Thought I would trade my low mileage 2003 merc that i bought from new for a new Dacia. The dealership would only offer £200 despite having full service history, never been accident damaged and rust free. Such a negative experience at the dealership told me to walk away. New mot 3 months later (with no advisories) and I'm staying firmly put👍

Loved that lad. That really helped me to join some dots in my head in my approach to purchasing a car. The more educated I become, car wise, the more I can apply my natural likeability factor.
That technique of first researching potential problems then asking the seller, 'what about that..?
Thats genius
I learned so much from this👍

Beware the private seller!

You only have to look through the ads to spot a 'private' seller, whose listing looks, rather suspiciously, like a trade dealer. We know there are plenty of them out there trying to hoodwink people into buying a lemon, with some of the signs being more obvious than others i.e. poor MOT history compared to actual description, description sounding like a dealer, priced the same as a dealer. How about a video covering how to spot a fake private seller?

My lad was recently in the market for a “new” car …… was looking at something in the £4-5k bracket from a dealer : and financing. I stopped him in his tracks …… a dealer has got profit built in to that window price. The finance will add interest, not to mention admin and commission fees etc. that £4-5k will end up costing nearer to £6k that was probably only worth £3k in the first place. Instead, went private market found an older but really nice Merc SLK350 with 12 months MOT up for £2750. Went with the cash, seller just wanted an easy sale, £2k handed over and job done. Only problem is that my lad still hasn’t paid me a penny back yet ….. secretly, I’m hoping he doesn’t as I’ve got my own eyes on the car before summer runs out 😂

I'm reasonably mechanical minded. I go for privately owned FSH cars. High mileage doesn't bother me. It's rust or poor maintenance that kills cars, not mileage.

Been a car guy all my life and owned lots of high end sports cars and SUVs, however, between the government and dealers I’ve decided to stop wasting money on them. The joy of owning a decent car is becoming a thing of the past

Your knowledge is priceless. Thanks a million for sharing your tips with the defenceless public.

I know this is a car channel, but would you do a video on vans. I trust this channel and there's not anything I'm aware of that covers it well and its really important to me for my small business. Thanks for the videos its very helpful info for me and has helped my friends who I've recommended to watch your stuff. They have no idea what's what and are swimming in a sea of confusion when it comes to cars.

Something I started to do 40 years ago, and still do today when looking to buy from a private seller.  Say "Saw your advertisment for your car for sale (do not say make etc)?"  If a salesman with more than 1 car advertised making out they're his/her own to avoid consumer rights because maybe they know the car has faults. They will ask "which car?" You then say "Why"? "How many do you have for sale." They may reply something like "I also have my wifes, daughters (or other) car for sale." "Oh! Right!!"  "Tell me what make/model that is as it may be interested in that one also, if this one fails to meet the mark." At this point on a few occassions the phone has been slammed down on me. Then I've called Trading standards!!!  Keep these great videos coming Grant!!

Great video. I've bought several cheap cars this way, most often from people with small means who don't know much about their car. As long as the seller seems to be a decent fellow human being, I don't think it matters much if I pay 2500 or 4000 for an old throwaway car. It's still way cheaper than buying a new one. What's more important is that I feel confident that I'll be able to make it run it for a couple years, so I haven't thrown the money out the window. I avoid diesel cars, because they are typically sold because the seller has been told that it will cost them a fortune to change the particle filter. Honda, Suzuki and Subaru are my top brands, but Fords can be okay too.

I liked this, as having to buy cheap cars and then repair and run them for most of my life, I am now retired and less able to do my own work. I bought a nice wee ( final?)car from a garage for £6400 with full service history, I now need something a bit easier to access ,still full service history, 2 years later and offered £2340 from the same company in trade in. I have worked on cars since I helped others in the late 60's and early 70's, in the trade for a few years. I know the cost of car dealing but am now in a position of trying to sell a car with time wasters and tyre kickers to get something that I will have to work on as I am "upgrading". Great wee piece and recognised a lot in the content. Keep up the good work.

Bought a Citroen ZX from auction in 1999, it was 4 years old and had a problem, I think I paid about a grand for it. Got it home and looked at history as it had a charging light on it. Previous owner had bought 3 batteries. When I took a look, the fan belt was missing so the alternator was not connected (Luckily a very short drive home). three quid for a new belt and an hour of my time. Car was simply brilliant and I sold it for a massive profit. A very good little car the ZX

Great video this! So well broken down and addressed in a way that the people it's targeted at will be able to understand

As I’m trying to sell ( and have been for some time now ) my E46 M3 I totally get your point about tyre kickers & time wasters coming to my door . I had one young lad arrive & the first question he asked was not “can I see the service book “ nor “ how long have you had it “ or “ Are the common faults with these cars addressed” …. No …. It was “ Are we going for a test drive then”
& don’t get me started on “ low ballers”

i tried to sell a puma st, every enquiry was a either a dealer offering 12k "no hassle sale" which i had a few of,  a nutjob offering a boat/caravan as a swap or ppl thinking i would let them drive it for a few hours,lol. At the time equivalent spec was retailing at 15-16k.  I kept it in the end as the car buying sites are shite.

I only buy from Private owner, my preferred one owner cars. Owned from new or 2 owners if the 2nd owner bought it less than 3 years old.

You need to be brave or demented buying new too. Ford have told me I’ll now be waiting six months for my 2026 model Kuga to arrive. That’s shocking.

Used cars still crazy high, quite often 5k or more above a we buy any car price…10 years old, 100k miles & they still asking crazy amounts! I’m just keeping mine for longer till there is more value to be had

I buy a car that I want, not need, something I love and want to keep. I look for good service history and not intergalactic mileage. I keep and treat it like my best friend and keep it well maintained and buffed so it sparkles. I also keep every scrap of paper to highlight my care of that car in a proper A4 Folder with plastic sleeves,  each sleeves will be for identified things ….like service and MOT for example.
When the time comes to part with it it will have properly documented history that any buyer will lust after…..it just takes a little effort.
My present Audi A5 3.0 tdi sportline in moonlight blue and is 14 years old and looks like new. It’s not going anywhere for a long time.

If the car is local to me I’ll just ask if it has any problems, if they say no, or miss any out then I’ll find myself in a better position to negotiate the price further. If it’s far away then I’ll be asking a LOT of questions though!