# Car buying advice



## animal47 (Mar 16, 2016)

Well my beloved Golf gti has now been sold so I am now without transport and driving the Mrs TT around is playing havoc with my back lol.
I am after a Saab 9-5 aero and have found 2 of them that I am interested in but neither is straight forward, the first is a private sale at a great price but I am a bit put off as the seller has told me that there is still a bit of finance outstanding that will be paid as soon as the car sells. This sounds like it could become a nightmare if the seller doesn't do as he says.
The 2nd is from a dealer and a decent price but over budget so I emailed the dealer and said that if I were to turn up and offer £500 under the asking price, is there any chance of a deal. To my surprise he got back to me and said that he would be prepared to do a deal at that price but it would be a trade deal only and sold as seen with no warranty. Now this wouldn't ordinarily bother me too much as I suppose it's no different to buying private but an mot check shows it only having 5 weeks left on it which does worry me slightly although according to the gov.uk website it has never failed an mot or even had an advisory in its life which to me shows it's been looked after.
Anyone got any advice or any experience that would put me off of either. They are both over a 2 hour drive away so wouldn't want to go without full intentions of buying and bringing home there and then. Sod's law that there have been plenty for sale when my Golf was up for sale but very few about now I have the cash.


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## Stiff (Jun 15, 2015)

Could the first guy not just knock the price of the outstanding finance off the initial purchase price? If not, ask why not. I'd be very suspicious as to why (ie, he maybe doesn't have any intention of paying it once the car is gone)
Second one - it might be worth looking at the cost of an independent warranty. They're cheaper than you may think depending on the age of the car. Have a look here to give you an idea:
http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/cars/art ... r-warranty
And a couple to use for examples:
https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-in ... -warranty/
http://www.gocompare.com/car-warranty/# ... RKV5gXt.97


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## animal47 (Mar 16, 2016)

The guy with the finance owing is speaking to the finance company today for their advice on the best way to proceed. With a bit of luck it will be as simple as phoning them whilst I am there and me paying off the outstanding via card and then paying him the remainder in cash.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## thomp1983 (Nov 5, 2016)

For the finance all you need to do is pay it over the phone to the finance company and ask them for an email stating all finance is settled, we were in the same situation when selling the Mrs' old mini, the new buyer just paid the outstanding finance and gave me the rest in cash and I forwarded him the email and hand wrote a receipt nothing unusual about it.


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## Gaz78 (Mar 15, 2017)

thomp1983 said:


> For the finance all you need to do is pay it over the phone to the finance company and ask them for an email stating all finance is settled, we were in the same situation when selling the Mrs' old mini, the new buyer just paid the outstanding finance and gave me the rest in cash and I forwarded him the email and hand wrote a receipt nothing unusual about it.


+1


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## animal47 (Mar 16, 2016)

Well I have now found out that the amount owing is actually more than the car is up for so the seller would have to give me cash back. There is also a 3% surcharge on credit card transactions which makes things even more awkward so going to give it a miss I think.
There is also the issue that the finance company will not accept payment from anyone other than the owner via phone so I would only be able to do it online.


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## TFP (May 29, 2010)

animal47 said:


> To my surprise he got back to me and said that he would be prepared to do a deal at that price but it would be a trade deal only and sold as seen with no warranty.


This dealer needs to research the law.

Whatever they write on an invoice they have to abide by the sale of goods act, and you have your statutory rights as a consumer.

A trade sale will only apply if they sell to another trader.

So if you're a private buyer the car has to be,

1. As described on the advert (make sure you print the advert)
2. Fit for purpose (can actually pass an MOT)
3. Durable. This is the only one open to discussion, but if it breaks down on the way home the dealer wouldn't stand a chance in court saying "it was sold as seen"


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