In January to June 2010 complaints against second hand car dealers rose nearly 20% to 38,000 complaints regarding used cars bought from dealers in the UK. Complaints against second hand dealers are the most common complaint made to the OFT via Consumer Direct.
The OFT found, in a study, that as many as 30% of car buyers who had contacted a dealer regarding a fault found in the first 3 months of ownership where told the dealer was not obliged to correct the fault leaving the motorist to pay for the work themselves. Often faults found within the first three months of ownership indicate the car was not of 'satisfactory quality' when it was sold and so the dealer's responsibility to correct.
The OFT advises anyone looking to buy a used car should ask for information about the vehicles mechanical history, mileage checks, previous owners, service history and any modifications made to the car in writing before considering buying. More information can be found here.
This September should see a surge in used car sales due to the number plate change to '60'. Instead of relying on a dealers part exchange quote you should also see what other dealers would offer for your car.
The Car Arena website is a unique car trading portal designed to help private individuals get the very best sale price for their car by exposing the vehicle details to thousands of potential car buyers from all across the UK.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Monday, 20 September 2010
Preparing your car for a private sale
Just by preparing your car properly can add hundreds of pounds to your vehicle's value;
Use a good-quality car shampoo to clean off any 'road grime'. Work from the roof down, rinse off well, and dry with a chamois leather.
Stone chips are unsightly and can rust if not attended to. Repair them with a touch-up stick. These aren't expensive, and with a little patience, you can dramatically improve your car's appearance.
Missing wheel trims or badges are unslightly to used buyers, so make sure you buy replacements. Breaker's yards offer a cheap source of parts.
Wheels covered in brake dust look awful. On alloys, if it's particularly stubborn, buy an alloy wheel cleaner and treat them. If you've got wheel trims, consider replacing them.
A good polish will create that 'new car' shine that so many used buyers are looking for. Don't worry if paint residue appears on the cloth; this is just a layer of 'dead paint' you're removing - there'll still be plenty left on the car!
Cleaning the interior requires a little more hard work. Start with the vacuum and treat carpets, seats, dusty crevices, and even the dashboard itself.
Dashboards should be cleaned with a 'low-gloss' dashboard cleaner; don't use household polish, as it'll give a cheap appearance.
Windows should be cleaned after the dashboard, to make sure you don't spoil your hard work. Use a glass cleaner or damp chamois leather.
Replace any non-standard parts, such as racy gear knobs or alloy pedal covers. They won't impress buyers, who'll think your car has been thrashed. Standard is always best.
Avoid dousing the car in air freshener, unless you have smoked in it - in which case, buy an odour neutraliser. Spray the ashtray too, after giving it a good clean.
Lift tatty old mats out; the clean carpets underneath will look much more attractive.
Buyers love looking under the bonnet, even if they haven't got a clue what they're looking for. You should therefore make sure they like what they see.
Tidy up generally; attach alarm wiring correctly, clean out leaves from air intakes, and generally make the engine bay appear cared-for.
Oil changes are cheap, and clean oil looks far better than sludgy treacle. Make sure the oil level is correct too.
Fill all water and coolant bottles up, maybe using a sweet-smelling windscreen washer?
Finally, steam-cleaning is much-loved by car dealers, but don't go overboard, particularly with older cars as it can sometimes damage fragile parts or connections.
Use a good-quality car shampoo to clean off any 'road grime'. Work from the roof down, rinse off well, and dry with a chamois leather.
Stone chips are unsightly and can rust if not attended to. Repair them with a touch-up stick. These aren't expensive, and with a little patience, you can dramatically improve your car's appearance.
Missing wheel trims or badges are unslightly to used buyers, so make sure you buy replacements. Breaker's yards offer a cheap source of parts.
Wheels covered in brake dust look awful. On alloys, if it's particularly stubborn, buy an alloy wheel cleaner and treat them. If you've got wheel trims, consider replacing them.
A good polish will create that 'new car' shine that so many used buyers are looking for. Don't worry if paint residue appears on the cloth; this is just a layer of 'dead paint' you're removing - there'll still be plenty left on the car!
Cleaning the interior requires a little more hard work. Start with the vacuum and treat carpets, seats, dusty crevices, and even the dashboard itself.
Dashboards should be cleaned with a 'low-gloss' dashboard cleaner; don't use household polish, as it'll give a cheap appearance.
Windows should be cleaned after the dashboard, to make sure you don't spoil your hard work. Use a glass cleaner or damp chamois leather.
Replace any non-standard parts, such as racy gear knobs or alloy pedal covers. They won't impress buyers, who'll think your car has been thrashed. Standard is always best.
Avoid dousing the car in air freshener, unless you have smoked in it - in which case, buy an odour neutraliser. Spray the ashtray too, after giving it a good clean.
Lift tatty old mats out; the clean carpets underneath will look much more attractive.
Buyers love looking under the bonnet, even if they haven't got a clue what they're looking for. You should therefore make sure they like what they see.
Tidy up generally; attach alarm wiring correctly, clean out leaves from air intakes, and generally make the engine bay appear cared-for.
Oil changes are cheap, and clean oil looks far better than sludgy treacle. Make sure the oil level is correct too.
Fill all water and coolant bottles up, maybe using a sweet-smelling windscreen washer?
Finally, steam-cleaning is much-loved by car dealers, but don't go overboard, particularly with older cars as it can sometimes damage fragile parts or connections.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Coming up: New look and style
We're currently working on a make over of the Car Arena website.
