Anyone have experiance of buying a car over distance? I hate the whole car buying thing, and I'm not a great negotiator. I have found a car I like but it's near Manchester whereas I'm in Newcastle. How far would you take the conversation before deciding whether youd make the trip to see the car? I'd prefer to get a rough idea on how much movement they have on the price without giving them any clues as to how much I'd like to pay plus I'm guessing it's best to have a ballpark figure agreed before making the trip to view? Any concerns with warranty etc being so far away? Apologies if these are basic questions, I've only ever bought locally.
I am in the same situation The car I’m after is between £11000-£15000 I found one at £14995 and ask the question” to save me and them the disappointment and me the travelling, what would be the lowest they would go” First reply was £14000 And after saying no they came back with £13750 So it’s worth an ask
Warranty wise I believe they are required to recover the vehicle if it isn’t drivable (such as clutch going) otherwise you should be able to take it to another garage and invoice them (double check this as a deal breaker if needed). If it’s a franchise you can normally take it to any main dealer if the same manufacturer. Obviously dependant in vehicle age if the warranty is from manufacturer then any dealer for that manufacturer is required to do the work. I’d get a walk around video of the vehicle and rough idea of deals before making the trip
I think as standard you get 3 month warranty, probably not worth the paper it's written on Place I'm looking at is called MP motor co in Preston if anyone knows of it. Think it's a large independant type garage so will be sold with the AA or RAC style warranty at a guess. What you looking at bazza?
And a whole world of pain too on some models! @tuktuk I usually end up travelling to the opposite end of the country when buying a car, as inevitably that where it ends up being! I would do my searches on the garage and reviews, carry out a VOSA check re the mileage amongst others etc, and if you can't be bothered travelling I would have an independent inspection carried out for peace of mind. Wouldn't bother with RAC/AA check, I would and do get vehicles inspected prior to purchase by an independent specialist in that marque. Not only does it highlight any issues it may have, it will give you bargaining power.
One problem with buying from a dealer is that all salesmen are products of stem cell research in that they've all been cloned with the 'shafting' chromosome. This will always be a problem for the less aggressive buyer. Whether car or bike, I like to find out whether they acquired the car through a P/X or via the auctions. My mindset is that an 'auction' car might be another dealer's discards. In either event, I then go through the wrangle of speaking to the previous owner. Some dealers will not permit this due to Privacy legislation, but that's a crock of crap. The dealer can give our details to the previous owner and ask them to contact us. Any 'credible' dealer will do this. Absolutely right about getting down to nitty-grittys on price. I have purchased bikes 'blind' before, but would not do so from a dealer. Again, it comes down to the trust issue. In any event, I would view the vehicle. [Disclaimer: I have worked in both car and real estate sales and my reference to the 'shafting chromosome' is a result of my knowledge of both colleagues, and my own interactions with clientele. I infer no offense to those similarly employed.]
If you make the decision to go and look don’t forget to take @Lozzy and Di with you to flutter their eyelashes and get the best deal
I hate buying and selling vehicles. Since the travel isn't that far (imagine the logistic nightmare here in the US) I would make a day of it. Worst case, you get out of The Toon and see Manchester. 3 hours each way isn't that bad.