Buying a secondhand car what to look out for

[Central]

Looking to buy a Ford Fiesta Zetec s in 6 weeks or so. Its the mark model so looking at 9-12 years old. This model





I will have about £1500 to spend and seen a few on Auto trader for that price that look pretty good. Some are low mileage to (70k)

So any tips on what to look out for mechanically wise as the ad will not obviously show a problem.

Any advice leading up to me buying it will be great.

Thanks

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Central

Looking to buy a Ford Fiesta Zetec s in 6 weeks or so. Its the mark model so looking at 9-12 years old. This model





I will have about £1500 to spend and seen a few on Auto trader for that price that look pretty good. Some are low mileage to (70k)

So any tips on what to look out for mechanically wise as the ad will not obviously show a problem.

Any advice leading up to me buying it will be great.

Thanks

While not a expert first thing to ask is has it got a service history as that can tell you quite a lot and then after that ask how many miles the canbelt has done but l am sure there are people on this forum who can help you far more then me on some things.

[thenry]

Check under the doors for rust, there was a recall if my mind serves me right. listen to the engine when you fire it up for high revs and also press down the clutch to see if it increases. low mileage or you might need it looked at (sort of tune up). look under the hood for signs of oily grease overflow > gaskets. test all electrics, just be aware. I'm not an expert so can't offer to much advice apart from don't be too reserved when testing.

[Peter_]

You will probably find cars up to a 52 reg in the newer shape in your price range.

[Lord Nikon]

Always, ALWAYS run an HPI check, it costs about a tenner and will tell you if the vehicle has been involved in an accident, if you don't have someone who knows cars you can get the RAC or AA to check the vehicle over. It's usually a good idea to get the owner to put a 12 month MOT on it too as that will check a lot of the car over. Yes the AA / RAC check can cost over 100, but for peace of mind that the vehicle is decent it's worth it.

[Central]

HPI check was top of my list.

If I pay the £30 hpi it gives me 7 days insurance to on the car i did the check on if I buy it.

[Gary L]

What's the 7 day insurance thing?

[Central]

http://www.hpicheck.com/driveaway.html

[Gary L]

Thanks.
from what I'm reading you can pay as little as £20.50 for the check and get the free 7 days insurance thrown in.

that's a bargain to someone who's not insured to drive their mates car.

[Jameseh]

That HPI link states its not suitable for cars over 10 years so depending on the reg, you might be out of luck.

[Central]

Its not an issue because if I bought a car I would ring up my insurers and swap it over there and then

[Peter_]

Originally Posted by Central

Its not an issue because if I bought a car I would ring up my insurers and swap it over there and then

Remember to look for as new a model as possible as you can get 52 reg easily in your price range.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by Masque

Remember to look for as new a model as possible as you can get 52 reg easily in your price range.

Even modern cars can rust: My sisters Fiesta was scrapped at 13 years old as it needed over £1,000 of welding for an MOT so the garage said. Younger is better on that front and lower mileage too.

[Nanook]

Check out Quentins Top Gear guide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUVmNCdf4tI



Old & not a Fiesta Zetec but good for a giggle.

[Central]

I don't like Quentin. He slagged of the DeLorean. He is a mortal enemy