Price Guide

Not everyone can afford a car that’s come straight off the production line, so most drivers you’ll see on the road will either be on finance to pay for their vehicle, or they have a car which has had one or more previous owners. The obvious benefit of this is the money you’ll save if you’re prepared to do a little research.

Your first stop is to check a target price guide, there are several on the market or online that can help you out. It’s important to know what kind of price is reasonable before you start shopping. A typical guide price for a used car should only be considered as an estimate and you could find yourself paying much less than the list price. Online valuations are another fantastic way of finding a car within your budget range, they’re also useful if you’re trying to sell your car but don’t know what price to put it on the market at.

Shopping around can save you valuable pounds when entering the used car market, and if you’ve done the groundwork you’ll be even better prepared. Haggling is a useful tool when trying to get the best price (buying or selling) for your used car. If you’ve got your eye on a particular model, make sure you know everything about it’s price; what’s offered on the internet, what kind of deal the local dealers will broker, how trade-in numbers differ from private sale, and so on.

Another good idea is to look into how much financing would cost you, with regards to APR, even if you’re set on paying upfront – it’s helpful to have a back up plan.