Car buying advice

chico

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Looking at buying a second hand car. Seen one I liked low mileage etc, but it's had three owners in three years. Is this a warning sign, makes me nervous for some reason.
 

Hobbit

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Courtesy of the pandemic, and travel restrictions, I’d expect the vast majority of 3 year old cars to have relatively low mileage.

3 owners? First owner might have been a main dealer registering it to keep their sales figures up. Give it a good test drive, and if it drives well… why not. Equally, if you’re wary walk away.
 

AliMc

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Got to say, depending what car you’re after, there is not plenty from my own recent experience.
And prices seem to be creeping up steadily too, I bought my xc60 when it was about 6 years old with 3 previous owners and have had no issues at all, has done 120k miles now and runs great, as previously mentioned first owner was dealer and then 2 more at roughly 2 year intervals so I reckoned it was just folk who like to change cars regularly
 

Lord Tyrion

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2nd hand car prices are certainly increasing but don't let that cloud your mind. Better to have no car than have a car with problems. If it doesn't feel right then walk away.
 

chico

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Thanks for the advice, going to have a look today if first reg keeper was dealer that would make sense. Its a Peugeot 308sw and seems to be cheap in comparison to others around same year and mileage.
 

BrianM

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And prices seem to be creeping up steadily too, I bought my xc60 when it was about 6 years old with 3 previous owners and have had no issues at all, has done 120k miles now and runs great, as previously mentioned first owner was dealer and then 2 more at roughly 2 year intervals so I reckoned it was just folk who like to change cars regularly

I still had to compromise on colour as well.
A lot of people like to change their cars every 3 years as that’s when most warranty’s run out.
They can’t be bothered with the hassle if something goes wrong.
 

BrianM

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Thanks for the advice, going to have a look today if first reg keeper was dealer that would make sense. Its a Peugeot 308sw and seems to be cheap in comparison to others around same year and mileage.

Your instinct will probably tell you straight away.
 

GreiginFife

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Bear in mind the impact of the pandemic as well. It could be that owners got rid because the didn't need a car during the lockdowns, or they couldn't afford it.

Equally it could be that the value and demand of the car reached a point where it just made sense to sell/trade it in.

I've just done the same recently, and event though I love my car, the increased equity in it made it sensible to trade it in. It will be just shy of two years old at the point of exchange. So there's many reasons these days for possibly shifting cars quickly and early in ownership.
 

BiMGuy

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Thanks for the advice, going to have a look today if first reg keeper was dealer that would make sense. Its a Peugeot 308sw and seems to be cheap in comparison to others around same year and mileage.
I'd be more worried about it being a Peugeot than the number of owners ?.

With car buying. If there is any doubt. There is no doubt. Walk away and find something else. But buying second hand, you have to compromise somewhere.
 

GreiginFife

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Yeah, I see what you mean...
View attachment 38511

Not sure if that’s meant to prove or disprove the quoted statement.

Looks like lazy design to me. Appears to be based on a previous gen 1 series 135i. Bit like the 2008 seriously “borrowing” looks from the Evoque.

I get that you do or have worked for them so have love for them. But not the most aesthetically gifted of cars and haven’t ever really been since the GTi models of old.
 

Smiffy

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I get that you do or have worked for them so have love for them

I don't have love for them, but in the four years I have been selling them I've realised what a good range of cars Peugeot now have.
I'd have never considered selling them 10 years ago, but the design of the newer stuff together with their reliability has made me look at them in a totally different light.
 
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