Newbie buying advice Honda Civic
Discussion
Hello All
Have decided on getting a used 2000 to 2006 year Honda Civic 5 door Automatic 1.6 but having spent the last 2 weeks looking I am none the wiser :-(.
I have maximum budget of up to £2,500 and really looking for one in London / m25 / 40 miles radius in any-direction but am really having difficulty, as know absolutely nothing about cars (It's for the Mrs tbh and will just be used for School run / weekend shopping).
It's a cash buy but their is so many different factors it's boggling my mind !! some friends have said I should do the following so looking for advise:
1) Get a HPI check, don't trust any dealerships, only get one that has been serviced regularly
2) Don't worry about the miles on the clock, as cars over 10 years old should naturally have high milage ??
3) If a car's mileage is too low don't trust it as possibly clocked ?
4) Pay for the AA to inspect the car before buying it ?
5) Try to haggle the price down after taking it for a test drive
Anything else ??
Have been looking in the classified on here, gumtree, autotrader, exchange and mart etc but it's just making me more confused !Their are some CAT D and CAT C cars !!
I just really want to buy something that is safe, it's going to be the 1st car after a non fault accident that was quite horrible for the family.
Any advice is welcomed !!
Have decided on getting a used 2000 to 2006 year Honda Civic 5 door Automatic 1.6 but having spent the last 2 weeks looking I am none the wiser :-(.
I have maximum budget of up to £2,500 and really looking for one in London / m25 / 40 miles radius in any-direction but am really having difficulty, as know absolutely nothing about cars (It's for the Mrs tbh and will just be used for School run / weekend shopping).
It's a cash buy but their is so many different factors it's boggling my mind !! some friends have said I should do the following so looking for advise:
1) Get a HPI check, don't trust any dealerships, only get one that has been serviced regularly
2) Don't worry about the miles on the clock, as cars over 10 years old should naturally have high milage ??
3) If a car's mileage is too low don't trust it as possibly clocked ?
4) Pay for the AA to inspect the car before buying it ?
5) Try to haggle the price down after taking it for a test drive
Anything else ??
Have been looking in the classified on here, gumtree, autotrader, exchange and mart etc but it's just making me more confused !Their are some CAT D and CAT C cars !!
I just really want to buy something that is safe, it's going to be the 1st car after a non fault accident that was quite horrible for the family.
Any advice is welcomed !!
A HPI check is worthwhile to make sure it doesn't have a chequered pass. many dealers now provider their cars for sale with a HPI check already done. Otherwise you can do them on your mobile for not much money.
A service history is a good indicator that the car has been reasonably well looked after. Not having may mean that the owner has done the servicing themselves, or it could mean that it hasn't been done. I wouldn't worry too much about a completely full history, missing the odd service wont be terminal. Doesn't really matter if it has been done by a main dealer either.
If a car has low mileage it doesn't mean it has been clocked. Particularly with the type of car you are looking at, it is likely that the previous owner used it for short trips, school runs, pottering in and out of town etc. This is not good for cars so a well looked after high mileage car can be a better better than a very low mileage one. Components do still wear out overtime even if they are not used that much so with a car that age you will need to be prepared for some repairs regardless of mileage.
By your own admission you know little about cars so once you have found one you like then go for an AA inspection. It will bring up any potential problems that will either inform you decision on whether to buy or will give you additional ammunition for negotiation. Always negotiate the price down, unless the car is extremely rare or in demand all sellers will expect a buyer to negotiate and will factor this into the price.
Some people don't mind buying insurance write-offs but in this instance I would avoid it if I were you. A CAT-D may have little damage to it but you don't know what you are looking for and a Honda Civic is not a rare care, there are plenty that have had no accidents.
Some good tips here:
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/car-buyers-gu...
Also look on Parkers.co.uk at the reviews and sout some Civic specif forums for tips on what common faults there are on this model. Given that it is a Honda I doubt there will be many to worry about.
the Civic model was refreshed in 2006, it still only got 4* NCAP rating which the old one did. If you are not bothered by the looks I would be tempted to go for the older model as you are likely to get more bang for your buck.
Good luck.
A service history is a good indicator that the car has been reasonably well looked after. Not having may mean that the owner has done the servicing themselves, or it could mean that it hasn't been done. I wouldn't worry too much about a completely full history, missing the odd service wont be terminal. Doesn't really matter if it has been done by a main dealer either.
If a car has low mileage it doesn't mean it has been clocked. Particularly with the type of car you are looking at, it is likely that the previous owner used it for short trips, school runs, pottering in and out of town etc. This is not good for cars so a well looked after high mileage car can be a better better than a very low mileage one. Components do still wear out overtime even if they are not used that much so with a car that age you will need to be prepared for some repairs regardless of mileage.
By your own admission you know little about cars so once you have found one you like then go for an AA inspection. It will bring up any potential problems that will either inform you decision on whether to buy or will give you additional ammunition for negotiation. Always negotiate the price down, unless the car is extremely rare or in demand all sellers will expect a buyer to negotiate and will factor this into the price.
Some people don't mind buying insurance write-offs but in this instance I would avoid it if I were you. A CAT-D may have little damage to it but you don't know what you are looking for and a Honda Civic is not a rare care, there are plenty that have had no accidents.
Some good tips here:
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/car-buyers-gu...
Also look on Parkers.co.uk at the reviews and sout some Civic specif forums for tips on what common faults there are on this model. Given that it is a Honda I doubt there will be many to worry about.
the Civic model was refreshed in 2006, it still only got 4* NCAP rating which the old one did. If you are not bothered by the looks I would be tempted to go for the older model as you are likely to get more bang for your buck.
Good luck.
Thank you very much !! you are a star !! with the weather permitting am going to get one this weekend !!
But how much should I really be looking to haggle off ?? if the car is advertised for £2,400 what would you expect to reasonably get off ?
Thanks !!
But how much should I really be looking to haggle off ?? if the car is advertised for £2,400 what would you expect to reasonably get off ?
Thanks !!
Edited by Roboraver on Friday 18th January 10:21
It depends on a lot really. You can check what the car is worth via the glass.co.uk website as well as parkers.co.uk. I would hope for at least a couple of hundred quid off but it may already be priced competitively. Try and find some minor things wrong, even tyres with not much tread left can be used to bargain some money off.
Sorry but does the www.vehiclecheck.co.uk provide the same information as the www.hpicheck.com ? just really want to know if the cars have outstanding finance, stolen, write off and owners.
I have only been using the vechiclecheck (24.99 for 5 cars) rather then the HPI but will get a AA inspection for £139 when I finally decide (Is it worth it on a £3,200 car ?)
Have been looking at exchange and mart, auto trader, piston heads classified and have a shortlist of some but obviously want to get something safe and working !
I have only been using the vechiclecheck (24.99 for 5 cars) rather then the HPI but will get a AA inspection for £139 when I finally decide (Is it worth it on a £3,200 car ?)
Have been looking at exchange and mart, auto trader, piston heads classified and have a shortlist of some but obviously want to get something safe and working !
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