Stolen recovered; to buy or not to buy?
Discussion
Afternoon all,
I've seen an 07 megane 230 r26 which i'm considering buying. Whilst getting a quote from Adrian Flux I was informed the car had been stolen, so I ran a check on mycarcheck.com where the registration is showing stolen/recovered (with no history of being transfered).
I'm happy the car is in good order, and is supplied with a clear HPI cert (HPI and Experian don't show insurance database info). The price is ok (£11k currently, not bad for a 22k miler) but i wouldn't expect much negotiation since the car is from a car supermarket.
Would you be worried about potential resale value of the car? Apart from getting in touch with the previous owner, is there a method by which you find out any detailed info on the incident?
Cheers
I've seen an 07 megane 230 r26 which i'm considering buying. Whilst getting a quote from Adrian Flux I was informed the car had been stolen, so I ran a check on mycarcheck.com where the registration is showing stolen/recovered (with no history of being transfered).
I'm happy the car is in good order, and is supplied with a clear HPI cert (HPI and Experian don't show insurance database info). The price is ok (£11k currently, not bad for a 22k miler) but i wouldn't expect much negotiation since the car is from a car supermarket.
Would you be worried about potential resale value of the car? Apart from getting in touch with the previous owner, is there a method by which you find out any detailed info on the incident?
Cheers
If it worries you, then it's likely to worry others when you come to sell it. If the car is in good working order and has been checked by a professional and this is enough assurance for you and the price is right, then go ahead and buy it. However, when you come to sell it you need to decide if you're going to be honest with people about the vehicle's status/history. If they are savvy enough they will run a check and find the same information; better to give them the information up-front and that way you may be able to convince someone that buying a stolen-recovered vehicle is not as bad as it sounds. Some won't even entertain the idea due to ignorance/stigma/risk averse etc. Ultimately, you may find that your market size will be markedly reduced when trying to sell it on and it may involve a bit more effort on your part, but as long as the price is in line with peoples' expectations, then you shouldn't have a problem.
...Good choice of car by the way.
...Good choice of car by the way.
I did this check on a car once, and when I did the HPI check it said there was a number I could ring for more info - so I rang it and HPI said that it was "stolen and recovered undamaged" (i.e. it was nicked with the keys) - which goes some way to helping you to know whether it was damaged or not.
Oh, and also worth considering; I've been in cars with owners that have thrashed the nuts of high-end sports cars from freezing cold and not given a crap about them the whole time they've owned them.
A thief, and a car with a loud exhaust, would not want to be recognised and so may drive away slowly to park it and await a tracker.
I'm not trying to give you rose coloured glasses, but just a different way of looking at it. What it all comes down to is to check out the car thoroughly, make sure everything's recorded, and if it seems a good car - then why the hell not
A thief, and a car with a loud exhaust, would not want to be recognised and so may drive away slowly to park it and await a tracker.
I'm not trying to give you rose coloured glasses, but just a different way of looking at it. What it all comes down to is to check out the car thoroughly, make sure everything's recorded, and if it seems a good car - then why the hell not
Cheers for the comments guys, I guess I'm asking an unanswerable question though; i just have to evaluate the relative risk/temptation, and take it from there. A friend reckons I should offer £10k and see if they bite, which would be a pretty good price compared to those on PH classifieds.
An added bonus of this motor is they'll give book on my 08 cooking spec clio which i want rid of sorely.
An added bonus of this motor is they'll give book on my 08 cooking spec clio which i want rid of sorely.
eybic said:
if you can get the reg or vin, pm me and I will check it on our internal system (Renault UK) to see what work if any has been done by us.
Nice one mate, expect a pm shortly Fidgits said:
i wouldnt touch a car like that with a stolen/recovered...
theives arent known for their mechanical sympathy...
oh come on, have you never given your car any stick? Besides it is unlikely it was a teenager who hotwired the car and went for a joy ride more likely a pro or someone with keys.theives arent known for their mechanical sympathy...
you would assume the theif would rather drive it discreetly until they are in position to change the identity not go tearing off down the road just to get cought be a traffic cop.
If the price is below book value and you are happy with the condition then buy it. You would be surprised how many people still dont HPI cars and how few questions some people ask. Ive sold a car with an entire front end off another car and if id been asked i would happily have explained how an why it happened instead the buyer only seemed interested in looking at the sills and admiring the polished rocker cover....
Its not being dishonest i just work on the assumption if you arent asked why highlight negative points!
dave
Just googled the reg and found this on a missing list site;
To answer a previous question, it is sold as HPI clear, which it technically is (no finance, never written off).
Oh and Nathan, email sent mate
Google result said:
Police are appealing for witnesses after a car key burglary took place some time between 11pm on Sunday 28 September and 6.10am this morning
Offenders pushed a hook of some sort through the letterbox of the front door to remove a set of keys.
They used these to enter the property through the back door and stole items including a handbag, a laptop and two sets of car keys.
Offenders then removed two vehicles from outside of the property. The first is a red Renault Grand Scenic, 1.9 DCI, registration ********.
The second is a silver Renault Megane F1230, registration number BG07 BXL
A car was heard driving off between 3.15am and 3.30am.
So it was taken with the keys, but none-the-less nicked.Offenders pushed a hook of some sort through the letterbox of the front door to remove a set of keys.
They used these to enter the property through the back door and stole items including a handbag, a laptop and two sets of car keys.
Offenders then removed two vehicles from outside of the property. The first is a red Renault Grand Scenic, 1.9 DCI, registration ********.
