Thinking of getting 106 GTi. Final Tips & Advice?
Discussion
He called me back eventually. Going to view the car tomorrow.
It's been serviced roughly like this: 12k 24k 52k 80k 98k 110k 119k
So there are gaps. It's not FSH as advertised. Lol. After what's been suggested here though, at least it has a service history. No modifications, he claims, but then that wouldn't be the first piece of misinformation now would it? I'll be mad if I get there and it's got a boombox exhaust.
The cambelt was changed in 2007 at 90k miles.
I think he said it's got near enough 130k miles atm.
It's been serviced roughly like this: 12k 24k 52k 80k 98k 110k 119k
So there are gaps. It's not FSH as advertised. Lol. After what's been suggested here though, at least it has a service history. No modifications, he claims, but then that wouldn't be the first piece of misinformation now would it? I'll be mad if I get there and it's got a boombox exhaust.
The cambelt was changed in 2007 at 90k miles.
I think he said it's got near enough 130k miles atm.
Most cars are advertised as having FSH when generally they don't have that...
My trip last December to see a BMW 728i was a bit like this. Photographed in a very flattering way, described by the dealer as having FSH, in great condition and just needing a rubbing strip on one of the doors replaced, a scratch on the rear arch touched in and possibly a new wheel bearing.
After travelling from Newcastle to Preston I found:
1) FSH was rubbish. Gap between something like 118,000 to current mileage at 139,000 or whatever it was. I was told 'get it serviced and you've got FSH!'. Yeah, and I'll use my time machine to sort the rest of the gaps out and magic up some invoices for the work you said was done!
2) Car was cosmetically in a poor condition. The interior was not black, as described, it was Aubergine and it looked hideous. The car was dirty inside too.
3) Various MOT fails present. Both brakelight cases cracked, one of them not working. Water in the headlights. Big, smoking oil leak somewhere deep in the engine, Sat Nav screen was knackered. Front O/S wheel sounded like it was about to come off when driven (not just a slight rumble between 50-60mph as the dealer had said).
4) Car was warmed through when I got there (as I had to call the dealer to send someone to pick me up from the local train station. Must have nipped out then and got the engine going!).
5) On the test drive, I was driven to the local post office. And then told I could tax the vehicle there, if I fancied buying it. It was then I noticed the smoke coming out from under the bonnet, and discovered the oil leak (I'd not been in the bay at that point, hoping the pissing rain would ease off). Told the dealer I didn't want it, only for the cheeky f
ker to refuse to take me back to the train station. The dealership was a 30 minute walk from the station. I ended up getting a taxi home, having wasted about £70 in train fares and missed my work Christmas party.
There was more wrong with the cars and other things that irritated me that I've forgotten now. Suffice to say, you probably won't have as bad a time as me so look on the bright side!
If the seller is a trader and you think he has someone else interested, why not pre-empt him and go round to look at the car? Get there when it's cold, when he hasn't had time to rehearse his lines etc etc. Catch him off guard and you stand a better chance of avoiding the fob off.
Mind you, on a mechanically simple car like this, I wouldn't be too bothered about the service history providing it drives well. It's £900, and will be worth the square root of fk all when you come to sell. Unlike say, the 728i which required expensive, in-depth specialist servicing, and clearly had been skimped on!
My trip last December to see a BMW 728i was a bit like this. Photographed in a very flattering way, described by the dealer as having FSH, in great condition and just needing a rubbing strip on one of the doors replaced, a scratch on the rear arch touched in and possibly a new wheel bearing.
After travelling from Newcastle to Preston I found:
1) FSH was rubbish. Gap between something like 118,000 to current mileage at 139,000 or whatever it was. I was told 'get it serviced and you've got FSH!'. Yeah, and I'll use my time machine to sort the rest of the gaps out and magic up some invoices for the work you said was done!
2) Car was cosmetically in a poor condition. The interior was not black, as described, it was Aubergine and it looked hideous. The car was dirty inside too.
3) Various MOT fails present. Both brakelight cases cracked, one of them not working. Water in the headlights. Big, smoking oil leak somewhere deep in the engine, Sat Nav screen was knackered. Front O/S wheel sounded like it was about to come off when driven (not just a slight rumble between 50-60mph as the dealer had said).
