braveheart said:
Thanks buddy I'm thinking of travelling down to Yorkshire/Manchester for the day and looking at about 5 cars and see if I can drive a few, then make a decision and drive back.
Anybody have views on private sellers or should I stick to garages with warranty etc ??.
Good luck with that Braveheart...
I'm in Yorkshire and selling my car but I'm not pushing it on you but instead giving my opinion on traders and private....
I bought an R only in March from a main dealer ( VW ) the service on the surface looked good, but they gave no warranty, cut corners on sorting out issues I had highlighted and tried all the cons beforehand to get me to buy.. ( we've a guy waiting on the phone gonna pay cash if you don't buy it - type of thing ) also they told me that I had to high standards when I was criticising the car for condition. So I told him to park it next to my seven year old z and see who's was the better - he didn't say much after that only to say I looked after my car better than most people... TWAT.
BUT I have just bought another and that's why I'm selling one, and the dealer who I bought this one from was pretty good - though he did try the guy on the phone bit too.
Anyway if you can get a good deal from a trader go for it, but they make you pay for all the extras like warranty, gap, coverguard etc, all of which you can buy on a private sale. They tried to sell me coverguard and said it last the lifetime of the car, I looked through the paperwork and said hey it's had that treatment from day one, "Yes but this is better it's newer" was his answer.
Private, gotta ask yourself - why are they selling? do you trust them - first impressions count though this is a hard one. Does the car look like it has been looked after - easy, if it has then it is probably a genuine sale and not selling cos the car has an inherent fault.
Has the car been regularly serviced, is there records, where were they done - main dealer or back street mechanic.
Check what you can and know about the faults these cars have ie. jacking points, timing chains, mirrors etc.
Take it for a test drive and give it some beans where possible, try to get it upto heat - on this if you go to see a car and it's already hot, that could indicate it has a fault with starting or some other fault when the engines cold. Try to slip clutch in 2nd gear, if it pulls away nicely - clutch ok, if it slips - clutch warn. Bounce the car, does it pogo all over or bounce for more than say three times - indicator of worn suspension.
If all the above is good and you get a good price - I think 9 / 10 you get a decent motor. I tend to take the hit if there is a problem that I didn't find, check the heating / ac / hot / cold air / these are sometimes over looked but can be costly to fix. Don't be afraid to ask if you can check the diagnostic port ( OBD Port ) for fault codes - if the sales genuine then they shouldn't have a problem - if they do, they maybe hiding something. Take a volt metre to test alternator - you can do this via the cigarette socket and the plug in device are only a couple of quid, this will test battery and charge going in...
Another thing - do they know the car? chuck a couple of facts you know to be genuine but get them wrong on purpose - if they agree with you they may not know about the car and could have just bought it cheap somewhere and trying to make a quick buck - stay clear of these.
Does the area look rough / the garage in poor state - not an indicator of a poor car but might show lack of care to provide a car that is fully roadworthy without having corners cut to get there.
One
BIG thing.... do not let your head rule your heart, be prepared to walk away -there are plenty for sale and you should be able to bag a decent one without to much trouble...
There - my two pence worth, well actually I think you got three pence worth really !!!! :dance:
Good luck with your search...
:beer:
