Search engines:
So I've covered the basics of where to search but there are some tips on how to. You might think that selecting the relevant category in every drop down will refine your search but it only takes a small typo or glitch for something to be categorised incorrectly. For this reason, I'd advise keeping your search criteria quite wide, for example if you were looking for a Seat Leon Cupra, perhaps search for Seat Leons with 2.0 petrol engines and manual gearboxes. If someone has advertised it slightly 'wrong', as an 'FR Cupra' for example, you may miss it.
On sites like eBay where the description is input by the seller, they might type the model name slightly differently. For example: ‘BMW 330d’ could also be ‘BMW 330 d’ or ‘BMW 330 diesel’.
Also, even if you only want to travel within say a 30 mile radius of where you live, search a wider area to get a better feel for prices and specs; cars are generally cheaper the further North you get in the UK and you may see more / different spec models you weren't previously aware of. Also, if the perfect car is 31 miles away, you could have missed it.
Adverts at a glance:
Many people find it tedious to trawl through adverts, but with enough practice, you can start to notice the tell tale signs that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling or an 'avoid!' feeling. Also, looking through plenty of adverts gives you a better idea of the market value, just factor in that if a car is advertised for a high price, it doesn't mean it's worth it.
Pictures: If there are no pictures, that's plain lazy in my opinion, but if there are, look at simple things: Has the car been cleaned and emptied of clutter? Are there pictures of all sides? Generally does it look like the person has taken care when trying to present their car or have they half-arsed snapped a few poor pictures? It's a little thing but it can give you a sign of how they've treated the car.
Background: This is very judgemental but very telling; is it parked on the drive of a fancy house? That could suggest they've clearly got the means to maintain the car correctly.
Are there any other cars in the background? Is the one their selling their pride and joy or the runaround? Is there a garage in the background that the car has likely been tucked up in?
A tangible example here is I once saw an MX5 advertised and in the background you could see the garage with the hard-top inside. The seller hadn't mentioned anything in the advert as they just assumed that would be sold with the car. I checked when calling and they seemed almost surprised that it was an 'extra', to them, it was obvious that the new owner would get the hard-top.
Details: There are a few key details an advert should contain, if they're missing, generally assume the worst. The basics are Mileage, service history and MOT remaining.
Service history - A full service history with lots of accompanying paperwork and all the original owners manuals is ideal. A few stamps in a service book is less so.
Number of owners - 1 owner from new is ideal. 10 owners isn't. However, some cars will tend to be passed on more regularly, like convertibles or sports cars; cars that people enjoy for a bit and then get something more sensible.
Traders pretending to be private sellers:
Lets be honest, the used car industry is tainted by dodgy dealers and stories of people being ripped off. This is perhaps one of the first warning signs to look out for; traders pretending to be private sellers do so to avoid the additional advertising fees and make themselves look more 'honest' as a private seller (there are plenty of private sellers trying it on as well in fairness).
Things to look out for:
A lot of websites will give you a search distance and then tell you how far away the car is from your postcode. Make a mental note of any car that is the exact same distance away as any other. Then look at the phone numbers used in the adverts and see if they match (however some will use different pay as you go phones so the numbers are different). If there are pictures look at the backgrounds seeing if they are the same, or in some cases if you can see the other car they’re selling ‘privately’ in sight.
Lastly look for little things like small yellow plastic tabs on the key rings (if the keys are the ignition and there is a shot of the interior) as they are often used to mark number plates down on so the seller can find the keys easily amongst all the others. The old trick of phoning and asking ‘Hi, I’m calling about the car you have for sale’ also works as unless they guess correctly, the reply will more than likely be ‘eerrrr, which car?’. Using all the tricks I’ve mentioned previously will save you time though.
Some websites allow you to see what other items the seller is advertising, check this and see if they're selling any other cars at the same time.
