794608

Anyone want to weigh in on that? Had been looking at E60 520-530D MSports but this popped up as a possible alternative.

If 240bhp is true, is that a very aggressive remap? From a Google they seem to be 170 as standard so that would be a jump.

Any info or opinions welcome.

bazz26

5k for a 12 year old Leon and the NCT is up next month, the dreamer thread is that way >>>

Assetbacked

https://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/seat/ibiza/fpa/202002217587189?SOURCE_ID=SOURCE_ID_FPA_FROM_FEAT_LIST&journey=FeaturedListing

https://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/opel/corsa/fpa/202008252910921?journey=DealerStockList

First timer to this revved up section of Boards, maybe not the last.

We are looking at buying our first car and the budget is around 8k, could maybe push to 10k. The linked cars above looks perfect, relatively low mileage, within our budget and we have a good quote for insurance on them.

We are considering whether to go test drive but would anyone have any opinions on the ads in the attached that would be relevant for us (remember, no car currently to having a car so we aren't too picky; just want something pretty reliable and comfortable within our budget). Many thanks for whoever replies!