Sorry if this has been done before but this will only be the 2nd car that I’ve bought in my life so I’m not very familiar with the whole process. The first one I bought was from a family friend who worked in a dealership so I had no worries about it then.

Basically I am looking to trade in my wife’s very old and pretty knackered Peugeot 206 for something around 3-4 years old with 25k miles on it along the lines of a Honda Civic. It’s likely to cost me around 9-10k and the one I’m thinking of is a 2 and a half hour drive away at a Honda dealership.

A few things concern me.

1. If something goes wrong with it I don’t really have anyway of taking it back for them to fix if I was given any kind of warranty. Is this something I should be worried about? Do such warranties usually relate to the specific dealer or to Honda dealers in general meaning I could go to my local one?

2. It’s likely that if I do go to look at it and can agree on a price then I’d like to buy it there and then. That’ll mean trading in my wife’s car at the same time. Can this all be done easily or am I likely to have to go back and collect it another time allowing them to check over and value the Peugeot etc.?

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

I’ve travelled 200miles each way to buy unusual/relatively ‘rare’ cars (i.e. decent condition Subaru’s).

Only one turned out to be totally mis-described so I turned round and went home.

Thats the risk- even indie dealers can be economical with the truth/description.

If its a typical/mass-market car I’d buy within 30miles tbh.

Only rare cars would I invest a days holiday in for the risk of travelling to/from.

Plus the more local the car – its easier to drop off/sort any problems post-sale.

i would walk 500 miles

My dad drove from Manchester to Bath to have a look at a bankers AC3000ME

I would drive all over if that is the car I want provided I know how to fix it, otherwise I just buy local.

Depends how good the deal is! If it’s a few hundred quid cheaper it’s probably worth a day, 500 definitely, 1000 hell yes!
There is no real answer to the question for everyone. I’ll happily travel anywhere in the uk to pick things up if the deal is right.
Warranty wise it depends how the specific garage does it, call them and ask. Most of the big dealership chains will let you take it to any of their branches rather than just the one you purchase from.

I know it’s a pretty standard car but because I’m based in Dundee there isn’t quite as much choice as the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen which is why I’m looking in these areas too.

Looks like you have limited choice there so yes go elsewhere to get it. For me the price and condition must be right so I would travel to get one I want.

Whereisthurso .

Stop looking in aberdeen – wasting time. Look in inverness though and the north east beyond aberdeen – nairn and elgin.

Aberdeens rip off central for motors.

Funny you should say dundee doesnt have much choice – i have bought all my cars from dundee , despite living in aberdeen. Significantly cheaper , glasgows even cheaper again. Edinburgh not so but go out livingston way and along that corridor and it seems to be cheaper still. My next motor ill likely go down to madchester, how ever im looking at nearly new/new kombi vans from the big dealers.

I went from Cannock to Woking to buy an ST24 estate, hens teeth them things were.

i would walk 500 miles

And I would walk 500 more

trail rat funny you should say further north than Aberdeen because there is one that I’m keen on up near Peterhead and seems to be as good a deal as I can find. Will have a look in Inverness too as it could be combined with a trip to see family further north.

Manchester to Henley on a one way train ticket for buy a £1300 car.

Do your research, ask the right questions and don’t expect any after sales service.

Regarding 1) phone them and ask. Depends what warranty they’re offering with it.

Regarding 2) again, phone them and ask. If they know in advance I’m sure they can accommodate.

Surrey to Preston to buy my present car, with just the specification I was looking for). It was nearly new so still under manufacturers warranty and £K’s cheaper than the equivalent in Surrey.

Newquay to Aberdeen once! Farnborough to Edinburgh another time for a Scoob. That was when there were flight deals around the £20 mark though!
Try to stay with an hour or so more recently.

I’ve driven from London to Inverness to view a camper at an auction, I’ve flown from London to Edinburgh to buy a 307SW & I’ve shipped a Jaguar to NZ to sell. It for me it was in my financial interest to do so.

