I'm at a loss. I'm still trying to find a car in the UK but I've come up against the sort of nonsense from traders that I thought was history.
I am now fed up with emails not answered, promised phone calls not happening, etc, etc. I tried to get in touch with one firm yesterday through Autotrader that advertised itself as winning numerous awards for being the best trader in the country and so on. As I looked at the ad a box popped up inviting me to talk to the boss. When I tried to I got a message saying he had had to leave his desk and would ring me straight back. He didn't. I tried it again and was answered by a guy who said he couldn't help because he was in the wrong branch but he would ring the right one and get them to ring me straight back. They didn't. I have become fed up with sending emails because maybe one in ten gets a reply. And practices don't seem to change - one firm said I had to buy a 'compulsory' six month warranty at £150 - cheeky sods. Do people really fall for this sort of thing?
And don't even start me off about France.
Autotrader says there are 11,340 Hondas for sale on its website - but only seven in the whole country out of that number interest me! And the best one, as ever, appears to be in blinking Glasgow and I'm not spending four hours in a noisy, lumbering Flybe Dash 8 to end up in Prestwick!
Anyway, sorry for descending into a rant.
What I need to know is - where do private sellers put their ads now? I'm not afraid to buy privately but I've tried AT, Pistonheads and even the dreaded Bay of Evil but it's almost all dealers as far as I can see (and comedians on eBay of course). Do private people use things like local papers these days? Or what?
|
|
Sounds like you have pretty much done all the usual routes. Truth is, the used car market isnt that busy and nobody is keeping alot of stock, something Ive found every time ive looked for another car in the last few years, which is why I jumped on a car I saw nearby as it was so hard to find what I wanted that I couldnt afford to miss it.
|
There's a pretty good search engine on here Mike:
www.carandclassic.co.uk/
Not just classic cars either, plenty of modern ones listed.
Also look at:
www.gumtree.com/cars
Searchable by area - the closest thing in the UK to craigslist.
Many local newspapers have a web address in the form "this is *county* .co.uk" with a classified motors section, this is my local one:
www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/motors
I wouldn't discount the bay of e, although there is widespread misuse of its facilities in terms of buying/selling outside of the site. I've bought and sold cars using all the above sites, including outside the bay. No more or less risk involved than buying from a newspaper advert.
Auto Trader IMO is used by both sellers and buyers who are somewhat disinterested in the whole car selling thing - easy to shift a car there but hard to find the type of car you or I would want.
Hope those links help anyway.
Dave
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Sun 5 Aug 12 at 16:42
|
Some I used recently when Moneo hunting.
www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/list/3084/make-not-listed-below.html
www.vcars.co.uk/
motoring.friday-ad.co.uk/
I assume you have used Google to search for the specific vehicle.
and for S/H or used cars in order to find sites such as above.
|
|
The majority of second hand cars in our local paper are Traders.The line first to see will buy gets boring.
|
|
Thanks for the ideas. It's raining here so I'll start again...
|
>> the used car market isnt that busy
>>which is why I jumped on a car I saw nearby as it was so hard to find what I wanted that I couldnt afford to miss it.
Which is the commonest reason to end up with a car/house/whatevah that turns out to be a shed.
Buying with the heart is great but a portion of 'head' is helpful.
Awaits BBD.
|
This is the dealer I've purchased my last 4 cars from Michael, he does a lot of one owner, low mileage, 2-3 year old ex-Motability stuff.
All 4 cars have been as good as gold (famous last words!) they are on the Cornwall/Devon border:
www.alanjgimblett.co.uk/pages/catalogue.php
|
You are trying to buy a good cheap car in the UK from abroad. You aint here, you are never going to be fast enough, communication is going to be a pain, and no-one is going to take you seriously - its always going to be painful and costly.
I wouldn't start from there.
|
This outfit are family owned and specialise in end of contract low mileage Motability cars. I have not used them recently but have in the past. Maybe a bit far north for you though.
www.robertblackandson.co.uk/
|
Missed the edit - Note that they do "Cars to order" and they often have "upmarket" cars.
There must be similar outfits "down south".
