Subtle indications that a car has not been loved

[Butter Face]

Nickp82 said:

I look (amongst other things) at the number plates, in particular who made them. Matching franchised dealer plates from original supplier always a good sign, one plate on the front made by 'x and y auto repairs' is a warning sign to me

It's one of the first things I look at when appraising a used car part exchange for work.

Crash repair company repaired plates give you the heads up of repaired damage to the car.

DUMBO100 said:

Lowered suspension is an instant sign that a car has been ruined

What? How is this the case?

[feef]

geeks said:

Torquey said:

Tyres - if they are not matching, a decent brand and preferably OEM then I'd seriously think twice about it.

Matching Yes.

OEM? No!

As long as they are a known brand I wouldn't be too concerned.

Also factor in people run cars on budgets, just because some have a tighter budget than others doesn't mean a car hasn't been cared for. So just because it has 4 regular run of the mill Dunlops that were on offer with the local tyre fitter rather than the highsport Dunlop (what ever they are calling them these days) (other brands are available) that doesn't indicate neglect just financial budgeting!

Matching how tho?

My C6 is certainly not unloved, but the fronts and rears are mis-matched as being a big, front-heavy bus, it eats fronts but the rears last forever. So I'm currently running different fronts from rears. They are matched left/right however.

[MorganP104]

I go full detective when looking at a car, especially when it's a private sale.

Things I like:

- Seller apologising profusely that he's not had time to give the car a proper clean, but the car looks mint.
- Duster/clean-ish rag in the glove box or one of the boot cubbyholes.
- Top up bottle of high quality branded oil stashed somewhere.
- Top up bottle of screenwash stashed somewhere.
- No parts missing from toolkit/wheel changing kit.
- Matching (decent) brand tyres all round.
- Service history from the same garage for years (doesn't need to be a franchised dealer).
- Seller's house looks clean and tidy, and in a nice area.
- Shiny looking new car on the driveway, backing up the seller's claim that "new car forces sale".

Things I don't like:

- Car being filthy dirty, which the seller doesn't seem to care about.
- Crap in the doorbins/glovebox/boot/on the floor.
- Mismatched tyres of questionable brands.
- Patchy or non-existent service history.
- Seller's house is messy, in a dodgy area.
- Nothing to back up the reason for selling the car.

[geeks]

feef said:

geeks said:

Torquey said:

Tyres - if they are not matching, a decent brand and preferably OEM then I'd seriously think twice about it.

Matching Yes.

OEM? No!

As long as they are a known brand I wouldn't be too concerned.

Also factor in people run cars on budgets, just because some have a tighter budget than others doesn't mean a car hasn't been cared for. So just because it has 4 regular run of the mill Dunlops that were on offer with the local tyre fitter rather than the highsport Dunlop (what ever they are calling them these days) (other brands are available) that doesn't indicate neglect just financial budgeting!

Matching how tho?

My C6 is certainly not unloved, but the fronts and rears are mis-matched as being a big, front-heavy bus, it eats fronts but the rears last forever. So I'm currently running different fronts from rears. They are matched left/right however.

Not the end of the world I grant you and I wouldn't be too put off but I would notice and it would make me look closer. Just a thought but do you not rotate front to rear? My A4 uses the front faster than the rears too. I just rotate front to rear every 10k or so miles (translates to roughly every 6 months) it also means you dont have for example, 5 year old rear tyres and 6 month old front tyres!

[zedstar]

My pet hate, and usually one reserved for low grade traders,

'Full MOT history records'

It's the MOT history online print which some sellers think is a fair replacement for a service history.

AVOID!

[born2bslow]

MorganP104 said:

I go full detective when looking at a car, especially when it's a private sale.

Things I like:

"My car described perfectly"

Things I don't like:

"My wife's car described perfectly"

I used to clean her car out but I get no thanks and she just throws st all over it again. Weirdly, the kids keep the back quite tidy in comparison because she tells them off if they don't.

[feef]

geeks said:

feef said:

geeks said:

Torquey said:

Tyres - if they are not matching, a decent brand and preferably OEM then I'd seriously think twice about it.

Matching Yes.

OEM? No!

As long as they are a known brand I wouldn't be too concerned.

Also factor in people run cars on budgets, just because some have a tighter budget than others doesn't mean a car hasn't been cared for. So just because it has 4 regular run of the mill Dunlops that were on offer with the local tyre fitter rather than the highsport Dunlop (what ever they are calling them these days) (other brands are available) that doesn't indicate neglect just financial budgeting!

Matching how tho?

My C6 is certainly not unloved, but the fronts and rears are mis-matched as being a big, front-heavy bus, it eats fronts but the rears last forever. So I'm currently running different fronts from rears. They are matched left/right however.

Not the end of the world I grant you and I wouldn't be too put off but I would notice and it would make me look closer. Just a thought but do you not rotate front to rear? My A4 uses the front faster than the rears too. I just rotate front to rear every 10k or so miles (translates to roughly every 6 months) it also means you dont have for example, 5 year old rear tyres and 6 month old front tyres!

Yes, but rotating them still doesn't mean they are matched

[anonymous-user]

Dave Hedgehog said:

my lease car got washed 3 times, each when it was serviced.

quite a healthy build up of green stuff all over it just before it went back

I never used this sort of thing.

I had a hire car and when I handed it back it was gleaming, the bloke that picked it up was pretty shocked. all I did was pay a tenner to a illegal to do the business. Even on a lease it isn't hard thing to do.

[ericmcn]

feef said:

Matching how tho?

My C6 is certainly not unloved, but the fronts and rears are mis-matched as being a big, front-heavy bus, it eats fronts but the rears last forever. So I'm currently running different fronts from rears. They are matched left/right however.

AWD cars should have matching tyres, My Subaru Legacy for example. First thing I checked was the tyres, 4 x matching falken tyres was what I wanted to see, plus a good service history which is crucial. I want documented evidence of all them oil, filter and fluid changes.

if I cant see that I just walk.

[OddCat]

Scuffed wheels (mine would be repaired within a week)

Any ad that says "wheels recently refurbished" when car less than 5 years olday. How much kerbing must there have been for all of the wheels to have needed refurbishment?

Worn drivers side seat bolsters. I know that is hard with sports seats but you do see some mint and some not...

Edited by OddCat on Sunday 26th February 16:26