I've found a Leon Cupra keenly priced locally.
The guy classes himself as trade, but his cars appear to be priced in the same ball-park as private sales. The business is run from his house, so he has no overheads like a standard dealer.
Website:http://www.wentworthsportscars.com/stocklist.htm
Having never bought a second hand car before, I'm obviously being very cautious and want to make sure there is nothing dodgy about it.
He will happily accept my car as trade-in, and he will let me have the car for £10,750. It's a '53' plate with 7.6k miles (registered in Sept 03). One or two minor marks, which will be sorted before purchase. He has promised I only have to accept the vehicle if I'm satisfied. It's not in my preferred colour, but is about £1500 less than I would have to pay at a local dealer!
The Cupra is supposed to be serviced once every 10k miles or once per year (is that correct?). It is yet to be serviced, so if I buy, I think I will get it serviced immediately. Will it be a problem re. service history that it wasn't done in Sept last year ? The car will still have 18 months or so warranty so I'm assuming I'll be well covered in that respect.
However, things I don't know about buying second hand are:
- do I have any come-back to him if things go wrong ?
- does it sound dodgy to you ? (how can I check that everything is legit ?)
I've checked the V5 etc and it was originally supplied by a dealer in Hampton Court area (I'm guessing this means it's not an import). The guy will run an HPI check, but I think for peace of mind, I'll do my own too.
- is there anything I should be looking out for (I've checked the VIN and the car seemed ok on the test drive) ?
- Can someone reassure me that this is a good (or bad!) idea!
Some of these questions may sound a bit daft, but I want to make sure I'm getting a legit deal.
Cheers.
The guy classes himself as trade, but his cars appear to be priced in the same ball-park as private sales. The business is run from his house, so he has no overheads like a standard dealer.
Website:http://www.wentworthsportscars.com/stocklist.htm
Having never bought a second hand car before, I'm obviously being very cautious and want to make sure there is nothing dodgy about it.
He will happily accept my car as trade-in, and he will let me have the car for £10,750. It's a '53' plate with 7.6k miles (registered in Sept 03). One or two minor marks, which will be sorted before purchase. He has promised I only have to accept the vehicle if I'm satisfied. It's not in my preferred colour, but is about £1500 less than I would have to pay at a local dealer!
The Cupra is supposed to be serviced once every 10k miles or once per year (is that correct?). It is yet to be serviced, so if I buy, I think I will get it serviced immediately. Will it be a problem re. service history that it wasn't done in Sept last year ? The car will still have 18 months or so warranty so I'm assuming I'll be well covered in that respect.
However, things I don't know about buying second hand are:
- do I have any come-back to him if things go wrong ?
- does it sound dodgy to you ? (how can I check that everything is legit ?)
I've checked the V5 etc and it was originally supplied by a dealer in Hampton Court area (I'm guessing this means it's not an import). The guy will run an HPI check, but I think for peace of mind, I'll do my own too.
- is there anything I should be looking out for (I've checked the VIN and the car seemed ok on the test drive) ?
- Can someone reassure me that this is a good (or bad!) idea!
Some of these questions may sound a bit daft, but I want to make sure I'm getting a legit deal.
Cheers.