Issues with buying very low mileage used car?
Discussion
Hey guys,
Spotted a car this morning that appeared almost too good to be true - a 2004 car with only 6,000 on the clock but still reasonably priced... (ie comparable to an 05 equivalent with 50,000). It's also from a main dealer.
Just wondering - would any of you think twice about a 6 year old car that's been barely used?
I'm going to make sure its been serviced regularly, ie every 12 months, but I'm guessing everything else will be spotless so there won't be many physical clues.
Any tips on things to look out for, it whether to avoid completely?
Spotted a car this morning that appeared almost too good to be true - a 2004 car with only 6,000 on the clock but still reasonably priced... (ie comparable to an 05 equivalent with 50,000). It's also from a main dealer.
Just wondering - would any of you think twice about a 6 year old car that's been barely used?
I'm going to make sure its been serviced regularly, ie every 12 months, but I'm guessing everything else will be spotless so there won't be many physical clues.
Any tips on things to look out for, it whether to avoid completely?
Check the engine and chassis for matching numbers. Albeit rare in this day and age, it could be a case of a car being driven as normal until the engine detonates, the car is given a new engine, clocked back to zero, driven around for a year or so then sold on in an attempt to recoup costs.
Also, might have been a demonstrator. Low miles, yes, but all of them thrashed.
Also, might have been a demonstrator. Low miles, yes, but all of them thrashed.
its not very old, but you might want to budget for new tyres all around - anything over 5 years old should be viewed with suspicion in my eyes.
last year I bought a 21 year old car with 18k on the clock, I initially swapped out the tyres (it had the originals on!) but have had no issues with it apart from some leaks in the coolant system and a fuel leak due to perished hoses so had all the hoses replaced - Ive now done 15k in it,
last year I bought a 21 year old car with 18k on the clock, I initially swapped out the tyres (it had the originals on!) but have had no issues with it apart from some leaks in the coolant system and a fuel leak due to perished hoses so had all the hoses replaced - Ive now done 15k in it,
They are out there, in the not to distant future there will be a V reg good spec Avensis on the market with less than 15k from new with one owner.
As a daily driver for someone doing large miles it would be a shrewd purchase if you didn't give a crap about imagine (sorry I'll get me coat!)...
But there are often this kind of car about that pop up for genuine reasons and I would certainly make sure they had been serviced every year etc and used even if only a little. I would have more concerns if it was say 5 years old, done 6k in the first six months then sat there. As opposed to 6k in 5 years but doing 1.2k a year.
As a daily driver for someone doing large miles it would be a shrewd purchase if you didn't give a crap about imagine (sorry I'll get me coat!)...
But there are often this kind of car about that pop up for genuine reasons and I would certainly make sure they had been serviced every year etc and used even if only a little. I would have more concerns if it was say 5 years old, done 6k in the first six months then sat there. As opposed to 6k in 5 years but doing 1.2k a year.
My Dad's 206 GTi is what, 8 years old and barely got 12,000 miles on it. Don't think his motorbike has done more than a couple of thousand.
Perfectly well looked after (as a mechanic by trade), just not really used much.
But I'd wager that such vehicles are rare and it's more likely to find something clocked or on a replacement unit.
Perfectly well looked after (as a mechanic by trade), just not really used much.
But I'd wager that such vehicles are rare and it's more likely to find something clocked or on a replacement unit.
MSTRBKR said:
What car is it? It might have been owned by someone old who barely drives it. Check MOT certs and any receipts they have for owner name changes and order them by date to see if the mileage is ascending. Just dig as much as possible in any way you can, and also HPI check it.
It's an RX-8. Does that change matters, assuming all the recall work is done it gets done by the dealer?Now just need to work on the other half, or "she who says no"..
Its not impossible that RX-8 could have low miles, as it fits into the 'weekend car' bracket than most. If it was a mondeo or something cooking then it would be more incongruous... that said it is a sports car so might benefit more from a dose of clocking than more normal cars.
Only issue might be that these cars (IIRC) need to be oil-changed very often and have maintenance peculiarities that need to be stuck to. If it is genuinely low miles I would want to see services to schedule despite not being driven much.
Go in with eyes open, ask lots of questions, look at all the places you would expect wear on a 6 year old car (seats, trim, steering wheel, tyres, underbody areas). Assume it is not genuine until you can be assured it is not. Don't assume the dealer cannot have been duped by the previous vendor.
Only issue might be that these cars (IIRC) need to be oil-changed very often and have maintenance peculiarities that need to be stuck to. If it is genuinely low miles I would want to see services to schedule despite not being driven much.
Go in with eyes open, ask lots of questions, look at all the places you would expect wear on a 6 year old car (seats, trim, steering wheel, tyres, underbody areas). Assume it is not genuine until you can be assured it is not. Don't assume the dealer cannot have been duped by the previous vendor.
nicklonguk said:
MSTRBKR said:
What car is it? It might have been owned by someone old who barely drives it. Check MOT certs and any receipts they have for owner name changes and order them by date to see if the mileage is ascending. Just dig as much as possible in any way you can, and also HPI check it.
It's an RX-8. Does that change matters, assuming all the recall work is done it gets done by the dealer?Now just need to work on the other half, or "she who says no"..
Blown2CV said:
Go in with eyes open, ask lots of questions, look at all the places you would expect wear on a 6 year old car (seats, trim, steering wheel, tyres, underbody areas). Assume it is not genuine until you can be assured it is not. Don't assume the dealer cannot have been duped by the previous vendor.
Surely these would be almost completely unworn for the low mileage it's done? These would actually be a very good indicator that the car is dodgy if they are worn.Last year I found a 2006 BMW 525i via the approved used BMW website with genuine 5000 miles. I rang up to check if it was a typo given that other similar priced cars had done 50k miles.
Old chap had just purchased his 6th new car from the same dealer and liked to sell his cars before the warranty ran out!
I paid a deposit it without seeing it and when I went to collect it, it was in the showroom indistinguishable from the brand new cars surrounding it!
They are out there if you can find them!
Old chap had just purchased his 6th new car from the same dealer and liked to sell his cars before the warranty ran out!
I paid a deposit it without seeing it and when I went to collect it, it was in the showroom indistinguishable from the brand new cars surrounding it!
They are out there if you can find them!
MSTRBKR said:
Blown2CV said:
Go in with eyes open, ask lots of questions, look at all the places you would expect wear on a 6 year old car (seats, trim, steering wheel, tyres, underbody areas). Assume it is not genuine until you can be assured it is not. Don't assume the dealer cannot have been duped by the previous vendor.
Surely these would be almost completely unworn for the low mileage it's done? These would actually be a very good indicator that the car is dodgy if they are worn.carmadgaz said:
MSTRBKR said:
Blown2CV said:
Go in with eyes open, ask lots of questions, look at all the places you would expect wear on a 6 year old car (seats, trim, steering wheel, tyres, underbody areas). Assume it is not genuine until you can be assured it is not. Don't assume the dealer cannot have been duped by the previous vendor.
Surely these would be almost completely unworn for the low mileage it's done? These would actually be a very good indicator that the car is dodgy if they are worn.Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff