Tips on buying an used car

[vaultedskies]

Does it have to be a Golf or just a German car? Anyway here are some options: http://www.usedcarsforsale.co.za/us...n&model=Golf&price=Less_than-300000&year=2013

thx Tyler. Doesn't have to be a Golf. My issue/question is more with the used part than the brand...

 

[Noob-Noob]

Not sure about the last bit there about the Corolla but you're spot on about Merc vs/ BMW resale values

There is nothing a "standard" BMW 318 has or can do that a normal standard Corolla can't. A BMW looks good, but that's as far as it goes, its the most over hyped up car I have ever driven.

 

[jman]

Explain the "more" you get from a BMW?, if you talking slightly newer or with a little less KM's on the clock, then yes.

But the Mercs are much more reliable, has much more features and more luxurious than the BMW, it also keeps its value better than BMW.
BMW is nothing more than a glorified (less reliable) Corolla.

I invite you to please find a comparable C class with a 300k budget to the 320d's one can get.

And if you think a 3 series is comparable to a corolla, then I'd stay well clear of any advice you give

 

[Noob-Noob]

I invite you to please find a comparable C class with a 300k budget to the 320d's one can get.

And if you think a 3 series is comparable to a corolla, then I'd stay well clear of any advice you give

And ill stay clear of the advice of someone who recommends a POS BMW320.

The 320D is not in the class of a C class, so please dont try and compare them, like I said, a corolla and the 320 is more comparable.

 

[PostmanPot]

Hi guys

I'm trying to decide whether my next car should be bought new or used. My current car (Ford Fiesta Ghia) I bought used from a Ford dealership and subsequently found out that the car had been in an accident, despite the dealer claiming the opposite prior to the purchase. I've had lingering issues with the car, most of which stem from the accident.

So basically I am hesitant to buy used again, due to a fear of undisclosed/unseen issues. However, I definitely see the value in buying a demo or 1 year old car and my current thinking is to buy a nicer/better spec demo model, rather than a brand new car in a lower bracket. [Currently I'm thinking mid-spec Golf 7. My budget is c. R250k-R300k.]

Is there any advice you guys can give me to avoid the pitfalls of buying an used car. If I buy a demo from a reputable dealer, will that be a good bet?

Thx!

This is why I think it is crazy how people (not pointing fingers) think buying from dealers is safe/r. It's not. Buying privately teaches one to do proper homework. For example perform a trace on the VIN number for ±R100 for any accident history or insurance claims over a certain amount.

You should also get the full service history from the dealership/brand (for while the car was under warranty, even better it if was serviced there out of plan), also by using the VIN, in order to spot any severe/repetitive issues, as well as what has/had been claimed against motor plan/warranty.

 

[vaultedskies]

This is why I think it is crazy how people (not pointing fingers) think buying from dealers is safe/r. It's not. Buying privately teaches one to do proper homework. For example perform a trace on the VIN number for ±R100 for any accident history or insurance claims over a certain amount.

You should also get the full service history from the dealership/brand (for while the car was under warranty, even better it if was serviced there out of plan), also by using the VIN, in order to spot any severe/repetitive issues, as well as what has/had been claimed against motor plan/warranty.

Thanks PP, that's great advice. I didn't realise one can do an accident history trace. Is there a specific website/company that does this? Thx

 

[_kabal_]

And ill stay clear of the advice of someone who recommends a POS BMW320.

The 320D is not in the class of a C class, so please dont try and compare them, like I said, a corolla and the 320 is more comparable.

Ridiculous statement.

You have obviously not driven a w304 c200, F30 320 or a corolla

 

[Foxhound5366]

There is nothing a "standard" BMW 318 has or can do that a normal standard Corolla can't. A BMW looks good, but that's as far as it goes, its the most over hyped up car I have ever driven.

Somebody's a bit of a Toyota fanboi (or just a BMW hater), because this is about the most patently false statement I've ever read.

Barring everything else (like handling and suspension), let's just look at the engines, shall we?



You'll note I'm comparing the 1.6 engine on the BMW against the 1.8 on the Toyota -> the latest models

The important bit to note there is the rpm from which max power is delivered on both. Toyota: 4000rpm. BMW: from 1350rpm all the way to 4300rpm!

Q: How does the BMW manage this miraculous performance? A: A turbo. A Twin Scroll turbo, to be precise.



