Auto Trader

[capi]

Thinking of buying a used car on Auto Trader. Would anyone advise against this? Any bad/good experiences of buying a car this way? What are the pitfalls?

[Jonnyboy]

Thinking of buying a used car on Auto Trader. Would anyone advise against this? Any bad/good experiences of buying a car this way? What are the pitfalls?

Article on the news today saying a number of stolen cars had been sold on through Auto Trader, capi. It's where folk steal them, spray them and sell them on but the police advise that if looking at a private sale there's one way to check it might be stolen as the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) in most cars is under the bonnet on the chassis and car thieves usually only respray the car body so if the paint where the VIN is is different from the colour of the car then walk away.

Don't mean to scaremonger mate, just advising on what was said today.

In their favour, Auto Trader is a reputable firm and I'm sure that 99.9% of the cars they advertise are totally legit.

[capi]

many thanks Johnnyboy:thumbsup:

[blaikie]

Article on the news today saying a number of stolen cars had been sold on through Auto Trader, capi. It's where folk steal them, spray them and sell them on but the police advise that if looking at a private sale there's one way to check it might be stolen as the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) in most cars is under the bonnet on the chassis and car thieves usually only respray the car body so if the paint where the VIN is is different from the colour of the car then walk away.

Don't mean to scaremonger mate, just advising on what was said today.

In their favour, Auto Trader is a reputable firm and I'm sure that 99.9% of the cars they advertise are totally legit.
What he said:top marks
https://www.mycarcheck.com/
Websites good for checking out the cars details.
I used auto trader when I bought my first car a few months ago, Only real issue I've came across is that car had a botched "repair" where the engine management light had been tampered with.

Good luck finding a new set of wheels :thumbsup:

[Woody1985]

Also have a check on www.adtrader.co.uk (http://www.adtrader.co.uk). It's cheaper to advertise on there so there is sometimes more choice.

[BigKev]

I've bought 3 cars through Auto Trader and every one of them have been pretty reliable. The advantage with them over the likes of Gumtree and Adtrader seems to be the people selling the motors.

Without wanting to sound like a knob the cars I've bought have been from areas like Stockbridge and The Grange whilst with Adtrader it was more punters in Pilton and Niddrie - I put it down to people having to pay to advertise.

I once bought a Saab for £550 from Adtrader and it lasted 3 days - the guy had pulled a fast one and new the head gasket was gone and done something to solve it short term. I was raging at the time but later found the seller was from a well kent family in Pilton so I wasn't asking for a refund.

[The_Todd]

Autotrader (unless I'm very much mistaken) is just a marketplace where the adverts are placed more than anything.

Some cars on AutoTrader are adverts placed by the motor trade so they may be a safer bet, especially if you get a warranty etc, and some are private sales so it would just be the same as if you were buying a car from some bloke who placed an ad in the newspaper or a shop window.

Obviously don't part with cash unless you're satisfied the car is legal and in good nick.

[Brando7]

don't see any difference by using auto trader or looking in your local paper imo

[capi]

I've bought 3 cars through Auto Trader and every one of them have been pretty reliable. The advantage with them over the likes of Gumtree and Adtrader seems to be the people selling the motors.

Without wanting to sound like a knob the cars I've bought have been from areas like Stockbridge and The Grange whilst with Adtrader it was more punters in Pilton and Niddrie - I put it down to people having to pay to advertise.

I once bought a Saab for £550 from Adtrader and it lasted 3 days - the guy had pulled a fast one and new the head gasket was gone and done something to solve it short term. I was raging at the time but later found the seller was from a well kent family in Pilton so I wasn't asking for a refund.

see my avatar, Kev. It wisnae me, honest:thumbsup:
Thanks for all the info guys.

[Godsahibby]

I deal with Autotrader a lot through work and they get a lot of scams. This should not put you off buying just remember the old saying if it's too good to be true then it's probably not.

Big scam going around just now with great cars for sale a really cheap prices, the guy placing the add will have a story about moving abroad and needs to sell the car quick, if you put the money into a holding account he will ship it over to you........ don't do it!

[Woody1985]

I deal with Autotrader a lot through work and they get a lot of scams. This should not put you off buying just remember the old saying if it's too good to be true then it's probably not.

Big scam going around just now with great cars for sale a really cheap prices, the guy placing the add will have a story about moving abroad and needs to sell the car quick, if you put the money into a holding account he will ship it over to you........ don't do it!

:faf:

What old saying would that be?

[.Louise.]

I got my current car through an advert on Auto Trader.

As long as you do all the checks against the V5 and a HPI you should be ok.

[JoeT]

I been buying a few from the auction and selling them off on Ebay making a wee bit on each one.

Try to make sure there is a decent MOT and service history on any cars you go to view and give it a good test drive - check all the buttons work etc inside the car and look over the engine for leaks - check the oil looks okay etc

Autodrader should be okay - like a previous post mentions: buy the seller as well as the car. 20 yr old neds are likely to have better things to spend on than expensive services/parts