Buying from independant dealer

[Simbu]

I'm considering looking at an R53 Mini Cooper S tomorrow. I've read the PH buying guide and done some research. The good news is this one has had the steering pump and exhaust replaced and has a decent history. It looks tidy enough from the description and pictures.

A couple of questions:

- The dealer in question has a couple of negative reviews i found after a bit of internet sleuthing. Should i care about this much? I'd imagine every dealer might inadvertently pass on a lemon occasionally, or if someone has gone to the trouble to post online, should I pay heed?

- The car is one owner from new - is it reasonable to ask to contact that owner and have a no BS chat about the car before parting with my hard-earned?

Cheers!

Simon

[Simbu]

mikeyr said:

How many good reviews does it have? I'd take the tripadvisor approach, discount the best/worst reviews and see where the middle point lies.

Might be worth asking on the Mini subsection for any recommendations on good dealers in your area?

I've not found any positive reviews - but then i guess very few people would post about positive experiences, compared to negative experiences! It's actually a big gap in the industry - how do you build trust with consumers?

[Simbu]

The few negative reviews I've found were on places like Yell, not what i'd call a quality source! I suppose i'm assessing the car, not the dealer.