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 5 Aug 12 at 18:20
|
>>You are trying to buy a good cheap car in the UK from abroad. You aint here, you are never going to be fast enough, communication is going to be a pain, and no-one is going to take you seriously - its always going to be painful and costly. <<
Well, I've done it four times before, with no problems. So why not once more? I must be excused for thinking it's the UK that has changed, not me! And I never used the word cheap...
|
|
If you find one around here, happy to ferry it somewhere to meet up if you want.
|
>> I never used the word cheap...
You didnt need to. Otherwise you would have flown to the nearest large UK Honda dealer and bought one off the forecourt at full second user retail.
Private seller = cheap. If I am after the same car as you I am gonna thrash your ass to it every time. If I am a private seller, and some bloke emails me and says " I am in Austria will you hold it for a few days for me" is gonna get the standard "go forth and multiply" response.
But hey.
|
|
He's in France which is only abroad. As I say Mike, if you hear of anything in the North West let me know.
|
>> He's in France which is only abroad. As I say Mike, if you hear of
>> anything in the North West let me know.
Ok, today I decide want a Honda Accord Estate, I check Autotrader, I see this
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201231480584983
I phone them up tomorrow morning, ask a few questions, I jump in the car, and two hours later i am giving it the once over. I like it. I buy it. Like most cars sales you cant drive it away there and then, they can have it ready in three days. I drive home, I arrange for a mate to drive me there on Thursday, pickup the car and drive it home.
Easy peasy.
Can you be that flexible from France? Nah.
YOu offer to pick it up and drop it somewhere for him? means he is buying blind. Nah.
As I said. I wouldn't start from there. If anything has aggro written all over it, buying a car from abroad has it in spades.
Havent even started on the "oh dear it has something wrong with with" scenario.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 5 Aug 12 at 21:25
|
|
That makes sense zero, and I'd agree however it's not his first time of buying a car over here, so it's not that much of a drama. If it were he wouldn't keep doing it.
|
Its a drama now tho isn't it and he here asking why its so hard. Merely providing possible explanations.
Of course (if i wasn't tied up at the games) I would be happy to look one over for him if it was nearby, as anyone on here would be happy to visit one to say "dont bother" or "its worth a look"
|
And of course he doesn't have the fallback we can all go to, the car auction.
And there of course is an option. Sign up to BCA see if any you are after are due through the halls and fly over.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 5 Aug 12 at 22:01
|
>> Its a drama now tho isn't it and he here asking why its so hard.
True, I think it's partly a question of what has changed from the last four times he's done it?
|
|
dunno, choice of car probably has a lot to do with it. Only 9 cars on Autotrader? thats a thin target.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 5 Aug 12 at 22:08
|
|
Maybe in the current economic situation the private sellers are realising that the cheapest option is to keep the car you have.
|
>> dunno, choice of car probably has a lot to do with it.
>>
I was in that situation
>>Only 9 cars on Autotrader? thats a thin target.
>>
That would have been a fat target when I was recently after a MkIII Mondeo.
I only saw one that I was really interested in and that was at the start of my fruitless one year search.
Guess what ? It was 50 miles from Aberdeen and due to family reasons I could not view it.
I was running with about ten different searches ( country wide) on a daily basis.
I changed my choice of car and was sorted quickly with a private sale on Autotrader.
The vast majority of adverts are very poor so that adds to the task of sorting anything out.
|
>>Autotrader says there are 11,340 Hondas for sale on its website - but only seven in the whole country out of that number interest me!
>>
Give us some more clues on what you are looking for ?
Many eyes might assist your search.
Pehaps a new thread- " A Honda for Hannon" ?
|
|
I had an insight into the trade when punting the X1. I ended up in the hands of a trusted and respected dealer from the area. He was within a whisker of where I wanted to be. We were going to leave it over the weekend. He sat down with me went through the pricing ranges and gave me good advice on how to price it on e-bay. I got 500 quid more than I wanted. The others I dealt with were not as forthcoming. Including one from whom I'm still waiting for a call-back despite repeated promises. Won't be darkening his doorstep again.
|
>>Pehaps a new thread- " A Honda for Hannon" ?
We could scan our local newspapers, I expect they've all got interweb thingmy accessibility.
C'mon Mike, give us your preferred options.
|
>>You didnt need to. Otherwise you would have flown to the nearest large UK Honda dealer and bought one off the forecourt at full second user retail<<
I would but what I want is rare, even at the dealer's.