Sooooo ... no, not the same at all, and if you think that you're an idiot.

Don't take my word for it though, here's the description from BMW themselves:

BMW Twin Scroll technology consists of a sole turbocharger driven through two exhaust pipes. As it does with two smaller turbochargers this double charging causes a quicker build-up of pressure and thus more direct engine response. However the Twin Scroll turbo takes up less space and saves weight. The result: better dynamics, improved performance, less consumption.

 

[Noob-Noob]

Somebody's a bit of a Toyota fanboi (or just a BMW hater), because this is about the most patently false statement I've ever read.

Barring everything else (like handling and suspension), let's just look at the engines, shall we?

View attachment 228766

You'll note I'm comparing the 1.6 engine on the BMW against the 1.8 on the Toyota -> the latest models

The important bit to note there is the rpm from which max power is delivered on both. Toyota: 4000rpm. BMW: from 1350rpm all the way to 4300rpm!

Q: How does the BMW manage this miraculous performance? A: A turbo. A Twin Scroll turbo, to be precise.

View attachment 228764

Sooooo ... no, not the same at all, and if you think that you're an idiot.

Don't take my word for it though, here's the description from BMW themselves:

I'm not 21 so was not really talking about the engine, I'm talking about what you get standard, feature wise. Automatic headlamps?, electric adjustable seats?, separate adjustable Aircon?, multiple internal lights? Automatic wipers?, build in cooler?. The BMW has non of that. (standard).
I'm by no means a corolla fan, I had a BMW before my Merc, and before that I had a RunX, performance wise the BMW is good (unfortunately not reliable at all), but looking at what you get, the Mercedes is miles ahead.

 

[Foxhound5366]

I'm not 21 so was not really talking about the engine, I'm talking about what you get standard, feature wise. Automatic headlamps?, electric adjustable seats?, separate adjustable Aircon?, multiple internal lights? Automatic wipers?, build in cooler?. The BMW has non of that. (standard).
I'm by no means a corolla fan, I had a BMW before my Merc, and before that I had a RunX, performance wise the BMW is good (unfortunately not reliable at all), but looking at what you get, the Mercedes is miles ahead.

There there Lament, stop changing the goal posts. Your argument is completely flawed, because you cannot compare two vehicles purely based on their specs on paper, and if you're not 21 you really ought to know that. Take your average Chinese-made Geely, for example, and look at its impressive spec list - full park-distance control, six airbags, every single 'modern' spec on the inside, and all for R100 000. By your logic, it must be better than the Toyota AND the BMW, because it's got all those specs for so cheap.

However it's not, is it? Compare the quality of the materials, construction, engineering, and every single other measurable attribute, and you'll see just how different the two vehicles are.

Now seriously, stop your smear campaign and just move along. This might be the sort of argument you can win with your idiot buddies around the braai who don't know anything apart from a Toyota Hilux, but to people who actually know cars you need to just stop, a long time ago.

A BMW doesn't come completely specced up, and neither does a Mercedes-Benz, or Audi. To buy these sorts of cars you need to have serious money, because the base-line is just a platform that you spec up however you want. If you don't like that concept, you cannot afford it! Buy a pre-owned Honda or Lexus instead, and move along.

 

[Noob-Noob]

There there Lament, stop changing the goal posts. Your argument is completely flawed, because you cannot compare two vehicles purely based on their specs on paper, and if you're not 21 you really ought to know that. Take your average Chinese-made Geely, for example, and look at its impressive spec list - full park-distance control, six airbags, every single 'modern' spec on the inside, and all for R100 000. By your logic, it must be better than the Toyota AND the BMW, because it's got all those specs for so cheap.

However it's not, is it? Compare the quality of the materials, construction, engineering, and every single other measurable attribute, and you'll see just how different the two vehicles are.

Now seriously, stop your smear campaign and just move along. This might be the sort of argument you can win with your idiot buddies around the braai who don't know anything apart from a Toyota Hilux, but to people who actually know cars you need to just stop, a long time ago.

A BMW doesn't come completely specced up, and neither does a Mercedes-Benz, or Audi. To buy these sorts of cars you need to have serious money, because the base-line is just a platform that you spec up however you want. If you don't like that concept, you cannot afford it! Buy a pre-owned Honda or Lexus instead, and move along.

