Buying Used Car under $12k

[Deactivated] on 22/03/2017 - 00:32

Hi Guys,

I posted a month back about planning a car and getting a finance to get a new car. After reading all comments, I am going to go ahead with getting a 2nd hand instead.

Obviously, as this is a 2nd hand car, you want to be more cautious so that you don't get a lemon and the risk of it (in my knowledge) is greater if you buy from a private seller instead of a dealer?

Has anyone have experience with private seller cars? Is there anything specific I should be asking/checking before committing to buy? I will buy the Car either from Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne (if needed). Are there any state specific certificates/maintenance things I could ask for, like the RWC fo Victoria?

Any feedback will be really appreciated. I would love to go ahead with dealer and get that security but dealers are quite expensive.

I am planning on getting at least a 2009 Honda (Civic, City or Accord) or Mazda (2 or 3) as the resale value is better for these.

Automotive

Comments

  • captobvious on 22/03/2017 - 01:06
    +2

    corolla

  • altomic on 22/03/2017 - 01:51

    carsales. look at log book to that it has been services regularly. check to see if has a timing belt or chain and wether it has been changed or needs to be (depending if it has one or not). etc etc. i.e. what upcoming service costs will it normally require that you should be ready for?

  • Steptoe on 22/03/2017 - 01:58
    +1

    PPSR Search to check finance owing and written off history

    • Euphemistic on 22/03/2017 - 07:16

      This is the only thing that will be a guarantee when buying a used car privately. Only use the one that costs $3.40 from the govt, the more expensive ones don't give you any more value.

      Other than the PPSR check, everything else is just reducing your risk. There can be no guarantee that the seller isn't hiding something about to go bang. A decent mechanical check will help reduce the risk as will buying a vehicle known for reliability - ie not a ford or VW with a DSG transmission.

      If you have any doubts at all about the vehicle you are looking at trust your instinct and walk away. There are plenty of cars for sale.

      I've bought several vehicles from private sellers and not had any real troubles, and walked away from a few too. I've done all the inspections myself, but have a reasonable mechanical knowledge and the ability to repair minor things myself to save $.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2017 - 02:25

    You could be getting a 2011 or 2012 ford focus <50k traveled for that price. You're already experiencing the increased resale value. Maybe that is a big factor for you but I'd rather enjoy a newer car and in 3 years down the road the savings won't be very different.

    As an example I got a 2008 ford focus in 2013 for 8.2K. 3 years later carsales were still showing 2008 ford focuses going for 9k.

    Get a mechanic's check. I had gone with RAC and stateroads, much prefer stateroads although its about 50 dollars more.

  • Marcsie on 22/03/2017 - 06:15

    Mazda 3, Corolla or Hyundai I30, nothing else :)

  • EFC94 on 22/03/2017 - 07:59

    Don't buy a Corolla if you want something enjoyable or fun to drive.

  • pao2x on 22/03/2017 - 08:07
    +1

    A year ago I bought a 2012 Toyota Camry on pickles auction for 12700 with 60K kms on it

    Here are some fixed price options

    https://www.pickles.com.au/cars/fixed-price#!/search-result?q=(And.FixedPriceFlag.True._.ProductType.Vehicles.)&sort=FixedPrice

    • bargainbargain on 22/03/2017 - 09:53

      If I could ask - how did you get comfortable with the car that is works? I understand that you can really take it for a test drive for obvious reasons.

      I would love to buy from those pickles auction but worried that I may end up buying a lemon.

      • Wampus on 22/03/2017 - 10:15

        Pickles is great if you already know the make and model of car you want to buy. I've bought two used cars via Pickles and both have been great (and a bargain). Just be careful you're not buying an ex-rental vehicle. Ex fleet cars are good, they're serviced regularly.

        • bargainbargain on 22/03/2017 - 10:19

          Do they tell you that it is a ex-fleet or rental car? Also, were you able to get some inspection done?

        • pao2x on 22/03/2017 - 11:45
          +2

          @bargainbargain:

          They have all been properly inspected.Ex-fleet cars especially by govt entities are properly maintained and drived very boringly most of the time.

          Higher chance of buying a lemon is as follows Descending order

          Dealer (especiallly the ones unattached to a car company) > Private > Ex fleet/Govt auction IMHO

        • bargainbargain on 22/03/2017 - 13:29

          @pao2x:

          Interesting insight. thanks !

