Trying To Find A Bargain

Mr H loves his cars. Although he didn't pass his test until he was 23, where I passed straight away at 17 and couldn't wait to get going, once he did there was no stopping him. As we have gotten older and our budget has grown, so has the type of cars we have owned and we are very fortunate to be able to drive our children around in good quality and reliable cars.

Our car in America

Like most people, we have bought second hand many a time, and learnt the hard way that this isn't always the most reliable way of buying a car. When we are looking at ideal cars more often than not they can be out of our budget. Anybody who’s gone searching for the used car of their dreams will tell you how difficult it is to get a bargain on certain models and it is even more frustrating that the price depends heavily on location. So here are some tips for how to find the best car at the best price you can.

Start looking elsewhere

Not that I'm suggesting this would be a place to look!

In a study of some 600 car dealerships across the UK, researchers found that the prices of certain models can vary by more than £5,000 in certain places in the country - how crazy is that?! The researchers attributed it mainly to the simple fact that discounts being offered by car dealerships vary in different parts of the country. For example, a Volkswagen Golf gets an average discount of £1,457 in London. However, buyers who are looking for a better deal than that should travel south. Migrate with the birds, because the discount on the same Volkswagen Golf in central southern England reaches up to £2,590!

Drive Slow

Like a lot of things, you have to be cautious. This is most especially true in the world of used car sales - we've all heard of used car salesmen employing dirty tricks - so it’s important to do research and take care when buying used cars. It’s normal to be tempted by a flashy car that’s available for a very low price but be reasonable and do your research first. If a deal is too good to be true, it usually is. Here's some suggestions on the best approach:

Make a shortlist. Narrowing your choices down allows you to do research on specific models. This makes it easier to find facts and check them when the time comes to look at the car in the dealership. 

Do your homework. Again, doing research is very important when buying second-hand cars. With an investment this big, making a mistake is very costly. Take time to compare prices between dealerships and ask knowledgeable friends for advice.

Consider who’s going to be driving the car. This should also be one of the important considerations you must make when buying a car. Will the driver be a newbie who is just learning to drive? Or will the driver be someone more experienced? These are important considerations to make when making a decision on which car to buy.

If you’re looking for a good bargain, do a little more research and don’t forget to include searches on dealerships outside your town or city. Sure, you may have to spend a little more time to hunt a bargain down and travel, but the savings will be all worth it.