As a matter of fact Merc comes "all specced up", but you enjoy your glorified corolla, I'm sure you and your Danville buddies are very impressed by power steering.

 

[requiem]

As a matter of fact Merc comes "all specced up", but you enjoy your glorified corolla, I'm sure you and your Danville buddies are very impressed by power steering.

http://www.mercedes-benz.co.za/cont...ngle-MEDIA.tmp/epdf_CClass_Sedan_20150622.pdf

"All specced up" - The link above will show you the hundreds of thousands of rands you can add to the cost of any C class with the extras.

 

[jman]

There there Lament, stop changing the goal posts. Your argument is completely flawed, because you cannot compare two vehicles purely based on their specs on paper, and if you're not 21 you really ought to know that. Take your average Chinese-made Geely, for example, and look at its impressive spec list - full park-distance control, six airbags, every single 'modern' spec on the inside, and all for R100 000. By your logic, it must be better than the Toyota AND the BMW, because it's got all those specs for so cheap.

However it's not, is it? Compare the quality of the materials, construction, engineering, and every single other measurable attribute, and you'll see just how different the two vehicles are.

Now seriously, stop your smear campaign and just move along. This might be the sort of argument you can win with your idiot buddies around the braai who don't know anything apart from a Toyota Hilux, but to people who actually know cars you need to just stop, a long time ago.

A BMW doesn't come completely specced up, and neither does a Mercedes-Benz, or Audi. To buy these sorts of cars you need to have serious money, because the base-line is just a platform that you spec up however you want. If you don't like that concept, you cannot afford it! Buy a pre-owned Honda or Lexus instead, and move along.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The baseline C-class looks horrible imo. Needs to be specced the hell out of to look good.

For the purposes of this thread, I suggested a 320d to the OP, considering his budget of 300k. Lament could not supply a C-class that can compare, within OP's budget

 

[Noob-Noob]

Couldn't have said it better myself. The baseline C-class looks horrible imo. Needs to be specced the hell out of to look good.

For the purposes of this thread, I suggested a 320d to the OP, considering his budget of 300k. Lament could not supply a C-class that can compare, within OP's budget

Im not here to do your homework,
http://www.autotrader.co.za/
or
http://www.carfind.co.za/
Im sure you will find loads

Edit
a very quick search found me these
http://tinyurl.com/plfmsuh

On Carfind there is a 2014 model as well with 40k KM on the clock, unfortunately I cannot copy the link.

 

[jman]

Im not here to do your homework,
http://www.autotrader.co.za/
or
http://www.carfind.co.za/
Im sure you will find loads

What an idiot. You're just proving my point. If you can't help the OP, which was the purpose of this thread, then why bring your stupidity here.

 

[Noob-Noob]

What an idiot. You're just proving my point. If you can't help the OP, which was the purpose of this thread, then why bring your stupidity here.

If you are to retarded to do a search by yourself, it just proves your mentality, not mine.

 

[rorz0r]

Lol at Lament... Foxhound had to find the craaapest 3 series that no-one actually buys anyway and compare it to the best corolla and it still came out better. The 320d is fantastic and not even in the same ballpark.

 

[jman]

If you are to retarded to do a search by yourself, it just proves your mentality, not mine.

I did so earlier in the thread, helping out OP. If you can't find a comparable, sub 300k C-class, that's better than the 320d's I provided (to help out a guy that asked a question, which you clearly can't do), then why comment?

 

[Noob-Noob]

I did so earlier in the thread, helping out OP. If you can't find a comparable, sub 300k C-class, that's better than the 320d's I provided (to help out a guy that asked a question, which you clearly can't do), then why comment?

Im not here to do your homework,
http://www.autotrader.co.za/
or
http://www.carfind.co.za/
Im sure you will find loads

Edit
a very quick search found me these
http://tinyurl.com/plfmsuh

On Carfind there is a 2014 model as well with 40k KM on the clock, unfortunately I cannot copy the link.

Because its not that difficult to go to autotrader, select Mercedes, 2013/2014 model, select below 50k KM's and search.

 

[jman]

Because its not that difficult to go to autotrader, select Mercedes, 2013/2014 model, select below 50k KM's and search.

So you're suggesting the old model C-class as opposed to the new 3 series? One could even pick this 328i, highly spec'd, whereas you could at most get the C200- previous gen within the budget