Why is it so difficult buying a 2nd hand car!
15 July 2010, 02:11 PM
#1
Why is it so difficult buying a 2nd hand car!
I have been looking to buy my wife a 2001 Audi, been to see 3 cars now and driven a total of near 400 miles!
Its idiots who advertise like this one:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/2?logcode=p
Went to see the car only to find:
Car has no service history, been fully resprayed boot would not shut unless you slam it shut...clocked back interior was worn beyond belief.
Why do idiots just like to waste peoples time? and the funny this is other idiot will come along one day an actually buy the car..
Its idiots who advertise like this one:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/2?logcode=p
Went to see the car only to find:
Car has no service history, been fully resprayed boot would not shut unless you slam it shut...clocked back interior was worn beyond belief.
Why do idiots just like to waste peoples time? and the funny this is other idiot will come along one day an actually buy the car..
Last edited by SamUK; 15 July 2010 at 02:13 PM.
15 July 2010, 02:19 PM
#3
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Get Trading Standards involved in that advert .... it states full audi service history and immaculate condition!
Whenever I have bought secondhand I never travel anymore .... so many times I have been disappointed - once a bloke refused to come out of his bathroom as I had clocked the car before I knocked ... and nearly ripped the door off its hinges!! The car in question was described by him as mint - I asked him to be honest before I travelled and he repeated it
Needless to say it was a dog .. even from a distance of 50 yards!! 
Whenever I have bought secondhand I never travel anymore .... so many times I have been disappointed - once a bloke refused to come out of his bathroom as I had clocked the car before I knocked ... and nearly ripped the door off its hinges!! The car in question was described by him as mint - I asked him to be honest before I travelled and he repeated it
Needless to say it was a dog .. even from a distance of 50 yards!!
Last edited by pslewis; 15 July 2010 at 02:20 PM.
15 July 2010, 02:24 PM
#4
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Thing about autotrader is that most of the cars for sale are trade. very few are private sales anymore. Where do these people advertise their cars now? forums like this I presume.
15 July 2010, 04:41 PM
#5
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Did something similar. Bruv had seen a car (Clio) in Brum that he liked for his daughter (just turned 17). Was told it had lots of history, lots of MOTs, drove well, etc etc. Turns up and the guy is nearly an hour late (probably trying to start the car!), the test drive reveals a big misfire (he insisted it wasn't a misfire!!
), the only MOT was one he had just had done and the service history was for another car (service book had another car's scratched out VIN number in it ...). When this was pointed out to him he said 'well, we get lots of part exchanges and we can't check out all the ittle details ....'. Needless to say we didn't buy but, as you said, some eediot will come along and buy it.Dave
15 July 2010, 08:37 PM
#6
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When i was looking for a replacement to the Soot burner, i was looking for
a high spec rover 75 tdi (BMW engine
)
in one day i drove to Oxford to look at one, it was a dog, looked like it had
been dragged across a field on flat tyres!!!. Mind you the state of the
forecourt should have given the game away!!
There was evidence of broken glass everywhere, (from car windows)!
FFS they even had a car on its brake discs!!!! they were trying to flog, as
though it was perfectly normal.
I left there to drive to Peterborough, to look at another, i phoned the bloke
to confirm it wasn't a dog/ shed.
Mint i was advised, full service history etc..
yea right
it had a flat tyre when i got there, and when i started it up,
the dash warning system advised that a service was due, and that the
front brake pads were worn and needed replacing
a waste of a whole day!!!!
I had one that had been clocked, i got its mot history and found that it
had 2 totaly differing milages from the same garage for a mot & retest.
So why do they do it, they dont have the best customer perception in the
world, or are they totaly oblivious to whats going on?
Mart
a high spec rover 75 tdi (BMW engine
)in one day i drove to Oxford to look at one, it was a dog, looked like it had
been dragged across a field on flat tyres!!!. Mind you the state of the
forecourt should have given the game away!!
There was evidence of broken glass everywhere, (from car windows)!
