What Questions Should I Ask?

I'm hoping to go and see a Ford Focus Estate one evening this week.

For those of you who don't know I put my car on ebay as I want an estate car and was contacted by a "trader" who has offered a swap, my car for the estate car.

I have put mine on for £3500 and have also been to 5 different dealers who have all said they would give me £3000 for it, but the only cars I've been interested in were a x reg Vectra estate, a w reg picasso and a v reg Volvo estate, all of them would need me to put another £300-400 down, which I don't have, but they would come with between 6 &12 months warranty depending on which garage I go to.

The trader has told me some things about the car, it is an x reg 1.8i ghia and has all the extras that my Ka has, it has done 88k, is mot'd till Oct but he didn't mention tax. He said he is keen to do a swap as he has a client that is after a Ka the same as mine but he isn't able to help them. I would think he has probably got the Focus from the auctions or something and, although its book price is about £300-£500 more than my Ka, he will still make a tidy profit.

He has emailed me, and I have to say he appears to be very literate, he has told me he has only just got the Focus and it will be cleaned and have two new tyres put on tomorrow. I can then go and see it anytime this week, day or evening and he has suggested I test drive it to see if I like it, (which I would insist upon anyway). The down side is, (I think as I haven't actually asked him), I don't think I'll get any kind of warranty from him, but then again, he has to take my word that my Ka is as reliable as I have told him, so we have both got to trust each other really. I have checked his feedback and he has got two negatives for what appear to be minor complaints, the rest is excellent and some of the cars have sold for lots and lots of money.

I will definately go and see the car but I wondered if anyone can give me some tips as to what questions to ask and what to look for. I understand that one is expected to kick the tyres to make it look like you know what you're doing , so I can do that. Unfortunately I can't afford to have an AA check done and I don't know any men that know about cars that I could take with me. Any other tips and pointers would be gratefully received.

Check the oil, if it is whiteish then it means water has got in (or so my dad told me) check the wheel arches for rust, that's where they normally go first. Just take a look at the engine while it is running as well to see if it is reasonably clean and sounds OK.
You still have rights if the car ceases to work after a reasonable period because he has to sell you something that is fit for purpose, in this case a car that is reliableand gets you from a to b lol!
Good Luck. The vast majority of my cars have been well under £1,000 and I run them into the ground lol!
Becky

Thanks for that Becky, I wanted him to think that I know what I'm looking for so that has definately given me a couple of tips.

Before I moved up here mine were always little bangers but, because Dad was no longer local to bail me out of trouble when they went wrong, I took out a loan for my first nice car.

I just pay the RAC to sort it lol!
Becky

If you haven't done so, buy a copy of Parker's Used Car Guide (a couple of quid in WHSmith) and look up the exact make, model and date of the car - it'll tell you what's a reasonable price for it and also give pointers on what kind of things go wrong with that car.

Ask to see the service history, and be wary of big gaps in it, especially recent ones. If, for example, Parker's says it should have a cam belt change after X miles, see that it's had it done, or at least be aware of how much it might cost you to get done yourself.

If you're not confident about looking it over yourself, then drag someone with more experience along, or at least get someone to show you round an engine before you go.

Sorry I can't help more, I don't even drive myself

Thanks for that, I'm in town today so I'll have a look for the guide. I thought I'd also do a search on the focus, there must be a poll somewhere and some research info on the car

Check this link out from Auto Express

As for the parkers used price guide why buy it when you can just look for your model and get the prices and write them down.

Auto Express Report

ok, i have a focus, but there is not much more i can offer, bh i would try and take a bloke even if they know nothing about cars, it may stop him from conning you into a higher price etc...

INSIST when yuou take it on getting ROAD tax and FULL tank of fuel!!!! as well as thing like inside mats etc...

Dont be afraid to walk away, he sounds like he needs you more than you need him!

Just be aware that the Drivers side headlights are Very difficult to change if they blow!

Alex
xx

Take someone who knows what they're talking about with you, or pay the RAC, someone you trust. When I was looking for a new car (new to me) I saw a lovely looking estate parked up with 'for sale' to me it looked very nice and within my price range, my friends hubby is a machanic and said he would come with me, well it frightened me what he found, the engine size badge said 1.8, yet it was advertized as 1.6, half the trim was for the delux version and the front half for the basic, and the silver type trim on the roof stopped half way then turned black, the front half had been resprayed, badly, brand new number plates, there was loads of other things he pointed out, and he hadn't even looked at the engine yet, needless to say his advice was dont touch it with a barge pole, it was soo obviously a cut n shut car,but no to me untill these things had been pointed out, it still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, that car could have killed me, I must point out this was a private sale/dealer, not a garage, just pointing out be carefull, pay if you have too for expert advise, and good luck, hope you get the car your after.
Christine

Get an HPI check done on it to make sure that it is not an accident repair and that there is no outstanding finance left on it.

Also get either the AA or RAC to do a full inspection on the vehicle. It only cost £165 if your a member and covers vehicle's body, paintwork, interior, visible mechanical and electrical components and equipment. Includes a longer road test, multi-page written report and verbal report.

Believe me it is worth it's weight in gold.