Buying privately- not done for years & now makes me nervous!
Discussion
I'd have to check, but doesn't a V5 have an issue date written on it ?. So should tie in with change of owner, address etc. If he or she had had the car for a year, but a new V 5 last week, then the alarm bells might ring.
I've bought all of my cars privately for as long as I can remember. Use your instinct, dodgy people usually equal dodgy cars. I've always dealt with nice people. Lots of cars for sale, so walk away if something feels wrong.
I've bought all of my cars privately for as long as I can remember. Use your instinct, dodgy people usually equal dodgy cars. I've always dealt with nice people. Lots of cars for sale, so walk away if something feels wrong.
ChasW said:
This looks pretty straight to me. In this situation much of my judgement about the car is also based on what I think of the owner. Do they appear honest and open, how complete are the records, if there are other cars in the drive what condition are they in? Do they appear to look after their possessions? On the occasions I have walked away from a car it's because I believe the car has been neglected and that is sometimes only evident on close inspection but also from the owners attitude. For example I would always clean a car inside and out before a viewing, however inconvenient. Lots of people don't bother.
^^^^ This.Provenance is everything.
I've dismissed several potential purchases because I didn't like the attitude of the seller - angry, aggressive, impatient, uninterested etc. If the car they're trying to sell is in good condition and without significant faults then they ought to be even-tempered and interested/enthusiastic. Sometimes it was clear when I met sellers (...always, always at their house) that they didn't look after their possessions, or couldn't afford to, so it was likely their car is pretty rubbish/neglected too.
It's a rule of thumb but rough people have rough cars?
The used car market is huge and there are good cars out there being sold by people who look after them and can afford to maintain them properly. I've bought many good second-hand cars from great people...and occasionally without a test drive which, in the circumstances, weren't such great acts of faith either! (Although I was a bit sweaty-palmed when I first drove them away at collection..)
I bought a 10 year old MGTF on PH classifieds for £2.5k. Private seller had folders full of history, a box with all the original parts should I prefer them to the aftermarket bits and bobs he'd added. He took me out for a long run in his car where we chatted at length about servicing, the MG club, HGFs, parts availability, MG forums, and the pros and cons of various upgrades. I liked him a lot and would have bought from him before a dealer all day long.
Leicesterdave said:
There are some cars out there which are now predominantly sold by private sellers but with all the potential pitfalls it now makes me nervous.
The car is 'only' worth about between £3,000-£4,000 but nevertheless.
So many people can't spell properly and write in text speak- which puts me off immediately.
Pictures of the car taken in seemingly dodgy areas.
That's not limited to private sellers in the sub £5k price bracket. Dealers and traders in such, not to mention the ubiquitous "private traders" abound at this level. The car is 'only' worth about between £3,000-£4,000 but nevertheless.
So many people can't spell properly and write in text speak- which puts me off immediately.
Pictures of the car taken in seemingly dodgy areas.
You've also got barely any more legal recourse than a trade sale too as most will come without warranty, only what you can manage to negotiate within terms of SoGA in th event of a failure.
If you don't need finance facilities or to PX, then below £10k or so, there's not much to be gained by buying from the trade over a private seller and usually not much of a difference in price, if any - because private sellers tend to use dealer prices as their targets anyway.
The advert does indeed look almost too perfect! Pictures are nice, nice location, clean (looking) car, FSH, cambelt change, 1 owner etc... It's almost too cheap.
But I phoned this morning 10.30, this afternoon 2pm, and 10 minutes ago. Just goes to voicemail. I just want to make sure I can view the thing, as if it stacks up I'm having it as a run-around.
But I phoned this morning 10.30, this afternoon 2pm, and 10 minutes ago. Just goes to voicemail. I just want to make sure I can view the thing, as if it stacks up I'm having it as a run-around.
AudiWurst said:
Leicesterdave said:
A woman's number- might be sexist but I would expect a man to sell the car, would putting a woman's name intentionally make you feel safer?
Huh??? Where are you posting from? The 1970s?Leicesterdave said:
CraigyMc said:
It also says camshaft change.. why would you need to do that?
Hrmm.
tell me more!Hrmm.
gumtree ad said:
...Cambelt replaced 2012, water pump and camshaft replaced 2013; SILVER £2900
Camshafts aren't service items - you only replace one if it's damaged and unlike a water pump (which sometimes do go as they live a hard life and sometimes have plastics in them, like the notorious plastic impellers on older BMW pumps), camshafts pretty much universally last for the whole life of the engine. I can't think of a reason why a camshaft would fail short of something catastrophic happening to the engine. In fact, I can't think of a reason to replace one at all unless you were doing it to change the engine timing/valve lift characteristics, but that's usually a naturally aspirated petrol thing rather than a turbodiesel thing.
C
A few years back I was trying to source a car at around the price range you are looking, nothing fancy, everyday hatch. I spent a couple of weekends going to various garages, the cars in my price range were invariably wrecks. I went to look at one private car, it was in far better condition than anything I had seen at the garages, I bought it, 5 years later, no regrets 
CraigyMc said:
Camshafts aren't service items - you only replace one if it's damaged and unlike a water pump (which sometimes do go as they live a hard life and sometimes have plastics in them, like the notorious plastic impellers on older BMW pumps), camshafts pretty much universally last for the whole life of the engine.
I can't think of a reason why a camshaft would fail short of something catastrophic happening to the engine. In fact, I can't think of a reason to replace one at all unless you were doing it to change the engine timing/valve lift characteristics, but that's usually a naturally aspirated petrol thing rather than a turbodiesel thing.
C
She didn't really know what it was, and to be honest neither did I. From what I gather she's only changed the wear and tear bits.I can't think of a reason why a camshaft would fail short of something catastrophic happening to the engine. In fact, I can't think of a reason to replace one at all unless you were doing it to change the engine timing/valve lift characteristics, but that's usually a naturally aspirated petrol thing rather than a turbodiesel thing.
C
Now how on earth do I find more about the camshafts when neither of us know what it is! This is one of the issue with buying privately. Bit of a gamble that car... Or any car at that price range!
Leicesterdave said:
She didn't really know what it was, and to be honest neither did I. From what I gather she's only changed the wear and tear bits.
Now how on earth do I find more about the camshafts when neither of us know what it is! This is one of the issue with buying privately. Bit of a gamble that car... Or any car at that price range!
There are two ways that spring to mind on how to approach this.Now how on earth do I find more about the camshafts when neither of us know what it is! This is one of the issue with buying privately. Bit of a gamble that car... Or any car at that price range!
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camshaft
2. Ignore that you don't know what it is. Replace the word "camshaft" with a part you do know, like "door", or "wheels".
When something like that breaks, I'd want to know why, and I'd also want to know how it was fixed in the event that it happens again.
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