The best second hand cars to buy

Buying a car! Apart from buying a house, it's one of the largest and most important purchases most of us will make. It's something that we rely on and use on a daily basis to get around, commute to work, have adventures so it's crucial we get it right! I've had my car close to two years now and it was among the best second hand cars I could have purchased. I know some people worry about but there are some easy tips and tricks to make sure you're getting the most for your money if you're not wanting to get a new car, getting the best second hand cars and staying safe on the road.

Age of the car

Just because you're buying a second-hand car doesn't mean you need to buy an old banger. Buying the best second hand car that's one year old can reduce the cost a huge 27%. Generally, newer cars are also more efficient with lower emissions, thus, lower road tax so it definitely pays to buy used 

Best Second Hand Car Choice

It's a good idea to do research on the type of car you want from petrol to diesel, how many doors you want, the colour and make of car you'd prefer. As a general rule of thumb petrol cars are cheaper, manual is cheaper than automatic and a small car with a small engine can reduce your costs even further so if you're working to a budget it's a good idea to keep those in mind. Once you've done your research on the market it's time to look at where to buy the car

Best Second Hand Car Dealerships

There are hundreds of second-hand car dealerships and methods to buy a new car, it's important you get this part right. Check out all your local dealerships and if you're not constrained by distance spread your net wider. Chat to dealers and find their best price for the car you want, use this information to haggle between dealerships to get the best deal. If you're buying through a dealership make sure you time it correctly they generally work to 3-month targets so there are certain times they'll be more receptive to deals. Once you've decided on a reputable car dealership like KAP Motors Brighton* then either call and reserve or reserve online to go and take a look at the car

Car Inspection

Reserving a car doesn't commit you to buy it, you should definitely do a full and thorough inspection of the car there's a really easy second-hand car checklist available here but basically, run through the checklist and make sure everything matches up from the speedometer (so you know you can go and have lots of road trip adventures) to any scratches or marks that could be present. You shouldn't have any issues with this as most dealerships completely understand that a car is a big purchase so you want to get it right

Final Checks and Important Points

You need to have insurance in place to drive away a car so make sure you have this sorted out, you should also make sure you've got all the paperwork such as the logbook or V5C, service book, keys (including at least one replacement). If you're purchasing through finance you're covered through Section 75 if there are any issues but if you're paying upfront make sure you put at least £100 on a credit card, more if possible, this helps cover you for any mishaps or liquidation issues etc. so even if there's a small fee it's worth it

What car checks do you do?