Best family car for under �7000?

[want2findout]

Looking for a decent sized family car for under �7000. Approx 2 years old. Any suggestions?
Thanks

[Loosehead]

I would go to a BCA and buy from hall A, for 7k you should get something very very smart. that's where dealers buy their stock to sell on so you get a lot for your money. You can also search on line for what's comming up:
http://www.british-car-auctions.co.uk/Default. aspx?page=3572

[Panic Button]

I went to car auctions a couple of times and it scared the crap out of me. All these dealers in sheepskin, thumbing through Glass's guide, and probably on first name terms with the auctioneer.

Us amateurs stand out a mile. Apparently the dealers sometimes have fun bumping the price up if you bid, or the auctioneer takes imaginary bids against you.

Also dealers expect to buy a pup occasionally, but make enough profit on others to cover their loss. However if you buy trhe lemon you are stuck.

I woulds go to somewher like Trade Sales of Slough or Motorpoint, where the prices are pretty keen, and get a Focus or Astra.

You can even use Tesco clubcard vouchers at Motorpoint now.

[Loosehead]

It may be like that at some minor out of town auction run by Arthur Daley but generally panic, that's b0llo0cks. I've bought many cars over the last 20 years at BCA blackbushe and whilst there are dealers it's not the archetypal sheepskin brigade you describe.

If you buy a car from a dealer they would probably have bought it at auction, if it turns out to be a pup then you'll have the same problem getting the dealer to change it.

In Hall A at BCA you have the option to reject the car within 24 hours, plenty of time and in any case they are generally under 50k miles and 2 years old and the seller don't want them back if they are duff, it's nothing like your local flea pit auction. Just go and watch a couple of times, get the catalogue and mark the prices.