Accord 2.4 EX automatic saloon, 2005-2007, 16in alloys, full Honda history, mint, one owner if poss, not black, prefer cream leather interior, no more than 60k.
Reasonable distance from air or ferry port, or via the sort of arrangement kindly mentioned above.
I've always managed the financial arrangements ok in the past and these days I can do a deposit by debit card on the phone in seconds. A few years ago I missed out on an XJS convertible when someone did that - I was in England and only ten minutes from the dealer!
|
The wheels on this one are an inch too big, but it meets the spec in most other respects:
www.mccarthycars.co.uk/used-cars/search
A few more possibles here:
www.motors.co.uk/search/?location=sr2%207lt&distance=70&price=2500,8000#carid=30891567
Last edited by: Iffy on Mon 6 Aug 12 at 16:16
|
|
Thanks. Mr McC is the one who has messed me about...
|
... Thanks. Mr McC is the one who has messed me about...
There are a couple more on motors.co.uk, but it looks like my second link hasn't recorded the search.
Worth you searching the site for the obvious.
|
|
several within 10 miles of me - black ones tho.
|
Nothing here that suits, or have you done all that?
tinyurl.com/c8kq9gm
|
|
p.s. I too was looking for an automatic and had to do separate searches for auto and automatic on some of the sites.
|
Do not buy black Hondas.
Paint is made of chocolate.
Common with most black cars these days.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Mon 6 Aug 12 at 21:10
|
>> Do not buy black Hondas.
>>
>> Paint is made of chocolate.
>>
>> Common with most black cars these days.
>>
The problem is they always look dirty. I had a metallic black BMW once: a real pia...
|
It gets warm in this part of the world so black isn't a good idea really. I don't mind it as a colour though. I had a twin-cam Prelude years ago that was delivered new to a Sgt Major in the BAOR so it was in metallic black that wasn't available in the UK. It looked a treat. I've still got a Revell model of it on the mantelpiece, sprayed with the same touch-up aerosol that came with the car!
tinyurl.com/dxsjwh4
That particular model is quite sought-after now, but heigh-ho...
Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Tue 7 Aug 12 at 09:28
|
|
Duncan, that blue one from 'Ronsons Autos' (pictured in front of a private house!) looks good, 17in wheels apart. Where might 7 miles from you be?
|
>> Duncan, that blue one from 'Ronsons Autos' (pictured in front of a private house!) looks
>> good, 17in wheels apart. Where might 7 miles from you be?
>>
The post code I used is that of the Rugby Football Union, Twickenham.
|
>> OK, cheers
>>
Just had a quick check and Google shows it as the PO sorting office in Twickenham.
Same difference, really.
|
>> Duncan, that blue one from 'Ronsons Autos' Where might 7 miles from you be?
>>Where might 7 miles from you be?
>>
When I was searching for my car I played the " try another post code" investigation and A/T seems to limit things so the closest is about 3 miles from the target.
My tests seem to indicate 4 miles from Kingston and 3 miles from New Malden ( the B & Q on the A3 road)
But Google search says
Ronsons Autos
Address
112 Seaforth Gardens
Epsom
Surrey
KT19 0NP
Phone 07445 378 625
When I feed the above post code into A/T it says 0 miles.
|
If you follow up that Honda with a viewing.
The location is near Stoneleigh railway station .
Google street view shows the same house as the A/T photo.
Track left from from the blue Mini with the white stripes.
The house has a rather unusual shaped glass panel in the front door .
Ground transport if not a car hire to view @ Ronsons Autos.
Fare from Heathrow or Gatwick to the address supplied by minicab seems to be about £30+.
By Public transport
The X26 Express bus from Heathrow T1 T3 and Hatton Cross will get you quite close to your target ( nearest stop is Worcester Park Station) and takes about an hour, subject to traffic.
www.londonbusroutes.net/times/X26.htm
Several of us live between LHR and that Honda so just ask if further directions required.
From Gatwick, train toward London and then double back ?
|
>> tinyurl.com/dxsjwh4
>> That particular model is quite sought-after now, but heigh-ho...
>>
>>
Like the wheels.. Bet they were fun to clean..
|
>> Do not buy black Hondas.
