• Also (having never bought a car before, inherited the Audi) - does one actually gain that much for the extra £££ spent at a dealer? My experience with motorbikes is “not really”.

  • does one actually gain that much for the extra £££ spent at a dealer?

    No, but buying privately can be a painful and time consuming process. There are a lot of cars out there which are not worth viewing, but often you only find that out after wasting time travelling to view.

    If budget allows, I would suggest a car supermarket. They have their own hazards, but you get to see a large number of cars in one location, and as they are nearly all ex fleet, they have generally been maintained to an acceptable standard.

  • I prefer private but I also enjoy the process of researching cars and spending hours on pistonheads/ebay looking for good ones. Recognise that this might not be for everyone.

  • Seems budget does not allow, sadly. I'm looking at a £4k max spend, to include a peace-of-mind session at the local garage

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