4) Car was warmed through when I got there (as I had to call the dealer to send someone to pick me up from the local train station. Must have nipped out then and got the engine going!).
5) On the test drive, I was driven to the local post office. And then told I could tax the vehicle there, if I fancied buying it. It was then I noticed the smoke coming out from under the bonnet, and discovered the oil leak (I'd not been in the bay at that point, hoping the pissing rain would ease off). Told the dealer I didn't want it, only for the cheeky f
ker to refuse to take me back to the train station. The dealership was a 30 minute walk from the station. I ended up getting a taxi home, having wasted about £70 in train fares and missed my work Christmas party.There was more wrong with the cars and other things that irritated me that I've forgotten now. Suffice to say, you probably won't have as bad a time as me so look on the bright side!
If the seller is a trader and you think he has someone else interested, why not pre-empt him and go round to look at the car? Get there when it's cold, when he hasn't had time to rehearse his lines etc etc. Catch him off guard and you stand a better chance of avoiding the fob off.
Mind you, on a mechanically simple car like this, I wouldn't be too bothered about the service history providing it drives well. It's £900, and will be worth the square root of f
k all when you come to sell. Unlike say, the 728i which required expensive, in-depth specialist servicing, and clearly had been skimped on!rallycross said:
its a £900 banger you are lucky it has any history, its so cheap there must be something wrong with it eg cat C / cat D / rotten / something else not right.
Well thanks for leaving it until now to say something. I did ask a few pages ago if it seemed too good to be true! I've just discovered that a month ago it was for sale for 1k and a week ago it was reduced to 900. I asked the guy if there were scratches, scuffs or dents. He said there is a very small dent on the passenger door but I can't see it from the pic so it can't be a massive deal. It certainly seems strange but if the test drive goes smoothly and there isn't something major like a missing axle or absconded roof then I'm gonna buy it. I'll be angry if it's something huge that he thought I would just overlook.Baryonyx said:
Most cars are advertised as having FSH when generally they don't have that...
My trip last December to see a BMW 728i was a bit like this. Photographed in a very flattering way, described by the dealer as having FSH, in great condition and just needing a rubbing strip on one of the doors replaced, a scratch on the rear arch touched in and possibly a new wheel bearing.
After travelling from Newcastle to Preston I found:
1) FSH was rubbish. Gap between something like 118,000 to current mileage at 139,000 or whatever it was. I was told 'get it serviced and you've got FSH!'. Yeah, and I'll use my time machine to sort the rest of the gaps out and magic up some invoices for the work you said was done!
2) Car was cosmetically in a poor condition. The interior was not black, as described, it was Aubergine and it looked hideous. The car was dirty inside too.
3) Various MOT fails present. Both brakelight cases cracked, one of them not working. Water in the headlights. Big, smoking oil leak somewhere deep in the engine, Sat Nav screen was knackered. Front O/S wheel sounded like it was about to come off when driven (not just a slight rumble between 50-60mph as the dealer had said).
4) Car was warmed through when I got there (as I had to call the dealer to send someone to pick me up from the local train station. Must have nipped out then and got the engine going!).
5) On the test drive, I was driven to the local post office. And then told I could tax the vehicle there, if I fancied buying it. It was then I noticed the smoke coming out from under the bonnet, and discovered the oil leak (I'd not been in the bay at that point, hoping the pissing rain would ease off). Told the dealer I didn't want it, only for the cheeky fker to refuse to take me back to the train station. The dealership was a 30 minute walk from the station. I ended up getting a taxi home, having wasted about £70 in train fares and missed my work Christmas party.
There was more wrong with the cars and other things that irritated me that I've forgotten now. Suffice to say, you probably won't have as bad a time as me so look on the bright side!
If the seller is a trader and you think he has someone else interested, why not pre-empt him and go round to look at the car? Get there when it's cold, when he hasn't had time to rehearse his lines etc etc. Catch him off guard and you stand a better chance of avoiding the fob off.