FFS they even had a car on its brake discs!!!! they were trying to flog, as
though it was perfectly normal.
I left there to drive to Peterborough, to look at another, i phoned the bloke
to confirm it wasn't a dog/ shed.
Mint i was advised, full service history etc..
yea right
it had a flat tyre when i got there, and when i started it up, the dash warning system advised that a service was due, and that the
front brake pads were worn and needed replacing
a waste of a whole day!!!!
I had one that had been clocked, i got its mot history and found that it
had 2 totaly differing milages from the same garage for a mot & retest.
So why do they do it, they dont have the best customer perception in the
world, or are they totaly oblivious to whats going on?
Mart
16 July 2010, 12:13 PM
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I think selling anything nice is worse.
When selling my Scooby a few years ago, I got stupid phone calls and emails. Ghost buyers arranging viewing then not turning up and not ringing to say they wouldn't show.
But that was nothing compared to when my old man tried selling his RS4. Put him off selling privately ever again.
When selling my Scooby a few years ago, I got stupid phone calls and emails. Ghost buyers arranging viewing then not turning up and not ringing to say they wouldn't show.
But that was nothing compared to when my old man tried selling his RS4. Put him off selling privately ever again.
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16 July 2010, 03:12 PM
#9
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I must have been lucky. I have only once bought a new car, when I could get one tax and duty free in Germany.
I have lost count of the others I have bought but they have all been acceptable good cars.
Les
I have lost count of the others I have bought but they have all been acceptable good cars.
Les
16 July 2010, 04:07 PM
#10
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I've not had too much trouble with buyers, thankfully - but then again I don't generally sell crap. Last time I sold a scooby I had a couple of stupid offers by email, and a guy turned up and dithered for hours after driving the car and going through the paperwork with a fine comb - but that's about it.
Sellers? Different story entirely. Whenever I try to buy a used car I discover that the world is still populated largely by lying, dishonest imbeciles who seem to either be blissfully unaware of how knackered their cars are, or think I'm a total moron. (Yes, you with the WRX with knackered a/c and the side skirts that "just fall off, they all do that" - I'm talking to you!!)
SamUK, you're not alone! Have a read...
Sellers? Different story entirely. Whenever I try to buy a used car I discover that the world is still populated largely by lying, dishonest imbeciles who seem to either be blissfully unaware of how knackered their cars are, or think I'm a total moron. (Yes, you with the WRX with knackered a/c and the side skirts that "just fall off, they all do that" - I'm talking to you!!)
SamUK, you're not alone! Have a read...
19 July 2010, 04:18 PM
#11
Well, one last try..i had actually given up..you can usually tell some are a waste of time from the way they speak..
i called a guy selling an audi at the top end of my budget £3k..cars got leather, Xenons, full audi service history, but no previous MOTS (makes you think). Is this really bad?)
Claims the car is mint, the interior does not show any wear (or much) has 80k on the clock.
He has taken to the car to a specialist and has bills for £1500 for work carried out to the car, including new engine mounts, cam adjusters, oil seals and oild pickup pipe..
Sounds promising guy sounded like a mature seller and wants to sell as he wants an automatic....So going to ride up to the other side of London to view this evening.
Fingers crossed.
i called a guy selling an audi at the top end of my budget £3k..cars got leather, Xenons, full audi service history, but no previous MOTS (makes you think). Is this really bad?)
Claims the car is mint, the interior does not show any wear (or much) has 80k on the clock.
He has taken to the car to a specialist and has bills for £1500 for work carried out to the car, including new engine mounts, cam adjusters, oil seals and oild pickup pipe..
Sounds promising guy sounded like a mature seller and wants to sell as he wants an automatic....So going to ride up to the other side of London to view this evening.
Fingers crossed.
Last edited by SamUK; 19 July 2010 at 04:19 PM.
19 July 2010, 06:52 PM
#12
Scooby Regular
Good Luck ... but no old MOT's is always a warning sign ... I simply wouldn't travel unless the car checked out in every area I think is important - ie. all old MOT's, Full History (whatever that history is), few owners .. I also expect a dent or two if older than a few years old .. I expect to give it a good T Cut and polish.
