| Normally, the cheapest way to buy a car is via | | | | people aren't being put off by the risks of online |
| newspaper classified ads or online auction sites. This | | | | bidding. |
| way, you can deal directly with the car seller while | | | | If you want to buy a second hand car, but prefer a |
| cutting out the associated costs of a middle man. Car | | | | little more security in the sale, a second hand car |
| classifieds such as 'Auto Trader' have a huge choice | | | | dealership is a good place to look. Cars bought from |
| of cars, vans and motorbikes for sale each week. | | | | second hand dealerships are normally a safer buy, as |
| Although it's possible to get a bargain through this | | | | the cars are professionally assessed for mechanical |
| channel, buyers should have some knowledge about | | | | soundness. |
| cars to avoid paying more than they should. If you | | | | Cars bought from second hand dealerships are also |
| don't have a lot of mechanical knowledge, it's a good | | | | normally more flexible in the payment methods they |
| idea to take a friend along who does. Also, | | | | accept. And unlike private dealers, who normally only |
| remember that when doing business with a private | | | | accept cash, dealerships accept credit cards and debit |
| dealer, there's often no form of guarantee should the | | | | cards, in addition to offering used car finance plans - |
| car have any problems after the purchase. In | | | | meaning you can spread the cost of the vehicle over |
| conclusion, buying from classifieds can offer the best | | | | several months or years. |
| bargain, but is also more risky. | | | | If you don't want the risk of buying second hand, |
| It's also possible to buy used cars from internet | | | | then buying a new car should give you complete |
| auction sites; and again, good deals can be found | | | | peace of mind. New cars come with a warrantee |
| online. However, it's also a risky way to buy because | | | | that guarantees against any defects that occur within |
| you're not able to properly see the car before your | | | | a set timeframe - normally about three years - but |
| bid, thus having to rely on photographs and the | | | | these can sometimes be extended to an even longer |
| seller's description of the vehicle. That's fine if the | | | | period. |
| seller is honest, but could cause problems if the seller | | | | So whether it's from an online auction, the |
| omits certain vital details. However, that said, the | | | | newspaper classifieds or a new car dealership, there's |
| world's biggest internet auction site, eBay, claims that | | | | always a way to get a great deal on a new set of |
| a car is sold every two minutes - so it's obvious that | | | | wheels, whatever your financial position. |