Mind you, on a mechanically simple car like this, I wouldn't be too bothered about the service history providing it drives well. It's £900, and will be worth the square root of fk all when you come to sell. Unlike say, the 728i which required expensive, in-depth specialist servicing, and clearly had been skimped on!
Entertaining to read now but not so entertaining for you at the time, I'm sure :PMy trip last December to see a BMW 728i was a bit like this. Photographed in a very flattering way, described by the dealer as having FSH, in great condition and just needing a rubbing strip on one of the doors replaced, a scratch on the rear arch touched in and possibly a new wheel bearing.
After travelling from Newcastle to Preston I found:
1) FSH was rubbish. Gap between something like 118,000 to current mileage at 139,000 or whatever it was. I was told 'get it serviced and you've got FSH!'. Yeah, and I'll use my time machine to sort the rest of the gaps out and magic up some invoices for the work you said was done!
2) Car was cosmetically in a poor condition. The interior was not black, as described, it was Aubergine and it looked hideous. The car was dirty inside too.
3) Various MOT fails present. Both brakelight cases cracked, one of them not working. Water in the headlights. Big, smoking oil leak somewhere deep in the engine, Sat Nav screen was knackered. Front O/S wheel sounded like it was about to come off when driven (not just a slight rumble between 50-60mph as the dealer had said).
4) Car was warmed through when I got there (as I had to call the dealer to send someone to pick me up from the local train station. Must have nipped out then and got the engine going!).
5) On the test drive, I was driven to the local post office. And then told I could tax the vehicle there, if I fancied buying it. It was then I noticed the smoke coming out from under the bonnet, and discovered the oil leak (I'd not been in the bay at that point, hoping the pissing rain would ease off). Told the dealer I didn't want it, only for the cheeky f
ker to refuse to take me back to the train station. The dealership was a 30 minute walk from the station. I ended up getting a taxi home, having wasted about £70 in train fares and missed my work Christmas party.There was more wrong with the cars and other things that irritated me that I've forgotten now. Suffice to say, you probably won't have as bad a time as me so look on the bright side!
If the seller is a trader and you think he has someone else interested, why not pre-empt him and go round to look at the car? Get there when it's cold, when he hasn't had time to rehearse his lines etc etc. Catch him off guard and you stand a better chance of avoiding the fob off.
Mind you, on a mechanically simple car like this, I wouldn't be too bothered about the service history providing it drives well. It's £900, and will be worth the square root of f
k all when you come to sell. Unlike say, the 728i which required expensive, in-depth specialist servicing, and clearly had been skimped on!I never had a positive thought for the 7 series until I watched The Transporter lol.
You mention the catching him offguard thing so that the dealer doesn't have time to warm up the engine. Why do dealers do this?
You are being far too anal about a very simple, cheap French hatchback IMO.
Just buy one that you like, at the right price. For £900 I'd allow it a few issues, but that's not to say it'll have any nor is it to say the £2000 "mint" example with all this FSH bks doesn't have a stuffed diff or rear beam.
Buy with your head, and if yours is no good take someone's who is.
Just buy one that you like, at the right price. For £900 I'd allow it a few issues, but that's not to say it'll have any nor is it to say the £2000 "mint" example with all this FSH b
ks doesn't have a stuffed diff or rear beam.Buy with your head, and if yours is no good take someone's who is.
BadBanshee said:
Entertaining to read now but not so entertaining for you at the time, I'm sure :P
I never had a positive thought for the 7 series until I watched The Transporter lol.
You mention the catching him offguard thing so that the dealer doesn't have time to warm up the engine. Why do dealers do this?
Entertaining? I look back and laugh now, but it was a truly miserable day. Especially knowing that I couldn't even just buy the car, take it back to Newcastle and cash it in straight away. It was way overpriced (even at £1500) and probably wouldn't have made the trip home. After seeing the leak, I had visions of it dumping all it's oil on the M6 in the freezing rain of a late December afternoon, and leaving me stranded in the lake District. It was getting on for 14:00 when I viewed the car and I knew that I'd have around two hours to get it from Preston to the relative safety of the A69 before the sun went down. I've been stranded on the A69 in December, in the rain before (wife's car got a flat tyre, couldn't get through the cable ties on the wheel trim to get the wheel off). I wouldn't risk it again!I never had a positive thought for the 7 series until I watched The Transporter lol.
