Mechanic/car expert - needed to look at car before buying

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on June 30, 2015 at 9:09

Hannah, I'm not offering and not least because I'm not a mechanic! I learnt the basics from my father who did his own work on cars. One's ears, eyes and nose help.

Do you have a particular model in mind?

You can get a much better deal by buying privately, second hand, but there's a plethora of makes and models out there, all with strengths and weaknesses. Some have better, much better reputations for reliability than others. How will you know if a mechanic is reliable or not?

I suggest doing some research on the net to establish make- and model- reliability first. Ignore the mileage figure and concentrate on condition. The best car I ever owned was bought from a friend, with nearly 300,000 km on the clock (it was a well-maintained Honda Accord).

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Permalink Reply by Philip on June 30, 2015 at 9:21

I've often bought a car on  ebay. But one thing I learned is only pay with Paypal. Then if any faults not declared etc come up soon then you can legitimately make a claim for the repair.

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Permalink Reply by Philip on June 30, 2015 at 9:24

The AA offer a mechanical and all over check on used cars from £128 for members, and more for non-members. Pretty sure the other orgs do the same....

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Permalink Reply by John D on June 30, 2015 at 9:43

If the car you are interested in is over 3 years' old you should insist it's taken for a new MOT: This won't show any faults with engine or gearbox ( except maybe gross ones ) but it's a cheap check on most other things.

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Permalink Reply by Hannah Richardson on July 3, 2015 at 0:04

Thanks all so much.  I was looking at a BMW 3 series convertible.  I've done quite a lot of research and know things to check etc.  But you're right you get a much better deal privately 2nd hand.

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