I'm very suspicious of a highly polished turd ..........
I'm very suspicious of a highly polished turd ..........
19 July 2010, 09:52 PM
#13
Just my 2p worth
Had an accident in our old trusty workhorse last year, wrote it off, needed a car asap which was estate with roofbars (long story) did a search in autotrader for my exact needs and this Alfa 156 estate came up and always wanted an Alfa but scared off by reliability
found a 52 Alfa estate, black leather, think 7 owners, did say full history and new engine
wasnt full history and just said new engine in service book
anyway, bought it
from day one I didnt like it, mainly because it was 1st car for 15 years that didnt have a turbo and felt sooooo slow (even compared to diesels)
but, had it 12 months and its grown on me a lot esp in last couple of months
never gone wrong except for thermostat
If there is anything wrong with my cars i wont sell em, if I have it sorted Iget my monies worth then sell later
Had an accident in our old trusty workhorse last year, wrote it off, needed a car asap which was estate with roofbars (long story) did a search in autotrader for my exact needs and this Alfa 156 estate came up and always wanted an Alfa but scared off by reliability
found a 52 Alfa estate, black leather, think 7 owners, did say full history and new engine
wasnt full history and just said new engine in service book
anyway, bought it
from day one I didnt like it, mainly because it was 1st car for 15 years that didnt have a turbo and felt sooooo slow (even compared to diesels)
but, had it 12 months and its grown on me a lot esp in last couple of months
never gone wrong except for thermostat
If there is anything wrong with my cars i wont sell em, if I have it sorted Iget my monies worth then sell later
Last edited by LeeMac; 19 July 2010 at 09:54 PM.
19 July 2010, 11:47 PM
#14
Well..
The car was in great condition, not a single scratch or dent. There were two stone chips on the windscreen.
No signs of any resprays, new Tyres and not a single mark on the 17" alloys.
Leather was in great condition, engine quite as a bee.
The milleage was questionable as the buttons of the stero were worn, also the steering wheel looked worn. but from previous cars I found that mainly with women drivers hand cream causes the this..as the drive was smooth and car drove great did not think too much of it.
Anyway! The drive home:
Filled up from a local petrol station, got on the motorway an hey on comes te CEL!
The car had been stood still for a while, so I was thinking maybe this is the cause whilst swearing at the seller! The test drive was fine!
I have a local mechinic who is comming around to plug his laptop into the ecu to check the erro codes..also service the car..
Will post up when I know what the problem is.
I still gotthe guys personal number plate o the car which he want back..so if there is a huge cost with repairing I will go give the car back!
The car was in great condition, not a single scratch or dent. There were two stone chips on the windscreen.
No signs of any resprays, new Tyres and not a single mark on the 17" alloys.
Leather was in great condition, engine quite as a bee.
The milleage was questionable as the buttons of the stero were worn, also the steering wheel looked worn. but from previous cars I found that mainly with women drivers hand cream causes the this..as the drive was smooth and car drove great did not think too much of it.
Anyway! The drive home:
Filled up from a local petrol station, got on the motorway an hey on comes te CEL!
The car had been stood still for a while, so I was thinking maybe this is the cause whilst swearing at the seller! The test drive was fine!
I have a local mechinic who is comming around to plug his laptop into the ecu to check the erro codes..also service the car..
Will post up when I know what the problem is.
I still gotthe guys personal number plate o the car which he want back..so if there is a huge cost with repairing I will go give the car back!
Last edited by SamUK; 20 July 2010 at 12:03 AM.
20 July 2010, 12:07 AM
#15
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Don't worry about the MOTs, just check the history here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...ot/DG_10020539
20 July 2010, 10:30 AM
#16
Don't worry about the MOTs, just check the history here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...ot/DG_10020539
this is the car is bought..
http://pistonheads.com/sales/1876397.htm
will get the wife to get me the details to check the history
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