Your guide to buying a car in 2024.

As a private individual looking for a car, your search is limited to private, or dealer. Convenience and peace of mind can help push people towards the dealer, but with experience on your side you maybe will choose to shop privately. Frequently it is far easier to trace the history and see the true (unpolished) condition of a car from a private vendor than from a dealer. But that does not mean the best deal is always private and it is worth comparing similar vehicles from the range of sources available, to see whether the private car really is the cheaper option.
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In addition to private and dealer sales, by dealing with MyCarMatch, we can bring the possibility of buying cars from dealer only auctions at trade prices. These are the very same cars the dealers look to sell to you marked up, that can be bought at the very same prices the dealers pay. We will explain to you the advantages and possible pitfalls of buying at auction and if you wish to go this route, we will help you get the best possible car for your money, buying at trade price.

The internet has given every potential buyer all the information they need to make informed decisions, but also given so much information that it can be overwhelming. We aim to help steer you in the right direction.

I recommend the following as good car buying sites:
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‍Autotrader - this is the most used site for second hand cars and covers both private and dealer cars.
‍Ebay - this site has plenty of cars for sale, but don't get convinced that if someone else is willing to pay that amount then it must be worth it, do your own research.
‍Car WOW - a great site with information and reviews on cars, as well as opportunities for dealers to bid the lowest price to you.
‍What Car - a family friendly car magazine that puts emphasis on practical advice in car reviews, and helps give you target prices for new cars.
AutoCar - the worlds oldest car magazine online, catering for people who driving first.
Collecting Cars - a specialist website with some interesting and usually high quality offerings for people who are seeking something a bit special.
Piston Heads - a petrolheads website with many cars for sale usually owned by people who like to tell you about them.
‍Classic Cars For Sale - as the name suggests, a great place to find classic cars.
FullyCharged - a website devoted to EVs, worth reading before looking for your EV on one of the other sites.

Buying a car privately can be a great way to source a car at the best possible price. Not only are you seeing a car, but you will also meet the owner and understand more about them and the way they have treated the car before selling it on.

1. When you read the advert and see the pictures, look for clarity and details. How many owners? When does the MOT expire? What service history is present? If people cannot be bothered to advertise their car correctly, then maybe they don’t take car of it that well.

2. Always be sure to ask many questions over the phone, and if they don't know the answers, or don’t care to answer them, then be willing to walk away.

3. When viewing a car, be sure to have read on the internet about possible weaknesses of that vehicle first, and try and make a checklist of that, and other points - so that you are sure not to miss things out. Ideally take an expert with you, so that someone can check for you on all the pitfalls that are possible.

4. Make a note of any negatives and use those later in your negotiation. Remember that there are other cars available, so if something looks wrong, walk away.

Buying a dealer car at auction is generally for experienced traders and consumers familiar to the environment. You need to be armed with correct valuations and know them in the heat of the moment.

Working with us can take the stress of this situation away, where we can research the vehicles ahead of the auction time, and ensure we know exactly the value up to which we should bid before the auction commences. This can help you bag a bargain from a source normally closed to private individuals.
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Buying a car from Ebay can be a great source to find a car at less than usual prices. But it is also a source of some really bad deals. We would only buy a car from Ebay if we could view it before the auction was finished, or hold the seller to account after it had finished. Also be wary of friends of the seller bidding the price up, so you might not be getting the bargain you expect.

Buying a car from a dealer should be easy. You can see the car, touch the car, and we hope, drive the car before making a decision. You can also benefit from some of the dealer services, like financing, and inclusive service packages. 
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This is certainly great for new cars, and some used cars also. Dealers often carry the best stock for themselves so it can be a great place to source used cars. However, dealers can also be experts at making less worthy cars look great in a showroom only to be less impressive once they are sold. Therefore, even with dealers it is important to thoroughly inspect and test used cars, and make sure the services being offered are really as good as they sound.

Leasing a car can get you behind the wheel of a new car for convenient monthly payments. This has become a very common way to buy new cars, and is one of the reasons that people can afford to drive such impressive cars that would cost as much as a small house if paid for in cash. 
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The basics of leasing are that you pay an upfront fee, + monthly payments for a certain time, usually between 2-4 years and then at the end you either hand the car back, or buy it for a certain pre agreed price. It is very important that these monthly fees are manageable and also that people realise they do not own the car at the end of the term. Also, that they will be restricted in terms of mileage and condition and therefore they should read the small print.

Business users, sole traders and company car drivers can really benefit from leasing Electric, or Hybrid cars where from April 2020 benefit in kind tax (BIK) was reduced to 0% for some cars, saving people up to 40% in reduced tax payments on the value of the lease. 

Unlike leasing, buying a car on finance can mean you own the car in the end, which means you will have the inherent value of that car when your loan is paid off. This can therefore be a good way into finding a car you love which you cannot afford in full today. Again it is important to ensure you can afford the monthly payments and that you shop around for the best finance package, which may not be at the dealer who is offering you the car.

Car financing is big business and can be used for both new and used cars. Below we try and highlight the most common forms of financing available on the market today.