You mention the catching him offguard thing so that the dealer doesn't have time to warm up the engine. Why do dealers do this?
As for dealers warming up the engine, it could be for a number of things but it's a trick they will try (and private sellers, though I tend to find dealers will try and be more devious because they usually have more invested in the car and less scruples to back it up). It could be to mask smoke on start up, which often shows if the car is burning oil in the cylinders, or it could be mixing with water and blowing steam out the back, indicative, most likely, of a faulty head gasket. It could be covering up electrical issues like a car that struggles to start when it's cold. He could have even jumped it into life. These are usually what they're trying to hide as they're obvious.
It could even just be something like they want to warm the oil to thin it, so you don't lift the dipstick and see gunky, brown tar-like oil on the dipstick because it's hasn't had an oil change in ages. Or hide the noises a car may make on cold start up (like my MR2 which had a squeaky alternator belt that only made noise on a cold start.
And once you've driven it and got the engine hot, turn it off and then try and start it up again, to check for hot starting problems. Be thorough.
Kitchski said:
You are being far too anal about a very simple, cheap French hatchback IMO.
Just buy one that you like, at the right price. For £900 I'd allow it a few issues, but that's not to say it'll have any nor is it to say the £2000 "mint" example with all this FSH bks doesn't have a stuffed diff or rear beam.
Buy with your head, and if yours is no good take someone's who is.
£900 is £900. It's my first time buying a car and I'm a young driver. What I'm doing is a risk. It's not like buying a chocolate bar. I want to minimize any possibility of buying this thing and then having to scrap it because it's falling to bits. I can't throw away £900 like that, and if you can then good for you. Especially with it being an old high mileage car I think I need to be extra careful.Just buy one that you like, at the right price. For £900 I'd allow it a few issues, but that's not to say it'll have any nor is it to say the £2000 "mint" example with all this FSH b
ks doesn't have a stuffed diff or rear beam.Buy with your head, and if yours is no good take someone's who is.
Thanks again to everyone for the helpful comments.
Baryonyx said:
Entertaining? I look back and laugh now, but it was a truly miserable day. Especially knowing that I couldn't even just buy the car, take it back to Newcastle and cash it in straight away. It was way overpriced (even at £1500) and probably wouldn't have made the trip home. After seeing the leak, I had visions of it dumping all it's oil on the M6 in the freezing rain of a late December afternoon, and leaving me stranded in the lake District. It was getting on for 14:00 when I viewed the car and I knew that I'd have around two hours to get it from Preston to the relative safety of the A69 before the sun went down. I've been stranded on the A69 in December, in the rain before (wife's car got a flat tyre, couldn't get through the cable ties on the wheel trim to get the wheel off). I wouldn't risk it again!
As for dealers warming up the engine, it could be for a number of things but it's a trick they will try (and private sellers, though I tend to find dealers will try and be more devious because they usually have more invested in the car and less scruples to back it up). It could be to mask smoke on start up, which often shows if the car is burning oil in the cylinders, or it could be mixing with water and blowing steam out the back, indicative, most likely, of a faulty head gasket. It could be covering up electrical issues like a car that struggles to start when it's cold. He could have even jumped it into life. These are usually what they're trying to hide as they're obvious.
It could even just be something like they want to warm the oil to thin it, so you don't lift the dipstick and see gunky, brown tar-like oil on the dipstick because it's hasn't had an oil change in ages. Or hide the noises a car may make on cold start up (like my MR2 which had a squeaky alternator belt that only made noise on a cold start.
And once you've driven it and got the engine hot, turn it off and then try and start it up again, to check for hot starting problems. Be thorough.
I'll write it on my list of things to check when I'm there. Thing is, he asked me to ring him before I set off. Probably innocent but I'll think of something, no worries.As for dealers warming up the engine, it could be for a number of things but it's a trick they will try (and private sellers, though I tend to find dealers will try and be more devious because they usually have more invested in the car and less scruples to back it up). It could be to mask smoke on start up, which often shows if the car is burning oil in the cylinders, or it could be mixing with water and blowing steam out the back, indicative, most likely, of a faulty head gasket. It could be covering up electrical issues like a car that struggles to start when it's cold. He could have even jumped it into life. These are usually what they're trying to hide as they're obvious.
