Buyer Guide

In times past you were lucky to be given a test drive, and when you were it was usually a quick lap of the block.But that was back when it was a seller's market and there wasn't much choice anyway. It's a very different market today when buyers have the upper hand, and there's a wide choice of cars to buy.It's important to do everything you can to ensure the car you buy is the one for you and test-driving it before you buy it is one of the things you can do.Insist on a test drive, and don't settle for a lap around the block as that will tell you virtually nothing about the car and whether it suits you or not.You need to have the test car for an extended periodThe best way to do that is to drive it in the environment that you would normally drive it in, that is around your neighbourhood, to and from work, to the kids' schools or sporting venues.To do that you need to have the test car for an extended period of a few days to put it through its paces on your patch. Any dealer keen on sealing a deal will agree to lend you a car for at least a day or two, try for more if you're feeling lucky.When you get it take the time to adjust the driver's seat to your position, and don't stop there, get all the drivers in the family to do the same thing.Check the mirrors. Make sure they can be adjusted to give you a clear view. Many owners detest the curved mirrors carmakers fit to cars today, if you don't like them you have the time to negotiate with the dealer to replace them with flat glass.Drive the car around local streets, and around roundabouts, where visibility issues really come to the fore. One owner recently told us here at CarsGuide that they would not have bought the car they did had they been aware of the visibility issues caused by the thick windscreen pillars.Living with the car, even for a day or two, allows to properly evaluate the controls, where are they located and how they fall to hand, the sort of things that will have to become second nature once you own the car and drive it daily.If you do a lot of highway driving, check out its performance on the freeway you normally use. If you live in hilly country it's good to know that it will handle the hills with ease.You should be able to identify anything you don't like, or couldn't live with, before you buy itWhile you are driving it you can monitor the fuel consumption on the trip computer to get an indication of what its fuel usage will be in the real life conditions that you will use it in.If you've got kids check out the installation of safety seats, are they easy to get in and out of the car.Fill the boot with what you would normally want to carry in it to make sure it will fit and you won't find yourself having to leave gear behind.By putting the car through its paces in the way you will use it you should be able to identify anything you don't like, or couldn't live with, before you buy it.

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Going out and buying a new car seems like an exciting thing to do on the face of it, but what do you do with your current car? When is the right time to move on to a new set of wheels, and how do you know you will get a fair trade-in price from the dealer? When should you sell your car?The first thing you need to do is sit down and work out if you need a new car. There are always costs involved with changing cars, so once you’ve found a car you like the look of go out and get a quote on service and insure charges as these can be expensive traps that will knock you for six later on.Next thing you should do is research how much you would be able to sell your car for privately, compared to trading it in at a dealership or car yard. Selling privately means you will have to clean the car, take photos, upload them and pay for ads, then show the car to prospective buyers, haggle over price, then negotiate for the buyer to pick the car up. However, you do often get a higher price selling privately compared to trading in a car at a dealer, as the dealer will negotiate a price less than market value so they can maximise their margin. Also think about when you should sell your car as convertibles don’t sell well in winter, but spring is the perfect time, so think about when you should sell a car.The first step to trading in a car is to prepare. Know the approximate market price of your particular car, and if you’re not sure you should think about getting a valuation done. The number of kilometres, service history, cleanliness and general condition of the car will have more of an effect on the trade-in price than options or modifications. The beauty of trading in a car is you go to the dealership, pick the car you’d like to buy and then get the salesperson to do a trade-in appraisal on your existing car. This is a rough price they will offer you, and I would never accept the first number they give you. It is a negotiation, and if they really want the sale they will come back to you with a lower price on the new car, free servicing or options, or a better trade-in price. Best time to sell a car?If you can wait until near the end of the financial year, or calendar year, you can negotiate much harder with the dealer as they have huge incentives to move demo vehicles or last year’s build models on. Don’t be scared of walking out if you don’t feel like they have listened to you, and make sure you ring around other dealers to see what demos or stock they have.You can look up dealers all over the country using the phone in your pocket so don’t be scared to walk out and find a dealer who is prepared to work with you!

After buying our house, a car - new or used - is the most significant spend of our lives. So it is a purchase we need to approach with caution and as much information as possible. Most people would prefer to park a new car in the driveway but, for many reasons, it is not always possible and so we have to, or

I want to buy used, but I'm confused about which is best for me. I have three options, being a 2016 Peugeot 308 with 55,000 km at $9500, a 2014 VW Jetta with 134,000 km at $7500, and a 2010 Toyota or Hyundai with more than 125,000 km at $9000-plus.

I currently drive a 2010 Volvo XC70 and hubby drives a 1989 Ford XF ute that has been rebuilt and is in fantastic condition. With one daughter heavily involved in equestrian sports we currently tow the horse float with a borrowed 2003 Falcon station wagon that my father owns. I can't tow behind the XF ute as it does not have power steering and is just too heavy. The Volvo is an amazing car but very expensive to service so we are thinking of selling it. We need a reliable tow vehicle that has a around a 2.5 tonne tow capacity and five seats. A friend has suggested we look at a GQ Nissan Patrol and said his towed like a dream. What do you think, what else should we consider? If we sell the Volvo budget will be max $10,000.

 

I'm looking to buy a small/medium wagon. Need to be able to do some touring and tow a small box trailer or camper (under 1200 kg). I like the Hyundai i30 diesel wagon. Budget is up to $16,000.

 

Just wondering how much I should pay for a Holden Commodore SV6 Series 2 2017 model with only 10,000 km on the clock and in excellent condition?