Hoot guide to buying a second hand car
Hoot Car Insurance Services was established to provide motorists with cheap car insurance that has all the benefits of other car insurance firms' more expensive policies. But our commitment to saving you money doesn't stop at really cheap car insurance. We want you to save money on other motoring costs, too. This Hoot Guide to buying a second hand car is one of a series - including advice on how to find really cheap car insurance and how to pass your driving test in style - which are designed to do just that. So for five steps to finding your dream car at a bargain price, read on! Step 1: Research
Don't expect to find the perfect car parked on your doorstep with a 'For Sale' sign in the window - you have to do some research if you're after a bargain.
Before you do anything else, however, you've got to set your budget. It's easy to get carried away when buying a car, but provided you've set your budget first and you stick to it - even if it means walking away from a car you really want - you'll get the good deal you're after. Once you've made a decision on the money, it's time to start the arduous task of combing the ad papers and websites devoted to second hand car sales. Keep an eye out for private sales in your local area too. It's a pretty boring slog in many cases while you wait for the right kind of cars to come onto the market, but don't worry - the skills you learn hunting for the perfect car will come in very handy when you're searching for cheap car insurance later on! In terms of ad papers, some of the best bets are household names like AutoTrader and FridayAd, because they get plenty of exposure and thus attract plenty of good listings. But for real bargains, also try the slightly more hit-and-miss back pages of your local newspaper.
Good websites abound for second hand cars. Top of the list these days has to be eBay motors, though old favourites like http://www.parkers.co.uk, http://www.jamjar.co.uk and http://www.exchangeandmart.co.uk are still well worth a look. Spoilt for choice? Sometimes there'll be more cars in your area and price bracket than you could ever hope to test drive. In this case, it's time to get choosy - and the best way to narrow down your choice a little is by asking your mates what they drive and what they think. Step 2: What to look out for
Okay, so you've found a likely candidate and arranged a viewing with the owner. This is great progress, but if you don't know what to look out for in a second hand car you might as well go blindfolded!
Go through as many of the following checks as you can remember (or better yet, take a printout of this page with you to the viewing) and any unpleasant surprises about the car's condition should come to light before you hand over your cash. In terms of bodywork, make sure the body panels all line up and are painted in the same shade, otherwise you're looking at a shoddy repair-job. Run a magnet over them to reveal any dents which have been smoothed over with filler - a common trick around wheel arches and along the bottom of doors. Lift the bonnet and look under the boot for bad welds, untidy seams and any other evidence of accident repairs. Lastly, check for rust and paint bubbles. Next up - electrics. Make sure the headlights, dashboard warning lights, hazards, windscreen wipers, horn and any other electrical equipment are all fully functional. If there's a stereo fitted, make sure it's included in the sale and test it out, too. Now pop the hood and take a good look at the engine. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty while checking for oil leaks, damaged hoses and dodgy drive belts. Find out if the engine has been reconditioned or modified, and if so ask for receipts and any guarantees for the work that was carried out. Check the interior, remembering to wipe your hands clean first! Make sure the seatbelts show no signs of damage, and examine door, window and sunroof seals for signs of leaking. Wear and tear to front seats and pedals should tally with the car's mileage, so give it a miss if the clock reads 9,000 miles but the seat covers look like they've done 90,000. Lastly, kick those tyres. Check the grooves of the tread pattern are at the very least 1.6mm deep across the width of each tyre and round its entire outer circumference, and check for any bulges or cuts in the tyre wall which could lead to a blow out at speed. Step 3: The test drive
The car might look okay, but you can't be sure it's a winner until after the all-important test drive. It's mighty tempting to just nip round the block at 30mph and call it a day, particularly if you're a new driver, but you need be a lot more thorough and really put the car through its paces.
Try to take a route that includes a variety of driving conditions - particularly stop-start urban driving, hills and open roads. This will ensure you get a good feel for the car's steering, brakes and clutch. Rather than making inane small-talk with the seller, concentrate on noises the car's making while you're out on the test drive. Treat any strange sounds from the engine or suspension with extreme caution. After the test drive, leave the car idling and check under the bonnet for any oil or water leaks that weren't apparent when the engine was cold. Step 4: Negotiating
If you've got this far without a hitch, the car's a winner - and the only thing keeping the two of you apart now is your budget. It's time to negotiate a good price with the current owner.
The golden rule of negotiating is to always do it face to face. You'll find you'll get a much better deal if you're stood there with the seller rather than speaking over the phone. The other advantage of negotiating in person is that you can get the details confirmed in writing rather than having to rely on a verbal contract. When talking the owner down from their asking price, make sure you have a reason for the reduction. Point out any faults you noticed and estimate what you'll have to pay for repair work and replacement parts. Also, always pay in cash if possible and draw attention to this. Finally, remember that the figure under negotiation is the seller's asking price. Never make an offer that exceeds your budget. Step 5: Paperwork
Even at bargain prices, buying a car can still cost a lot of money. So to avoid being ripped-off, it's essential you get everything to do with the sale confirmed in writing, and insist on seeing and taking away all the certificates, service history and other essential car paperwork that same day.
Along with the paperwork, make sure you get two sets of car keys so you have a spare. Step 6: Get a really cheap car insurance quote from Hoot
Okay, so we said it was five steps to buying your dream car. But as everyone knows, buying the car isn't the whole story - there's still road tax and young driver car insurance to think about!
Lucky for you, the guys at Hoot are experts in the field of cheap car insurance, and we reckon our motor insurance quotes are some of the best around. There's a couple of reasons why we're able provide the same quality of cover as many of our competitors but at a fraction of the price. The first is to do with advertising budgets: basically, we don't have one. While other car insurance firms squander millions on annoying adverts on TV and the radio, we don't spend a penny - and pass the saving back to you in the form of much cheaper car insurance rates. The other big saving we make over other motor insurance firms has to do with the fact that we don't rent any expensive high-street shops to sell our product or cavernous call centres to process new customers and car insurance claims. Instead, we run the whole outfit very cost-effectively, diverting as much of the business online as we can to keep overheads down. All our economising makes a big difference to the price of our car insurance policies - just click the quote button below and see for yourself! 
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