How do you get a private sale professionally inspected?

[Robbie_FRS]

When buying private, how do you go about getting a car inspected by an expert? Bearing in mind a car could be anywhere in the country?

Is it something the owner can or should do prior to the viewing of the car? Or is it a case of just going with the owner to a main dealer and have them inspect it for you? And, what does this sort of inspection cost?

Having read the aston buyers guide, it mentions the use of diagnostic equipment to check out a vehicle before purchasing. Now I am not a novice to cars or car buying, but when you're spending large amounts of money privately with no guarantee, it's nice to know what options are out there for peace of mind.

There was also a lot of potentials to check, according to the guide and having never looked for any of it before, I think it could be easy to miss things.

Any info on checking this sort of stuff would be appreciated.

[JohnG1]

Robbie_FRS said:

When buying private, how do you go about getting a car inspected by an expert? Bearing in mind a car could be anywhere in the country?

Is it something the owner can or should do prior to the viewing of the car? Or is it a case of just going with the owner to a main dealer and have them inspect it for you? And, what does this sort of inspection cost?

Having read the aston buyers guide, it mentions the use of diagnostic equipment to check out a vehicle before purchasing. Now I am not a novice to cars or car buying, but when you're spending large amounts of money privately with no guarantee, it's nice to know what options are out there for peace of mind.

There was also a lot of potentials to check, according to the guide and having never looked for any of it before, I think it could be easy to miss things.

Any info on checking this sort of stuff would be appreciated.

An AML dealer inspection is pretty useless at spotting problems, it's really just a way of avoiding dogs when AML sell a warranty. But it does not spot a lot of issues. There is a case on here where someone bought a Vanquish (older style) and AML did a 140 point inspection. But the car needed a new front sub-frame which was missed by the inspection.

I would find an independent garage that will offer an inspection and then arrange for some payment for their travelling time. If the garage is Lands End and the car is in John O'Groats it may prove expensive up front but it may offer a return if you can either avoid buying a dog or negotiate a discount based on problems that are spotted during inspection and can be rectified.

The useless AML inspection is £200 from memory but usually refundable against a warranty purchase. A decent inspection from an independent will probably be about the same for the inspection but you'll have to pay for travelling time.

[BravoV8V]

A proper inspection requires a ramp.

Even the most experienced specialist can't tell much more than you can if the car is sitting on a driveway.

[Jon39]

I have bought cars privately, but never a high value one.

It is tempting, when private sellers obviously have lower asking prices than dealers, but how do you deal with the associated financial risks?

We have all heard the unfortunate stories. Eg. He was such a nice man, and I did all the checks. Now I have lost my money.

[dig123]

I looked into this when I got mine, most of the AM independants will provide a pre inspection service either at there workshop or will take the car to another local garage and hire a ramp for a couple of hours. Well worth it as they normally find some thing which can either put you of the car or can be used to negotiate. The cost was cir £500 depending on mileage. I had an inspection even though it was being sold be a garage who offered a guarantee, the garage were a bit grumpy about it and thought I was wasting my money but it did discover some minor point which I have fixed prior to purchase.

[Robbie_FRS]

The cars private that I'm looking at are definitively cheaper than main dealer approved used. Approx £4000 - £6000 depending on spec. That's a huge difference.

I've heard some horror stories about people buying BMW E46 M3s with cracked subframes and missing service history etc but a lot of this was brought on by a total lack of initial research and taking the sellers word as good on certain things.

If I did find a car I want inspected then is it just a case of researching who the closest main dealer and independent is and going from there?

[michael gould]

in addition to an inspection do your homework.......ring the dealers on the service book and ask for the cars history (you may need a release from the seller to do this under data protection act, but an email to the dealer from the seller is normally enough) ask the dealers if the car has had warranty work, been in their body shop, had any advisory notices ......Call previous owners and ask them about the car ....their name and address will be on the V5 (immediate previous owner) ...check the MOT that the millage is correct

I can normally tell if the seller is genuine......if he's a 55YO Charted Accountant or a Solicitor and has owned the car for the past 4 years it will give you some confidence. You might feel differently if it's an 26YO guy who sells stuff on Ebay and has only owned the car for 4 months but is moving abroad

[raceboy]

Robbie_FRS said:

The cars private that I'm looking at are definitively cheaper than main dealer approved used. Approx £4000 - £6000 depending on spec. That's a huge difference.

It is a big difference but, and I'm usually not one to sing the praises of Main Dealers, there is some 'value' to their mark up.
I'm currently looking for an early V8V and the private cars at £30k by the time you add 2 new tyres, a stonechip waft over, a service and a warrenty turn into £34k cars and then the safety of dealing with that level of cash at the main dealer is worth a little rather than a suitcase of used £20's in a service station car park.

