In one sense, buying a second hand car with finance is not only the norm but also the only way to do it, unless you have a nice wad of cash stashed away somewhere!

Of course, you could go into your local dealers and try to buy a car with the vegetable produce out of your garden or by swapping some of your spare clothes for it. Good luck if you succeed! Sadly though, car salespeople are notoriously unimaginative and may tediously insist on you paying for the vehicle with something they recognise as finance – i.e. money.

This isn’t just an attempt to get a cheap laugh by playing with words and there is a key message here. You can only buy a car (usually!) by doing something that involves putting money into the seller’s bank account. They won’t care two hoots where it came from, but you may need to unless you’re fond of wasting piles of your cash.

That’s because, wherever that money comes from, it is ‘finance’. If you pay by cash, you’re financing the purchase yourself. This involves cost to you because the money spent on the car could be put to other uses and possibly in turn generate income for you, even if only in account interest.

If you borrow the money from someone else (and excluding the relatively small number of cases where people have a rich relation who will lend money for nothing), then you’re going to have to pay for that loan.

The cost of that borrowing is usually called ‘the interest’ although you may also face some administration and servicing charges as well.

The good news is that you may not be reduced to begging from relatives you haven’t seen for the past 10 years because there are many institutions around that may be prepared to offer you a loan – in other words help with buying a second hand car with finance. These may include people such as the dealerships, car manufacturers, banks and finance companies etc. You may also be able to use plastic if your credit limit is high enough.

The less than good news is that the cost of this borrowing and the ease of obtaining it, can both vary hugely. There are a large number of factors that can affect this and they’re far too numerous to outline here, but your cost of borrowing could be far higher than necessary if you choose the wrong loan.

So a key question is “how does one find the best deals”?

Well, it may be a simple question but there’s no simple answer. It all depends upon those factors mentioned above and every case is different. Looking at a specific car purchase requirement, the individual’s position and what the best options are in the market, is not easy.

That’s why it may be advisable to consult the specialists and seek expert advice.

There are specialist car finance websites that have a wide variety of advice, guidance and information. They can often identify where the best deals are to fit your particular circumstances.

So if you’re reluctantly resigned to buying a second hand car with finance as opposed to barter or just your winning smile, checking out the specialist sites for deals and help may not be a bad idea.