Should I Buy From A Used Car Dealer Or Privately?

Buying a used car from a dealer or buying it privately, which is the best?

Both have their pros and cons and these should be weighed up against the other before any decision is made.

Firstly, going with a dealer you will have a wider choice over the cars on offer, certainly more than you would by going privately.

When buying from a dealer the car will have been cleaned and any faults will have been corrected and it will come with some sort of warranty. When purchasing privately you will be liable to fix any corrections and have to valet the vehicle yourself, plus you will have no comeback if something serious goes wrong within the first year.

Going with a dealer gives you plenty of time to check the car over in perfect lighting conditions; however you might feel rushed or pressured when looking a car over privately.

A dealer usually won’t mind at all if you wish to bring in your own expert to look over the car as they will have nothing to hide. However when going privately it could be harder for you to get an expert to look over the car with you.

Dealers also can offer finance – often with high interest charges – but this still gives you the option of finance which may be beneficial to you. With a private seller, you will need to pay the money in full.

The downside to buying from a car dealer is that the car could cost you more than by buying privately. Also, you won’t be able to interrogate the owner of the car through a dealer however when buying privately you have the opportunity to do so.

It really is all a matter of which you prefer as there are good and bad points either way, but the above tips will hopefully give you a better idea of which way to go when looking for your used car.

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