Depends on the wheels and the price, but I went from Holyhead to Exeter for the right deal once.

It depends on where you live, what the car is, and how much of a rush you’re in

If you’re in an area that isn’t hugely populated then you’ll need to travel a bit further, particularly if you need it quickly

My cars have been bought local (less than 20 miles away) but I’m in North London so have a lot around me. They’ve also been normal mass market cars, not niche or specialist cars.

My search criteria usually gets limited to 60-80 miles when I’m looking though

I’ve come across a BMW or Mercedes dealer (I can’t remember which) who offer overnight accommodation if you’re coming for a car. Then again, £60 is nothing if it means selling a £20k+ car I suppose

I’ve come across a BMW or Mercedes dealer (I can’t remember which) who offer overnight accommodation if you’re coming for a car.

You mean they’ll let you sleep in the back of your new car?

we drove from birmingham to preston to buy our new Kia as it was 1.5k cheaper up norf than in the midlands !!

Some friends went from Brighton to Inverness.

Lake District to Mansfield for a Toyota at a Toyota Dealer, saved about £1500 over anything local and still within dealer warranty. one way train ticket was c£26 but it took a day of my time.

350 mile round trip to a main dealer for my M3.

400 mile round trip to a main dealer for my VXT220.

Both were mint examples and had the exact spec I was looking for though.

Bringing the subject back round to bikes, in the 80s my mate’s dad drove him on a 300 mile round trip just to pick up a Super Vitus Duralinox frame!

EDIT: just remembered a bloke and his mate drove down from Doncaster (to Surrey) to buy one of my cars for his wife.

We did a tour of the South East as my wife decided she wanted a civic in a particular colour and trim. We found one eventually at a Honda dealer two hours from home.

They didn’t really want to haggle and dug their heels in, so we ended up leaving saying we wanted to think about it and would call them back in an hour. We went home as it needed an MOT anyway, and just before they closed they rang us back with a better offer so we bought it.

Came with a Honda Happiness guarantee which we tested earlier this year, radio/heating display went blank and then the radio packed up. We went to another dealer that was closer (different garage group as well) and they sorted it with no quibbling, however they did send the radio off for six weeks to be repaired leaving us with a hole in the dash and no hazard light switch. My wife wouldn’t complain but I reckon they would have given us their spare/test radio if we’d kicked up enough fuss.

P.S I did have to remind them about the full tank of diesel we’d negotiated, the missing parcel shelf (we refused to pay for a new one) and the out of date tyre sealant kit. The last two items they just swapped with the next car on the forecourt.

Went from Inverness to Bristol for a Fiat Doblo. £1000 cheaper than waaaay up north, and better quality. Cost of bus (Inverness to Edinburgh) and plane ticket (from Edinburgh to Bristol)was £60, and fuel on the way up cost me £65. Been burnt too often to rely on warranties, cos frankly they are not worth the paper they are expensively written on.
I make a VERY thorough checklist, read all the bad stuff that happens to your prospective car and then hunt for it. Take your time, road test the car and you should be fine.

when I was a lad I drove from Swindon to Doncaster in a flatbed to collect an astra gte body shell I got back at 2 in the morning, and then my dad woke me up at 6 to say we needed to drive to edinbough to collect a twin engine westfield.

so we drove all the way there only to find out the car would not drive as there was a problem with the gearbox that the seller neglected to mention LOL

over 1000 miles in 2 days and only actually bought one car LOL

Ratty speaks sense stay away from Aberdeen cars to spendy.

I’m going to go up to Banff at the weekend for a look. It’s not too far if I don’t like what I see and can combine it with a trip to see my wife’s future university campus in Aberdeen.

The price of the car in question looks to be a little less than cars with the same spec throughout the country.

Not going to commit to buying before seeing the car although it is described as being in immaculate condition. I just couldn’t commit that kind of money without seeing it in person and don’t mind another trip if it’s going to be worth it.

Fingers crossed it’s as good as they say. Now, any tips on haggling?