The second is a silver Renault Megane F1230, registration number BG07 BXL
A car was heard driving off between 3.15am and 3.30am.
To answer a previous question, it is sold as HPI clear, which it technically is (no finance, never written off).
Oh and Nathan, email sent mate
aka_kerrly said:
Fidgits said:
i wouldnt touch a car like that with a stolen/recovered...
theives arent known for their mechanical sympathy...
oh come on, have you never given your car any stick? Besides it is unlikely it was a teenager who hotwired the car and went for a joy ride more likely a pro or someone with keys.theives arent known for their mechanical sympathy...
you would assume the theif would rather drive it discreetly until they are in position to change the identity not go tearing off down the road just to get cought be a traffic cop.
If the price is below book value and you are happy with the condition then buy it. You would be surprised how many people still dont HPI cars and how few questions some people ask. Ive sold a car with an entire front end off another car and if id been asked i would happily have explained how an why it happened instead the buyer only seemed interested in looking at the sills and admiring the polished rocker cover....
Its not being dishonest i just work on the assumption if you arent asked why highlight negative points!
dave
Though i always warm it up properly (until the oil is warm, no just the water), and even when ragging, I always do it with mechnical symphathy.
I realise not all owners are like this, and yes, some thieves might sneak away, but lets face it, the chances are, they steal a 26R, its going to be ragged from the get-go..
Fidgits said:
aka_kerrly said:
Fidgits said:
i wouldnt touch a car like that with a stolen/recovered...
theives arent known for their mechanical sympathy...
oh come on, have you never given your car any stick? Besides it is unlikely it was a teenager who hotwired the car and went for a joy ride more likely a pro or someone with keys.theives arent known for their mechanical sympathy...
you would assume the theif would rather drive it discreetly until they are in position to change the identity not go tearing off down the road just to get cought be a traffic cop.
If the price is below book value and you are happy with the condition then buy it. You would be surprised how many people still dont HPI cars and how few questions some people ask. Ive sold a car with an entire front end off another car and if id been asked i would happily have explained how an why it happened instead the buyer only seemed interested in looking at the sills and admiring the polished rocker cover....
Its not being dishonest i just work on the assumption if you arent asked why highlight negative points!
dave
Though i always warm it up properly (until the oil is warm, no just the water), and even when ragging, I always do it with mechnical symphathy.
I realise not all owners are like this, and yes, some thieves might sneak away, but lets face it, the chances are, they steal a 26R, its going to be ragged from the get-go..
I don't doubt that the thieving scrote would have given it a good thrash from cold, hell I gave it a good thrash without a good warm up on the test drive (and i mean a good, oops that's the limiter, type test)! I personally don't think this is massively damaging as an infrequent event, just not good practice if an everyday habit.
The car drove perfectly, the only worry i would have is if there were a slight alignment problem due to some adventurous driving but I could get that checked out no problem (it has new rubber on the front so can't see wear pattern).
The car drove perfectly, the only worry i would have is if there were a slight alignment problem due to some adventurous driving but I could get that checked out no problem (it has new rubber on the front so can't see wear pattern).
kenb
her said:
her said: Just googled the reg and found this on a missing list site;
To answer a previous question, it is sold as HPI clear, which it technically is (no finance, never written off).
Oh and Nathan, email sent mate
Oh, good point and well remembred - this is something else I found out earlier last year. On the offical HPI site, the car comes back perfect.Google result said:
Police are appealing for witnesses after a car key burglary took place some time between 11pm on Sunday 28 September and 6.10am this morning
Offenders pushed a hook of some sort through the letterbox of the front door to remove a set of keys.
They used these to enter the property through the back door and stole items including a handbag, a laptop and two sets of car keys.
Offenders then removed two vehicles from outside of the property. The first is a red Renault Grand Scenic, 1.9 DCI, registration ********.
The second is a silver Renault Megane F1230, registration number BG07 BXL
A car was heard driving off between 3.15am and 3.30am.
So it was taken with the keys, but none-the-less nicked.Offenders pushed a hook of some sort through the letterbox of the front door to remove a set of keys.
They used these to enter the property through the back door and stole items including a handbag, a laptop and two sets of car keys.
Offenders then removed two vehicles from outside of the property. The first is a red Renault Grand Scenic, 1.9 DCI, registration ********.
The second is a silver Renault Megane F1230, registration number BG07 BXL
A car was heard driving off between 3.15am and 3.30am.
To answer a previous question, it is sold as HPI clear, which it technically is (no finance, never written off).
Oh and Nathan, email sent mate
But it was through ANOTHER site that it gave more detail, of which included the stolen/recovered part. I was really surprised by this - you'd imagine the compnay HPI would be the most detailed, but apparently not.
kenbher said:
her said: I personally don't think this is massively damaging as an infrequent event, just not good practice if an everyday habit.
The car drove perfectly, the only worry i would have is if there were a slight alignment problem due to some adventurous driving but I could get that checked out no problem (it has new rubber on the front so can't see wear pattern).
I agree. It's a balance. It won't be as easy to sell when the time comes, and equally you will be asking for slightly less money than other current cars (maybe), but if the car seems true there's absolutely nothing to stop you buying it - just get it checked properly (alignment is a good example) and make your bid The car drove perfectly, the only worry i would have is if there were a slight alignment problem due to some adventurous driving but I could get that checked out no problem (it has new rubber on the front so can't see wear pattern).
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