Hi I wanna buy a cheap economical car small hatch, low insurance etc. Had a look at Renault Clio 1.4 RT 98... Any others to consider and what to look out for in the do's and don'ts? Thanks

Was it a mk1 or mk2 clio? Used to have a '95 1.4rt and it was a good wee car with quite a lot of kit. But it did have a few wee niggly faults so if you're thinking about it check everything electric works and check the rear arches - almost every clio i've seen has rust around them.

Dont buy anything which is advertized "good runner" or "tax till march"... these are the words of Banger merchants!

..sh*t..you've read my ads...the other good un is reluctant sale..(why sell it then?)..new car forces sale (why did they need a new car?)..genuine reason for sale..(yup, its knacjered)...or my favourite..nagging mrs forces sale...just tell her too shut up and get on wi the cooking/cleaning/ironing.....sssshh...gotta go...here comes my mrs, and if she reads this she might make me sell another car...sshhh....

Haha exactly the ones to avoid !

Fortunately i am a single chap who gets to buy & keep cars without an argument!

Another ad line to avoid is "no timewasters"

See that alot in the Autotrader - its confrontational and the preserve of tower-block proletariat, so the car will probably be a pup.

quote:

..sh*t..you've read my ads...the other good un is reluctant sale..(why sell it then?)..new car forces sale (why did they need a new car?)..genuine reason for sale..(yup, its knacjered)...or my favourite..nagging mrs forces sale...just tell her too shut up and get on wi the cooking/cleaning/ironing.....sssshh...gotta go...here comes my mrs, and if she reads this she might make me sell another car...sshhh....

Ha Ha! brilliant!!

..genuine callers only is what i actually use...i have no time for tyre kickers and timewasters..i'd rather deal with people who know exactly what they are lookin at, know the cars and ask the right questions....

Is that a bit of rust coming through there?

..and there is an upside to being in a good relationship mate...i get my cooking/cleaning and ironing done..and some decent fringe benefits too....mrs has put up with me an my cars for 14 yrs now...if she had murdered me after the first year she would have been out of jail years ago....wouldn't be without her for a minute....everyone say aaahhh.......famous arthur daley quote...er indoors is like a diamond to me.....wot arfur, precious?...na, cold, cold and 'ard!!

as neil young will tell you, rust never sleeps....

Saw a fantastic ad for a 360 CS. Usual advert then "mistake with wife means 4 seats now required"

Just remember a bit of common sense.

- Check all paperwork matches the car, engine size, chassis number, colour etc. This includes the address - does it match V5 for private seller? You'd be surprised!!!! Also watch out for fake mot's, check the watermark.

- I would never buy a car without the V5. I think its illegal to do so now anyway.

- Palmira and biggbn have already mentioned adverts. Watch out for trade sellers pretending to be private - when you call ask about "the car for sale in the Autotrader" If they reply "which one?" they are traders!!!

- The more bills, past MOT's, services etc. the better. You can then check mileage to see if it matches, shows a careful owner who's looked after it.

- Any doubts just walk away - there's plenty more Clio's around.

Enjoy - a Friday with the Autotrader and some money is one of life's pleasures!!!!

...some times i have more than one car for sale but i dont consider myself a trader as such...others may argue differently...i remeber actually getting a letter from trading standard about the amount of cars i had sold...i called and explained my circumstances..caraholic, low boredom threshold..got a drawer full of socks that iv had longer than most of the cars iv owned and he was very understanding...said i could own as many cars as i liked, one after the other or all at the same time...i just couldn't really sell them all!!....i asked if he had a solution to my problem then, how to dispose of cars i no longer want/need....there was a strange silence from the other end of the phone....i'm still waiting for an answer.....

hakka, some good points already mentioned.

Never buy a car in the rain or when it is dark.

Take someone with you. Even if you don't know someone who knows a little about mechanics, it is good to have someone to hold you back if you get a bit excited.

Be careful of anyone who wants to bring the car to you or won't let you see it at their house.

Check the temprature, you want to see how a car starts from cold. It is easy to take a car 'round the block to get it nice and warm so it starts first time.

Check the tyres, 4 decent branded tyres (all the same make) is a good indicator of how well the car has been looked after. Also look for curb ( a curb is a yound boyscout in Ashington BTW ) damage, if a car gets banged up and down curbs it hasn't had a very nice life.

There are loads of peaches for sale via thigs like Autotrader, look at lots and the dogs get very easy to spot.

What you want is a car that has had the same elderly owner since new, been garaged - serviced on the button every year and has been washed every Sunday. They are all out there, not worth buying a 'bad'un' when there are so many good, honest cars out there.

Good luck!

second that advice..the used car market can be a minefield but it can also be a great place to buy and very fulfillig if you get the right motor.....this may sound stoopid....but my rule of thumb usually goes on first impressions..if i dont like the sound of the vendor over the phone, i dont go se the car...if i get there and i dont like him...i dont buy the car....this may sound ridiculous but i usually find 8 or 9 times out of ten, my 'instinct' is right..nice people usually sell nice cars..or are honest enough not to try to hide any known problems...if in doubt, walk away.....

Me and a mate spent months looking for a good Sud for restoration. Some of the characters were comical. "Ah yes mate, it is rust free (means that you don't have to pay for the rust!)", "drives great (means that the brakes are knackered)", one car was advertised as having "sound body work" the tailgate came off the hinges when we opened it! To be fair the tailgate wasn't rusty, just the hinges had turned into a soggy lump of iron ore.........one even made a noise like you were on a Northsea ferry, the doors were so full of water!

Eventually we found a one being sold by an elderly clergyman (I thought it was a wind up too), it was in the garage at the church, it had every service invoice from a local specialist who we know and he even stuck 4 new Pirelli's on it when we haggled about the price (it didn't feel right haggling with a man of the cloth - but shy bairns get nee cake)

From personal experience I would second the general impression of buying from nice people. You want evidence the car has been serviced - it can be done by themselves but you need to guess if they know what they are doing. Check levels of coolant and possible mayonnaise in the engine before you drive and check it again immediately after the test drive. I was stung by perfect coolant levels before the drive, bought the car and found water pump was leaking. Also don't be worried about haggling in a good natured way.

i must admit, i love the buz of looking for decent unusual cars and the buying process that follows...its given me a great deal of joy over the years, and iv met some proper characters...like the guy in kircaldy selling an ex army landrover, who when pressed on the total lack of reverse gear, replied with a straight face...its ex army son, these were attack vehicles, they dont have a reverse......i almost fell over...even to an impressionable 18 yr old as i was at the time, i knew i was in the prescence of a master bullsh*tter...