The joys of buying a used car.....

The joys of buying a used car.....

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Rushjob

Original Poster:

1,889 posts

260 months

Saturday 24th September 2022
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Trying to acquire a replacement car for Mrs RJ after hers died spectacularly....
I'm having problems trying to find something that fit the bill for her needs and budget but was really struggling to find something within 100km of us, even 200km everything is on the outer edge of the search are..
Yesterday I went with a mate to help him collect a new car and got chatting to one of the sales guys.
Apparently, since the storms we had in June with the orange sized hailstones, decent condition used cars under 10k€ in our area have become a bit of a unicorn thing and supply is lacking, their forecourt was more gaps than cars if you get my meaning.
Add to that the lack of interest apparent from some private sellers and it's getting to be a pain....
Going to have a look at one this afternoon but it seems to take everyone 2 days to respond to a call / sms / email - WHY????
I swapped my bike a few months ago and the response from sellers for bikes was pretty much within an hour every time so why are cars sellers so different?
OK, rant over!

Rushjob

Original Poster:

1,889 posts

260 months

Saturday 24th September 2022
quotequote all
Just got back from looking at one supposedly being sold by the original owner from new.
Every panel scratched and or dented, and he's a back street trader who bought it 3 months ago, then took it to Morocco on holiday and now wants to sell it as his own one owner from new car with no guarantee but at dealer prices.....
Back to the internet!

Rushjob

Original Poster:

1,889 posts

260 months

Wednesday 28th September 2022
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So we finally got there. After looking at another 3 we are now the happy owners of a BMW X3 3.0D which Mrs RJ is very happy with ( It's quick off the mark says she biggrin ) Exterior isn't brilliant, but better than most, interior is very clean which is amazing, not a crisp or fag burn anywhere!

Rushjob

Original Poster:

1,889 posts

260 months

Thursday 29th September 2022
quotequote all
Mike-tf3n0 said:
Not sure if your X3 will have them but just check under the inlet manifold to see if you have the servo operated swirl flaps. If so then I suggest you get them removed as they have a reputation for breaking off and being ingested with expensive results. it's an easy job and doesn't affect the way the car drives or the emissions for MOT. They My E39 530d had them and I removed them more than 60k miles ago and it has made no difference at all. If you want more info on this feel free to pm me.
Thanks for that Mike, yes it has them at the mo, I have a kit en route to remove them and it's getting a going over including full oil change for the engine gearbox and transfer case so we are starting from a known time and mileage position.