Used cars for sale

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Used cars for sale

Buying a used car has probably never been so simple. Decades ago you had to pick up a magazine, leaf through the pages and try and decide whether the car in the tiny photo with abbreviated jargon below was worth going to look at.

Now, you can fire up your computer and find the exact make and model you’re after in just a few minutes - complete with detailed photos, more information, online history checkers, finance tools, and more, with sellers from much further afield all competing for your attention.

Buying used can also save you thousands of pounds (especially now prices have softened a little after a few years of pandemic-induced increases), and means getting a car in much shorter order than waiting for an order to be fulfilled. The last few years have seen a huge increase in the quality and availability of affordable used electric cars too, if you’re considering making the move into an EV.

Why buy a used car?

There are several reasons you might choose to buy a used car. The biggest is likely to be budget: going for something pre-owned almost always means paying less, and sometimes by quite a margin, compared to a brand new vehicle. Unlike property, cars almost always depreciate, making older cars generally much cheaper than new ones - with the tradeoff being that you’re not in the shiniest and newest vehicle on offer.

A less common but sometimes useful reason for buying a used car is to save time. Whether it’s a pre-registered new car on a dealership forecourt or a second- or third-hand model from a dealer or private seller, you can generally buy it, and even drive away in it, pretty much there and then, rather than waiting for a carmaker to build your vehicle to order - which in recent years, has taken months or even years for some vehicles, thanks to supply chain issues.

How do I choose the ideal used car?

This depends very much upon what you’re looking for in a car. The first thing to do is narrow down your choice to a category of vehicle, be that a particular body style or engine type, and then create a shortlist of possible vehicles in that category. If you want a simple family hatchback then you might want to look at a Volkswagen Golf or Ford Focus for instance, while if you like rugged looks and a prestige badge, an SUV like a BMW X5 or Audi Q5 may be on your list.

Should I buy a petrol, diesel, hybrid, or electric used car?

Over the past couple of decades, the old choice between petrol and diesel cars has been greatly expanded to include hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric, and even hydrogen vehicles in some cases. The extra choice is great, but can be a little confusing if you’re new to the car-buying game.