1) Personal loan. This will depend on your financial situation, ie easier to get the most competitive rates when you have full time employment and rent or own your own home. The advantage here is it turns you into a cash buyer and you borrow the full amount of the cars value, own the car outright and can choose to sell the car at any time. You pay off the full amount of the loan on a monthly basis, which can make the payments higher than other forms of financing, although, the advantages of owning the car, mean you will have more equity in your purchase.
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2) PCP (Personal Contract Purchase). This is a very popular form of finance and allows you to drive a car for a lower monthly payment than you would have if you relied on a personal loan, or HP. You put down a deposit, and then pay off some of the cars value on a monthy basis over 12/24/36 months. At the end of the period, you can buy the car (for a balloon payment), or simply hand it back. In reality it's like a long term rental. It can be the cheapest way of buying a really nice car, but means you will never own the car. Also, if the car is worth less at the end of the period than expected, you may be liable and have to pay the difference.
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3) (HP) Hire Purchase. Deposit is paid down, usually 10% and then you pay off the whole price of the vehicle over the agreed period 12/24/36 months. At the end, you own the car so the payments are likely to be higher than PCP, but you are buying the car, and therefore have the collateral to sell at the end, rather than just hand back.

One of the things that put people off buying a car privately is the act of paying for it. Turning up with suitcase full of cash can be quite intimidating.
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There are 3 ways to pay for a car privately which work effectively:

Cash.
‍If the value is not too high, paying in cash on the day of transfer works well
Bank transfer.
Be careful as sometimes if the amounts are high your bank may not authorise the transfer immediately and therefore you may not be able to make the transfer in one go. Best to check with your bank first. 
Cashiers cheque.
This is a cleared cheque for the full value which you can present to the seller. This option has become less popular with the rise of internet banking and immediate transfers.

The key to negotiating price is to have enough knowledge that you can know the true value of the car. This can be even improved upon if you have an alternative vehicle in mind so that you are not reliant on making the deal.
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We can help you here, with the knowledge to know the value and the ability to source many examples of the car you want, so that you will never be at the mercy of one seller.
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Other key tips for negotiating are to have a clear list of the work, or improvements the car needs, such as new tyres, or a scratch that needs repairing - so that you can use these costs to negotiate down. Of course if you do not enjoy this activity, then don’t worry, because that is why we are here!

Car insurance can be one of the highest costs of car ownership and therefore it is really worth researching this before buying the car, or even choosing the car.
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Insurance costs can be easily compared and there are any number of comparison sites you can register with and check out potential costs.

A few hints and tips below:
Car type drives costs up considerably, with performance and expensive cars being unsurprisingly more expensive to insure. In addition, the cost to insure electric cars is usually higher, reflecting a lack of knowledge in the insurance market for the risks of owning these type of cars.

If you are a very young, or new driver, typically insuring the car under a more experienced drivers name - with you as a named driver - is often cheaper.
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Increasing the excess payable sometimes helps bring premiums down, but not by as much as you might think, so usually aim for a voluntary excess of about £250

Where you park your car will have a big effect on the insurance. Do you have off street parking, or a garage, then you are in luck, you can really reduce your premium with those.

The best insurance companies will depend very much on your situation, and we would always recommend using at least two insurance comparison sites for a good cross section.
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If you are insuring a specialist or classic car we recommend specialist insurers and we can help with recommendations in these cases. Usually if a car is over 20 years old it can count as a classic, and the costs for insurance can be greatly reduced.

New cars tend to have warranties from the manufacturer of between 3 and 7 years. In addition these can frequently be extended, usually up to about 10 years and 100,000 miles. These tend to be the most valuable warranties to have, however they will need you to service your cars at the manufacturer and keep within the scheduled service intervals.
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After market warranties can be purchased for any vehicle and we can recommend companies who offer these, as well as the level of cover for each vehicle. These can give peace of mind, however in many cases they are not economical, and again we can recommend whether to purchase these, based on the car type, history and age.

Before buying a car inspect it thoroughly, or take some along with you to do the same. This is true of dealer cars, just as much as private sales. Specific cars need different types of checks, but there are a few you should do for every car:
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1) MOT history check on government website
2) HPI check to uncover outstanding finance and potential previous damage
3) Service history check. Regular maintenance shows a car has been cared for and this can save you money going forward
4) Also look for uneven panel gaps or paint that looks different or damaged. Previous damage can usually be spotted, and a cheap repair could signal other corners have been cut. 
5) Drive the car and check everything works as it should. Also check all the electrics, pressing every button you can find!
6) Tyres, check they have all got even wear, and checking to see if they are all the same make is a good sign the car has been cared for.
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These are all services we would look to include with every car we help you to purchase, along with some other more detailed checks and evaluation, so if this list sounds a bit ominous, please let us help you.

There are various levels of used car inspections, and the recommended detail will depend on the type of car being purchased. A 6 month old car with low mileage, will be relatively easy to assess compared with a 40 year old classic which might require very specialist knowledge.
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In our opinion some level of inspection by a person who knows what to look for and questions to ask is a key part of the buying process, and spending the extra effort up front here, will be a key feature in saving you money in the long run. 

We can advise and in many cases conduct inspections on your behalf, so please do not hesitate to get in touch if this is a service you would like.