The visual design and navigation of the website is being overhauled to be more user friendly and less cluttered than the current version. We're aiming to make the page content visible without having to scroll down past all the necessary forms & links and we're also slimming down the initial valuation form to only require your car's registration mark.
Hopefully the new style of the website will be sent live sometime next week with a bunch of fixes and improvements to the valuation form.
In the mean time we've also uploaded a car dealer directory to the car arena website with links to over 4,000 car dealers in the UK! You can view the directory by going visiting:
http://www.cararena.co.uk/locations/
or using the links on the homepage
The visual design and navigation of the website is being overhauled to be more user friendly and less cluttered than the current version. We're aiming to make the page content visible without having to scroll down past all the necessary forms & links and we're also slimming down the initial valuation form to only require your car's registration mark.
Hopefully the new style of the website will be sent live sometime next week with a bunch of fixes and improvements to the valuation form.
In the mean time we've also uploaded a car dealer directory to the car arena website with links to over 4,000 car dealers in the UK! You can view the directory by going visiting:
http://www.cararena.co.uk/locations/
or using the links on the homepage
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Selling your car online
Why selling a car online isn't just the future...it's 'the present'!
Once upon a time, if you had a car to sell, your first port of call would be the local gazette or maybe a national magazine such at a push.
Nothing wrong with that, even if those classified ads were (and still are) on the pricey side! But, in terms of car selling, the internet is now the dominant force with latest estimates suggesting that up to 73% of people now search and sell cars online.
It is that enormous potential exposure your car would receive which is the patently obvious benefit of selling your car 'online'!
But, placing a car advert online is also cheaper than an equivalent printed advert in a magazine or newspaper and the beauty of it is, searching for a particular car is much easier online.
A potential buyer searching for your car online can simply enter the make, model, and approximate age or price of the car, and be given a specifically relevant list of matching adverts instantly. Contrast that with finding the right car in a magazine which can involve countless, often futile, hours of flicking through pages!
An online advert also means that you are much less restricted for space compared to newspapers or magazines where space is an expensive premium. What's more, most newspapers or magazines will charge you by the word, whereas this isn't the case with online adverts.
The fact that there are very few restrictions on the number of words you can use, or on the size of any photo(s), when you place an online advert all helps the the seller to showcase their asset in a much more positive light.
So, in conclusion, online adverts are cheaper, less restrictive, and offer much more exposure than the printed alternatives.
Once upon a time, if you had a car to sell, your first port of call would be the local gazette or maybe a national magazine such at a push.
Nothing wrong with that, even if those classified ads were (and still are) on the pricey side! But, in terms of car selling, the internet is now the dominant force with latest estimates suggesting that up to 73% of people now search and sell cars online.
It is that enormous potential exposure your car would receive which is the patently obvious benefit of selling your car 'online'!
But, placing a car advert online is also cheaper than an equivalent printed advert in a magazine or newspaper and the beauty of it is, searching for a particular car is much easier online.
A potential buyer searching for your car online can simply enter the make, model, and approximate age or price of the car, and be given a specifically relevant list of matching adverts instantly. Contrast that with finding the right car in a magazine which can involve countless, often futile, hours of flicking through pages!
An online advert also means that you are much less restricted for space compared to newspapers or magazines where space is an expensive premium. What's more, most newspapers or magazines will charge you by the word, whereas this isn't the case with online adverts.
The fact that there are very few restrictions on the number of words you can use, or on the size of any photo(s), when you place an online advert all helps the the seller to showcase their asset in a much more positive light.
So, in conclusion, online adverts are cheaper, less restrictive, and offer much more exposure than the printed alternatives.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Buying a used car - general advice
Buying a used car can be risky, however, follow these general tips and you won't go far wrong.
Do your homework:
Check the price carefully and compare similar cars in classifieds ads so you know as much as you can about the value of different cars to avoid being overcharged.
Research the seller if possible. If you're buying from a dealer, make sure they are registered traders.
Handle with care:
Always be wary of anything that seems 'too good to be true' or has a very low mileage for its age.
Ask about the car's service history:
Check all documentation provided, including current and previous MOT certificates.
Never view a car in the rain, in poor light or at night.
Water can obscure scratches, dents and other problems., while you won't be able to examine the condition of the car effectively in the dark. Make sure you can see the vehicle clearly and from all angles.
Insist on seeing the V5 vehicle registration document:
Check the name of the present keeper is the seller the registered keeper? if not, why are they selling it for someone else?
Check the seller has a current MOT certificate and certificate of insurance:
If the car is three years old or more, make sure there's a continuous series of annual MOT certificates. See if the mileage on these certificates agrees with the service records.
Check the service record:
Ensure that the cam belt has been replaced according to the manufacturer's recommended intervals.
Test-drive the car before committing yourself:
It's the only way to assess whether the car meets all your needs. You will find out about its mechanical condition too.
Be vigilant:
Look for mismatched panels and colours on doors, bonnet and tailgate. These can indicate that the car has been repaired after a shunt.
.
Don't be pressured into buying.
There are always other vehicles out there
If it's too good to be true, then be on your guard – bargains are few and far between. If a seller is selling cheap, ask yourself (and them) why?
Don't hand over money until you've agreed collection or delivery:
Check exactly what's included in the price include any work that the seller has agreed to do. Also, Make sure you get a receipt that details the vehicle, price, terms of sale and sellers details.
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Web design by Craig Robson | Web application by tc software