Interested in Buying a Car?
How to buy a car in 6 easy steps
Introduction
You’ve got your full driving licence, the next step is to buy a car!
Buying a car is a lot easier than you’d think. The steps are as follows:
Step 1 – Do research on the type of car you want
Step 1b – Start searching for cars based on criteria via car dealerships in your area or online
Step 1b – Start searching for cars based on criteria via car dealerships in your area or online on Facebook Marketplace, ebay, auto trader, etc.
Step 2 – Start narrowing down your searches
Step 3 – Start making enquires and asking ‘smart’ questions
Step 4 – Go in person to check out the vehicle
Step 5 – complete transactions
Step 5 – Acquire the vehicle
6 easy steps, now, for the details.
Conducting your own research
We’re not going to talk a lot about research as you can find out everything you need to know here [link page here], but I’ll cover some general things.
Doing research before on the type of car is important because it helps you narrow down your options. There are many cars to choose from and making the right choice is important. At Dingers Inc we believe you should search based on make, model, age, damage history, and mileage. We also recommend Japanese/German cars as they’re known for their reliability and ease of maintenance.
Once you find a few you’d consider you should always run an HPI check (we recommend the paid version as it provides you with more detail about the car’s history). [Talk of good HPI here] [Affiliate link here] Note: We suggest using the paid HPI checks on cars you are strongly considering buying.
Searching for a car
You’ve done your research, now it’s time to start searching. You’d have probably seen some cars you like while doing your research which is great! There are two ways of searching for a car: local dealership or online via a private seller (some dealerships are available online).
Local dealerships
Dealerships are great if you’d like to see multiple cars at the same time. You can have a look at the car in person and have a dedicated salesman give you all the details you need. If you see something you like, you can ask more questions about the car and even go for a test drive. Of course, there are also cons with searching via a dealership e.g. higher prices.
Pros and cons of buying a car from a local dealership
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Expert advise as you look at the cars | Incentivised to sell rather than do what is right for the customer |
| Can see many cars at the same time | Have to travel to the dealership |
| High level of security e.g. they’ve registered with the local authorities | A lot more expensive than private sellers |
| Extended warranty on the car | |
| Could see cars at the dealership which haven’t been listed on the website |
Private Sellers
Buying from a private seller has changed over the years. Before, people would stick an A4 note on the back of their car mirror and advertise that their car was for sale. Now they advertise on the internet via Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Autotrader, etc. Buying from a private seller can be a lot cheaper than from a dealership/showroom as the owner probably has an urgent need for the money or is looking to get rid of an additional car.
You can also negotiate with them for this reason, whereas with dealerships and showrooms, they have expenses to pay, making it harder to negotiate their price. There are lots of benefits from buying from a private seller, however, there are some things to consider:
- Make sure you speak with them before going to view the car. Ask as many questions as possible.
- When going to view the car take someone with you, either a car expert to view the condition of the car/spot things you wouldn’t be able to spot or for safety.
- Don’t show the money unless you are 100% happy with what you’ve seen and want to buy the car.
- Go and check the car out during the day
- Try and test the car in different situations e.g. sharp breaking, motorway driving, accelerating, etc.
These are just a few things to consider. A checklist is available to download at the end of this article.
Pros and cons of buying a car from a private dealer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| More room to negotiate | Extremely difficult to return the car if something goes wrong – No warranty |
| Affordable prices | A lot more research required to find the car |
| Quicker to close the deal | Not all documents may be available |
Completing the transaction and acquiring the car
Great! You’ve found a car you really like, the HPI check has come back clear and you’ve got the money to buy… Now it’s time to complete the transaction.
FYI - Don’t be afraid to negotiate on the price - start low and let the seller work the price up. Only pay what you can afford. Remember you can simply stop the deal if you feel like you’re being pressured into paying too much.
Make sure you get the original (not a photocopy) of:
- the log book (the V5C registration certificate)
- the valid MOT test document
Final remarks
If you plan to buy a car privately, it’s worth checking beforehand with the owner that they have the V5C, as it could save a wasted trip if the owner needs to get a replacement. Once you decide to purchase the vehicle, you should always inspect the V5C to ensure it’s genuine. Do the owner’s name and address appear correctly and do the details of the vehicle (chassis number, make, color, engine size, etc.) match the one you’re buying?
Also ensure the paper is intact and undamaged, and that any details are filled out in block capitals with a black ballpoint pen.
Check if the owner plans to register the change of ownership online and if so, supply them with your email address. Ensure you’re given the tear-off V5C/2 ‘new keeper’s details to temporarily prove your ownership of the vehicle you’ve bought. You’ll receive an email from the DVLA when the change of ownership is registered and a new V5C will be posted to you.
Make sure to get a receipt once you’ve filled out your part of the V5C form. And there you have it, you’ve bought your first car.
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