        • Euphemistic on 22/03/2017 - 14:55

          @bargainbargain: I dunno. Our fleet had quite a few Captivas and Cruzes for a while. I know quite a few of the Captivas ended up going to the auctions early as they were not reliable enough. They all cam with a good service history though.

          Do agree that the little one-man-band dealers can be very dodgy. They are often an offshoot of the big dealer down the road where the big dealer sends some of the cheap and nasty trade-ins that don't fit the big/new/flashy image.

        • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2017 - 21:39

          I wouldn't trust Pickles as far as I could throw them. I took a car in for an instant sales offer on carsales, and when they inspected the car (they took it to a workshop), they stole my vehicle manual.

        • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2017 - 22:57
          +1

          @Euphemistic:

          Captivas are problematic regardless of who had it. My workmate has it and I have heard her horror stories.

        • Euphemistic on 23/03/2017 - 08:00
          +1

          @Shiv86: indeed. Point being that ex fleet auctions are not always a source of reliable cars.

        • Happy501 on 29/03/2017 - 11:35

          @thorton82:

          Which city was that in?

        • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2017 - 12:43

          @Happy501: Melbourne

        • Happy501 on 29/03/2017 - 13:58

          @thorton82:

          Thanks mate

  • [Deactivated] on 22/03/2017 - 08:11
    +7

    why stop at $12K? there's heaps of bargains around $80k

    • tomsco on 22/03/2017 - 08:46
      +3

      And I hear they are a high yield investment.

      • [Deactivated] on 25/03/2017 - 13:14
        +2

        Have to be a Westpac Analyst for that

  • Wampus on 22/03/2017 - 10:16
    +6

    A car dealer friend told me once, tongue in cheek… if you buy a used car from a private seller you're probably looking at a 50% chance they're trying to rip you off. If you buy from a used car dealer it's 100% :)

  • Banana on 22/03/2017 - 10:46

    Well, I recently learned that Honda Accord V6s are expensive to service >.<

  • Peter Enis on 22/03/2017 - 15:44
    +2

    What is it with all these people buying certain cars because they have good resale value? I would place resale value after all of these things: reliability, service history, km's, suitability to your needs, how it drives, features, how much warranty is remaining. Anyway…

    My tips would be:
    - Unless you are buying something exclusive, there shouldn't be any need to shop interstate, as there will be extra costs involved with this (rego transfers, delivery fees or travel costs etc), surely your nearest capital city will have a good enough range of Hondas & Mazdas to choose from
    - Don't buy the first car you see no matter how "good" you think it is, inspect at least 3 to get a feel for the different amounts of wear & tear to expect for the km's of the car, it will give you a good idea if the car has been treated well or not
    - Never buy a car without the PPSR check
    - Get an independent inspection on your chosen vehicle
    - Ask to see the log books and service history
    - All prices are negotiable, remember private sellers will always jack the asking price up a bit because they know that people will want to negotiate on a price
    - Get insurance!!!

    Good choice on your decision to avoid finance and stick with a 2nd hand car.

    • Euphemistic on 22/03/2017 - 21:36

      if you are buying with resale value in mind, then you are probably not going to keep the vehicle for more than 3-4 years. It's also more applicable the newer the vehicle as the older the car, the less value, and therefore less depreciation. I tend to change cars when my needs change, rather than based on the age of the car so resale is less important, but cars with a better resale value are regarded as being more reliable which is a big factor for many

  • Geekomatic on 22/03/2017 - 23:36
    +1

    I purchased a 2005 Corolla in 2011 from a local, used car place. If buying used, best to go to one that's been around a while. Mine also does mechanical repair.

    At the time, it was valued (from the ANZ temp insurance standpoint) at $11,000. I paid $8,000 cash. It had one owner & complete service history. Service history is of utmost importance, in my view.

    HTH

    • Euphemistic on 23/03/2017 - 08:03

      Dealer service history is not much of a guarantee other than to point out the owner is trying to look after the car. Dealers often only have aprentices doing service work and IME often take shortcuts, or blatantly don't do what they are supposed to. Changing the oil does not mean a service has been carried out properly.

      • Geekomatic on 24/03/2017 - 18:37
        +1

        Well, I suppose the proprietor could lie about absolutely EVERYTHING—- but I won't bother addressing something like that because it's silly.

        Having an up-to-date service record is best.

      • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2017 - 12:01

        Might as well not buy a car unless you can do alllll of the work yourself right?

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