[Sarahvirel]

Hi all,
I’ve just joined the forum and wanted to say hello . I’ve always been interested in cars and recently started diving deeper into the UK used car market. There’s so much to learn about reliability, fair pricing, and what to look out for when buying, so I thought joining a community would be a good step.
Right now I’m mostly here to read, learn, and contribute where I can. I’m especially curious about:

• How the market is shifting in 2025 (with EVs, hybrids, and traditional petrol/diesel cars).
  
• Tips for spotting a good deal vs. something that could turn into a money pit.
  
• Your experiences with buying/selling on different platforms.

Looking forward to chatting with you all, sharing what I know, and picking up some wisdom along the way!
Sarah Virel

[Santa]

Spotting a good deal is complicated. It depends a good deal on your budget, location, and what type of car you want.

[olduser]

I have bought and sold privately once each way, never again, it was nothing but trouble, at a time when I did not have time to play games.

My last car, a 3 year old Nissan Leaf from a dealer, was bought over the internet.
He brought the car over on a trailer, I made a BACS transfer after trying it.
I asked, what about warranty claims?
He said, "they would collect the car if there was a claim but they did a full service before selling, and so far he had not had to pick one up for warranty work".
As he pointed out, trading electric cars is much less risky than IC cars, and a full service cost much less on an EC.

As to price, the price is what people are prepared to pay, the seller wants more and the buyer wants less, the buyer can always go and try elsewhere or the seller can sell to someone else.

[Lily]

Hi there @Sarahvirel, welcome to the Community,

We are so glad to have you here. 😃. We have lots of conversations around the EVs (we have a whole board dedicated to it), but these are the most recent, interesting and active posts:

- Finally an EV without bells and whistles
- You can now search for properties with EV chargers
- If not an EV convert, what would win you over?

What car do you drive? Are you thinking about getting an electric car? Which models are you considering?

Once more, welcome!

[Rolebama]

Hi Sarah, and welcome. I have owned over 20 cars in my time, and I have found it necessary to change most of them due to life-styles. Single, married, one small child, two small children, commuting in traffic, visiting relatives who now live miles away, etc. I think we all end up with a compromise of some sort.
As I have posted on other threads on this and other Forums, I have never had a problem with visiting dealers, and talking to the mechanics/technicians who work on the cars.

[Santa]

I bought my first car when I was nineteen, some sixty-odd years ago, and have always had a policy of running them until they are uneconomical to repair (ie, scrap).

All but the one my wife bought not long after we married were secondhand, and most were private purchases. After reading all the disasters that seem to afflict other people, I guess I have been lucky, as none have been really bad. A couple were online purchases that broke my general rule of buying locally, but they - a Ford Granada and a Ford Sierra, turned out fine.

I always advise anyone who goes to look at a secondhand car to take a sceptical friend with them. It's far too easy to be blinded by shiny paintwork and a load of gadgets. Hopefully, the friend would spot the dodgy repair and worn pedals (always a sign of hard use).