[Bincenzo]

Conversely, I bought privately from a top bloke, he now owns a DBS. I didn't have it inspected and have had 3 completely trouble free years. Was it a risk? Yes, of course it was, but having done some homework similar to that offered by MG, I was 100% confident in the cars history and as it turns out bought a belter. Had a service done this weekend at BR and Mike commented on what an excellent example it was.

So, the risk is yours to take. By doing some digging, you can mitigate against any work that's been done, but you'll never find the hidden problems until it's roperly inspected. The question is, do you distrust the current owner or the quality of the vehicle or not? IMO, the V8V is a pretty bulletproof car, so a high percentage of the cars for sale are straight. Good luck.

[AMDBSNick]

Bincenzo said:

Conversely, I bought privately from a top bloke, he now owns a DBS. I didn't have it inspected and have had 3 completely trouble free years. Was it a risk? Yes, of course it was, but having done some homework similar to that offered by MG, I was 100% confident in the cars history and as it turns out bought a belter. Had a service done this weekend at BR and Mike commented on what an excellent example it was.

So, the risk is yours to take. By doing some digging, you can mitigate against any work that's been done, but you'll never find the hidden problems until it's roperly inspected. The question is, do you distrust the current owner or the quality of the vehicle or not? IMO, the V8V is a pretty bulletproof car, so a high percentage of the cars for sale are straight. Good luck.

But they are still cylinder deficient

[L0TT0]

Bincenzo said:

Conversely, I bought privately from a top bloke, he now owns a DBS.

strange.........I sold my car to Sukh all 12 cylinders of it

[Bincenzo]

V12 Tossers....

[AMDBSNick]

Bincenzo said:

V12 Tossers....

[SlartiF430]

I bought a ferrari from a main dealer. Had it inspected by and independent and they found a few issues that I had rectified. I will now always seek out a private car, there's really very little benefit in paying the main dealer premium. Once you have the car you're on your own and guess what? Once it's out of gte dealership, it's in private ownership. Ultimately, they've all come out of the same factory and they're cars - bits of metal and plastic lumped together. Get any car inspected, but buy private because you'll save a good few quid.

[vankypanky]

it depends entirely on what it is you are intending to buy as to where you go for help.
i got rikki cann to go look at mine and that was about £300 and the best £300 i have ever spent.
got a full report and used that report to negotiate the price down to a point where it more than paid for itself but at least i knew exactly what i was buying and what i had to then and what i could leave to later so i had a good three year plan for cost control.

tips
1. get one out of the area and pay his travel so he isnt local and wont be known.
2. get one that doesnt sell cars is often better as most that do, all know each other.
3. get one that wont be servicing your car after as some MIGHT turn a blind eye as they will get the work soon enough to sort it all out (cynical old me)
4. insist that the seller arranges a ramp for an hour as said even if he has to go rent it from quickfit or whoever. without it, pointless.
5. kick the tyres. (i dont know why but i think it is important)

Edited by vankypanky on Tuesday 3rd February 13:29

[cayman-black]

Jon39 said:

I have bought cars privately, but never a high value one.

It is tempting, when private sellers obviously have lower asking prices than dealers, but how do you deal with the associated financial risks?

We have all heard the unfortunate stories. Eg. He was such a nice man, and I did all the checks. Now I have lost my money.

Not sure i understand this, how would you lose your money?
From my perspective i would have to trust the seller send them the money, when they are happy its all cleared i will collect the car.
As for buying i think its possible to find a well cared for car through a private sale.

[michael gould]

Jon39 said:

We have all heard the unfortunate stories. Eg. He was such a nice man, and I did all the checks. Now I have lost my money.

only idiots loose their money ....it's very simple to check out a car and pay for it these days ...transfers from mobil apps or the internet are instant

[Jon39]

cayman-black said:

Not sure i understand this, how would you lose your money?

It is probably a very rare occurrence, but the media love such stories when it happens.

One such case was mentioned recently on TV, where a stolen car had been sold on several times. I think there was also a registered number change to complicate things. The last guy in the chain (an innocent purchaser who thought he had checked everything), had the knock on his door and the police took the car away.

Friends sold a car some years ago. They went with the buyer to a bank and paid in a bank draft. Few days later oh dear, the bank draft was a forgery.

As I mentioned originally, can save a lot on the purchase cost, but a financial risk (probably very small) exists, with a considerable sum of money.

[Robbie_FRS]

Who is Ricky Cann And what did he do exactly? Who does he work for and how did the process work?

As for buying private, I am confident I know what to look for. If I don't like the seller I won't even entertain a viewing.

If everything adds up then normally everything is fine. If something is too good to be true then it normally is.

[Neil1300r]

Robbie_FRS said:

Who is Ricky Cann And what did he do exactly? Who does he work for and how did the process work?

Well known indie of Astons - more on the older models but now servicing Gaydon cars. But, he's in Essex.