Buying a used car for dummies

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Aaaaahhhhh - too much choice. Parker online, supermarkets.....

So I thought I'd limit it down to a make/model.

Looking to buy a 2nd hand family car (possibly a Passat) probably need to fork out about £8k

But how can I make life simple for myself? Insurance groups, tax bands, Co2 tax to take into consideration.

I've just been choiced out into delaying the decision.

Any advice to break the log-jam?

What about the online supermarkets (I guess you can select but not check out before purchase). I'd rather not go private as I dont want to buy a lemon and have no come-back or worse find its not fully paid up or stolen/welded from 2 halfs together.... I feel like a sitting duck for the salesmen (and no I dont want to buy your car either )

Cheers Loko.

[Twiglet]

My sister and someone else I know having had a bad experience, I wouldn't go to Arnold Clark.

[Jack]

Choose the model you want to drive and own. Petrol, tax, insurance (assuming normal stuff) will probably be less per month than you think and if you're shelling out £8k a tenner a month is neither here nor there for the car you want rather than one you'll put up with for the next 2 or 3 years.
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Doing that I ended up with a 7 series BMW. The most fantastic car I've ever owned!