It’s not an easy task to find your dream car, especially if it’s an older classic. There are so many ways to find and purchase cars; whether you’re looking for a reliable first car for yourself or a family member, a project car to work on on the side, or the car you’ve been looking for ever since you got on your L’s.
In the quest for a new car, there are many things that can go wrong. Sometimes, however, knowing where to look can be the solution. That’s why we’re here to help!
Gumtree
Gumtree has a very low barrier of entry for listing your car on their site, which can lead to more people listing their cars, but a generally lower average quality of listings. Gumtree can absolutely have some hidden gems, but it also has a lot of people fishing to achieve an unrealistic price. Regardless, there are still a good number of decent listings on this site.
You can also post a “Wanting To Buy” ad on Gumtree instead; however, you’ll often find people responding with unrealistic prices. Still definitely worth giving a try, just beware. It helps to learn a little about negotiating before you dive right in.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a great example of an easy-to-use market for used cars, but often you’ll run into the same issues as with Gumtree or other free sites. One major positive it has going for it, is that Facebook Marketplace has overtaken sites like Gumtree, eBay, Carsales etc as the most popular site to buy cars. This, combined with the low barrier of entry, means you’ve got a huge range of cars to choose from. However, it can be very hit or miss.
Another option through Facebook, is going through car groups on Facebook. Facebook has a large variety of car enthusiast groups on their site, so you might find your dream car through there!
Carsales
Carsales is normally known as the gold standard for online car shopping, but it has fallen off recently due to its competitors, such as Facebook and Gumtree. However, it’s still one of the better sites to choose from, as the search function is very in-depth and you’re more likely to find cars of better quality – but higher price.
Carsales has a higher barrier of entry, as it costs money to list your car on their site. This can be both a positive and a negative – higher prices and a smaller range to pick from, but better quality and more honesty from the sellers. You should still always see the car yourself before committing to purchasing, but generally the quality of car through Carsales is better.
eBay
One big thing eBay has going for it, is it has more project cars and parts than sites like Carsales. A lot less full, roadworthy cars – but there’s still some there! Often the full cars are sold through dealers with eBay stores, individual sellers often go through Facebook or Carsales. Another benefit eBay has, is there’s a lot of old barn finds and country cars listed with no reserve, and you’ll often be able to find a bargain. Just beware of what you’re really getting!
Car Magazines
Car Magazines such as Auto Trader, Just Cars/Just Parts, Street Machine will often have advertisements for cars throughout the magazines, from barn finds to fully restored and modified beauts. Car mags are great for finding that REALLY special car, so it’s worth browsing through the classifieds for some unique and limited-edition cars that pop up from time to time. There’s also a chance that the people you get in-touch with through these magazines will have more of these kinds of cars floating about – so if you’re interested in an XD Falcon, the seller might have a garage full of different Falcons from the 70s and 80s.
Word of Mouth
Jon’s personal favourite method is through word of mouth. The two main ways of going about this, is either talking to friends (or friends of friends) from the car communities you’re already a part of, or finding people in your travels. Often if you travel a lot for work, or just like cruising around country towns, you’ll run into people on the street, in cafes, etc. Just have a chat with people you meet, ask about the local car enthusiasts, and you might just find that hidden gem sitting in someone’s garage. It’s definitely worth talking to people around the towns you visit, just to see what you might eventually find.
Car Dealers
Finally, there’s car dealers. Dealers are a great way to find more reliable, consistent cars. Less project cars for cheap, but you’ll find something that works. Unfortunately, as dealers exist to make money, these cars might be a bit more expensive than you might like. But you’ll likely find higher-end, higher-quality cars for sale that’ll run with no mucking around. Plus, you’ll usually have a warranty and at the very least, you’ll know who to go back to if you have issues. Just keep your wits about yourself! Dealers can still pull a sneaky one on you!