>>
>> Paint is made of chocolate.
>>
>> Common with most black cars these days.
>>
IIRC there was much complaint about the thickness / durability of all Honda paint colours on the Civic FN3 (Civinfo forum).
|
|
I must say the silver paint on the Prelude is rubbish compared to any colour on older Hondas I've had, but I presume all modern water-based paint is much the same?
|
Used cars are generally so plentiful if you're not too fussy over spec. It's surprising how few good cars there are when you limit your choice very strictly. And most salespeople are probably totally indifferent to email enquiries - they only seem to function when a punter turns up on the forecourt and can be given the hard sell.
Surprised nobody's told you to buy a used Mondeo instead yet... :-)
|
|
You would be better buying a used Focus.
|
Once, years ago, following the misguided notion that I ought to be a conformist like the rest of the herd, I bought a Vauxhall Cavalier. It soon made me realise that there are real motors and there are corner-cutting copies of the real thing.
No mass-market motors for me ever again thank-you.
Anyway, I already own one 'Ford' - a first-ever for me.
Thanks Henry, etc, for your valuable help above - I'm not inclined to deal with a 'firm' operating from a private house, if that's what it appears to be.
|
>>Thanks Henry, etc, for your valuable help above
>> I'm not inclined to deal with a 'firm' operating from a private house, if that's what it appears to be.
>>
No problem giving you some local info especially if it helps you deciding to give it a miss and save you £££s and a lot of time treking over here.
During my searches for a car, there seemed to be lots of outfits on A/T that were trading from home.
At least this one had a nominal web site and thus made it easier to track down some background.
If you find any more possibilities do let us know.
Happy hunting.
|
Mike, I currently have my own 54 2.4 EX on 16inch alloys but it is not an automatic and has the black leather.
Might be interested in getting rid of it , it was originally a lease plan car and Honda serviced until three years old when I bought it, since been serviced by local independent . No problems apart from belt slipping and a replacement battery earlier this year. I have all the paperwork for services etc.
I am second owner and it currently has 56393 miles on the clock.
Only problem at the moment is the slipping belt which I aim to get sorted. MOT till October , taxed to end Sept.
Nearest colour and spec I can find to mine is this one which is a bit older...
tinyurl.com/bof6xst
Contact me via mods if you are interested .. I am 20 minutes from Gatwick.
Last edited by: retpocileh on Wed 8 Aug 12 at 11:47
|
|
Link doesn't work for me - "Oops! Google Chrome could not find '+location.h***http"
|
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201229478918145 is where it was pointing.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 8 Aug 12 at 12:08
|
|
Nor on my Windows 7 machine in work.
|
|
I don't know what happened there but thats the correct one in Zeros link.
|
|
Cheers for that. I really want the auto - it's the same sequential shift as the Prelude and I like it very much.
|
Not to worry Mike....
I also know of a darker blue 2.4 04 EX automatic tourer which might possibly interest you, black leather though.
It was mine.
Only problem is it became a Cat C write off when I got caught in floods four years back ,the air intake blocked and engine blew.
I bought it back from the insurance company as a write off and sold it on to my local independent garage owner who put a replacement engine in it , got it checked out at the regional MOT centre added the reversing warning gear and gave it to his wife to use .
That was around four years ago and it still runs beautifully.
Talking with him about it the other day and he told me he has it SORNed at the moment as the tax is now £400 a year. I don't know the current mileage but it is unlikely to be over 60k .
|
>> During my searches for a car, there seemed to be lots of outfits on A/T that were trading from home.
>
At least they aren't traders pretending to be private sellers!
Which is worse?
|
|
Cars picked up at auction and sold on quickly.Nothing wrong with that but who can you trust?
|
But where does any legal responsibility lie. I don't give a stuff whether people pay tax or not but I would like to know where I stand re the six-month liability thing.
Thanks for the offer of the Tourer R - you will think I'm a pain but we thought long and hard about the Tourer and decided it is just too big. By coincidence there's a Brit family near here who have a very nice bright red one and I really have walked round it and hummed and ha'd a lot. I might be tempted if it were two feet shorter. I reckon it is bigger than the Volvo 940 we had years ago and we just don't need anything that size any more.
|
Where do private sellers advertise their cars? - Stuu