It could even just be something like they want to warm the oil to thin it, so you don't lift the dipstick and see gunky, brown tar-like oil on the dipstick because it's hasn't had an oil change in ages. Or hide the noises a car may make on cold start up (like my MR2 which had a squeaky alternator belt that only made noise on a cold start.
And once you've driven it and got the engine hot, turn it off and then try and start it up again, to check for hot starting problems. Be thorough.
Just seems weird that it's been on sale for a month, at such a cheap price. There are other 106 GTIs out there going for well over 1k, even if they might have slightly lower mileage, I'm sure he could get more money for this car if it's really as good as it's purporting to be.
Edited by BadBanshee on Saturday 8th December 20:44
BadBanshee said:
No modifications, he claims, but then that wouldn't be the first piece of misinformation now would it? I'll be mad if I get there and it's got a boombox exhaust.
Good luck with that, the exhaust, if it's original, will probably be more tape, gum and rust than the original mild steel item, and who in their right mind would spend more on another OEM mild steel item when a superior quality and better sounding stainless steel item costs less?Judging by what I've seen (106s and VTSs seem to popular round my way) you'll probably be looking at a genuine Pugsport exhaust if you are lucky, a cheaper exhaust if you are not, an "induction kit" which is not a real induction kit but just a K&N on the intake pipe, some Ripspeed alloys and suspension so low the tops of the rear wheels are completely hidden under the arches.
I'm starting to think that completely standard 106 GTIs and VTSs only exist in pictures now, and while some parts like the exhaust are worth changing, simply because mild steel exhausts are pretty much a consumable item, the number that have been badly modified is disheartening. A well modified example will be great - though perhaps not for your insurance as a new driver, a barried example will not drive anything like an original car.
Baryonyx said:
As is always the case with hipsters, anything that is horrendously tastless becomes cool, like having greasy hair slicked over one eye, or wearing girls jeans. Nothing is cooler than driving a clapped out old shed and getting your mam to buy you some stickers and a new set of "rims" to complete the "stance".
Yep, chavs these days tend to dress in Hollister, Jack Wills, Barbour jackets etc etc. Since Burberry and Mirra Peak jackets went out of fashion.
You can still spot the cars though. Max Power bodykits may have largely gone, these days it's all about getting an old diesel Golf, cambering the wheels so far outwards your tyres last 10 minutes, dropping the suspension for the full 'rusted mount collapses and suspension components hit the bonnet' look, blacking out the windows and covering it in as many stickers as you can find.
You can still spot the cars though. Max Power bodykits may have largely gone, these days it's all about getting an old diesel Golf, cambering the wheels so far outwards your tyres last 10 minutes, dropping the suspension for the full 'rusted mount collapses and suspension components hit the bonnet' look, blacking out the windows and covering it in as many stickers as you can find.
My god am I glad to be back home with a cup of tea in my hand!
It's been a bit of a wobbly ride, metaphorically AND literally speaking. So this is the story so far:
When we got there, we had a look around the car and at the documents. Couldn't really fault it. The guy who I had been corresponding with sat in the car and tried to start it. There was absolutely zilch surprise on his face when he just said "nah, not gonna start". It had been stood still for 2 weeks and the cold weather didn't help. The guy then uses his car to jump start the 106. It took a few minutes of trying and it wasn't until the guy started revving the hell out of his car did the 106 finally start. Another guy appeared who turned out to be the guy's nephew and he took over. He was an electrical engineer by profession but he had trader's car insurance with document for proof, which I didn't even ask for, but felt reassured that he was legit. Obviously he does this on the side, which is no bad thing. I took it for a test drive which lasted about 5 minutes. No smoke, no unusual sounds. It did sound a bit rattly but nothing out of the ordinary. I couldn't believe it actually made it round the block! I turned the engine off, had a chat with him for 5 minutes, twisted the ignition... and it started again without hesitation! SOLD.
