Used car market offers good value
With sales of new cars up month on month since the start of the year and healthy volumes of 142 registered cars rolling out of showrooms across the country, there are plenty of trade-ins going in the opposite direction.
Used car transactions are at their highest levels in five years and with 2014 coming to an end there’s plenty of value to be had. However, the advice is shop around as there is very good value to be found in the second-hand market.
For every new car bought in Ireland almost 2.5 second-hand ones are bought and most people are happy with the results. You have to look out for the pitfalls, do the homework and remember the maxim caveat emptor — let the buyer beware.
“Buying a used car is an intimidating prospect for many consumers. The fear of dodgy deals and the fact that you could be buying someone else’s problems make the hunt for honest value seem daunting,” says Conor Faughnan, AA’s Director of Consumer Affairs.
The advise to all potential used car buyers is to avoid side-of-the-road sales and go to SIMI dealers, to buy an AA Autocheck car or have the vehicle professionally inspected before purchase. No reputable seller will object to an independent inspection.
“Many publications carry ads offering second-hand cars for sale. Most are genuine but unfortunately there are still unscrupulous dealers posing as private sellers. If you decide to make contact, say that you are asking about ‘the car for sale’. If he has to ask you which car then he is a dealer. Having blown his cover, steer clear of his car.
“Never buy a car in the dark as this easily conceals various blemishes and possibly even evidence of accident damage. A key fact that you want to be sure of is that the car has not been involved in an accident.
“No matter whether it’s from a private individual or from a dealer ask the critical question, preferably in front of a witness ‘has the car ever been crashed or had any bodywork repairs carried out whatsoever’. The response given has significant legal implications,” he said.
Finance is also an issue, with Motorcheck.ie figures for this year so far, showing one in six secondhand cars surveyed still had outstanding finance owing on it.
The introduction of the National Car Test (NCT) in January 2000 has helped improve the quality of used cars. All cars now need to undergo an NCT after four years initially and after two years thereafter.
- Check the body lines for consistency
- Look for any evidence of repainting, such as overspray on window rubbers or any inconsistency in the paintwork
- Check for uneven tyre-wear
- Look out for different makes of headlights
- Watch for different consistencies of stone-chips over the front of the bonnet compared to the adjacent wings.
- Examine carefully the wear at the pedal rubbers, the gear stick and the steering wheel
- Closely examine the odometer for any sign of interference
- Make sure the keys provided operate in all of the locks and that there is a spare set
- Try all keys provided in the ignition and make sure that they start the engine — as occasionally a ‘cut’ key is not a ‘transponder key’ or micro-chipped to work in the ignition