Then the lengthy process of the insurance company reading out the whole policy to me over the phone. All in all it was probably 30 minutes before everything was sorted and I got into the 106... wouldn't start. Wouldn't even turn over. In fact the electrics went a bit funny. There's a red flashy light that went haywire and even after I took the key out I could still hear the spark plugs ticking, like the tick of a clock.
Great. He came back out tried to roll it backwards in reverse and start it that way. Didn't work. Got his car and jump started it again. It was alot easier and quicker than the last time he did that at least. The petrol light was on so he agreed to see me to the petrol station, top up, then start again. All went smoothly. After that, he left and my gf followed in her car as we began the 50 minute drive home. I was idling for a short while and noticed the revs start falling like it was about to die, so I set off quickly. Hopefully, I thought, the long drive would power up the battery, and I did rev it on some stretches to ensure the battery got some charge.
No issues of the engine dying at traffic lights, which was a good sign. However, I noticed that even though I topped up £20 of fuel, the analogue fuel indicator still seemed to show a completely empty tank, but the fuel light wasn't on anymore at least. I suspect the dial isn't working at all. When I got home, I left the engine idling for 3 or 4 minutes to see if it would die. It didn't. But the fuel light came back on again. It was only a 30 mile drive too and I drove economically for the most part.
I noticed on the way home that a couple of times, 3rd gear would crunch. What's this a sign of again?
Anyway, so the main issue seems to be the battery really. Shouldn't a 5 minute test drive have been enough to get the battery up and running again? If not then how long would you say? Should the 50 minute drive home have sorted it out?
It's been a bit of a wobbly ride, metaphorically AND literally speaking. So this is the story so far:
When we got there, we had a look around the car and at the documents. Couldn't really fault it. The guy who I had been corresponding with sat in the car and tried to start it. There was absolutely zilch surprise on his face when he just said "nah, not gonna start". It had been stood still for 2 weeks and the cold weather didn't help. The guy then uses his car to jump start the 106. It took a few minutes of trying and it wasn't until the guy started revving the hell out of his car did the 106 finally start. Another guy appeared who turned out to be the guy's nephew and he took over. He was an electrical engineer by profession but he had trader's car insurance with document for proof, which I didn't even ask for, but felt reassured that he was legit. Obviously he does this on the side, which is no bad thing. I took it for a test drive which lasted about 5 minutes. No smoke, no unusual sounds. It did sound a bit rattly but nothing out of the ordinary. I couldn't believe it actually made it round the block! I turned the engine off, had a chat with him for 5 minutes, twisted the ignition... and it started again without hesitation! SOLD.
Then the lengthy process of the insurance company reading out the whole policy to me over the phone. All in all it was probably 30 minutes before everything was sorted and I got into the 106... wouldn't start. Wouldn't even turn over. In fact the electrics went a bit funny. There's a red flashy light that went haywire and even after I took the key out I could still hear the spark plugs ticking, like the tick of a clock.
Great. He came back out tried to roll it backwards in reverse and start it that way. Didn't work. Got his car and jump started it again. It was alot easier and quicker than the last time he did that at least. The petrol light was on so he agreed to see me to the petrol station, top up, then start again. All went smoothly. After that, he left and my gf followed in her car as we began the 50 minute drive home. I was idling for a short while and noticed the revs start falling like it was about to die, so I set off quickly. Hopefully, I thought, the long drive would power up the battery, and I did rev it on some stretches to ensure the battery got some charge.
No issues of the engine dying at traffic lights, which was a good sign. However, I noticed that even though I topped up £20 of fuel, the analogue fuel indicator still seemed to show a completely empty tank, but the fuel light wasn't on anymore at least. I suspect the dial isn't working at all. When I got home, I left the engine idling for 3 or 4 minutes to see if it would die. It didn't. But the fuel light came back on again. It was only a 30 mile drive too and I drove economically for the most part.
I noticed on the way home that a couple of times, 3rd gear would crunch. What's this a sign of again?
Anyway, so the main issue seems to be the battery really. Shouldn't a 5 minute test drive have been enough to get the battery up and running again? If not then how long would you say? Should the 50 minute drive home have sorted it out?
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