Remote buying - what could go wrong!

[Four Litre]

Has anyone bought a car from a garage - circa 35k and had it delivered. Found a nice RS4 but its in Newcastle and really cant be a$$ed to go up there and with a few medical problems currently prefer not to.

Looks good - had movie and sales manager sworn on life no paint or accident damage as I see everything and anything!

So has anyone done this and it not paid off!!! I'm thinking deposit for delivery and pay rest upon inspection. Happy to pay somebody to drive it down.

Appreciate this isn't blind bidding on banger on ebay whilst drunk, however be interested to see what could possibly go wrong! Its a dealer so not private sale.

[AndrewEH1]

Get the AA to do a vehicle inspection?

I did that for a car near Bristol when I'm in Edinburgh

[Thats What She Said]

So you're looking to shell out 35,000 of your hard earned pounds, and you cant even be bothered to go and look at it? Is £35k disposable income for you?

What will you do if the car develops a problem? Expect the dealer to come and get it?

Look for one closer to home.

[deckster]

Indeed, what could possibly go wrong?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Four Litre]

AndrewEH1 said:

Get the AA to do a vehicle inspection?

I did that for a car near Bristol when I'm in Edinburgh

Good call - they used to literally tear everything apart down to a spec of dust on rear armrest so will check that out...

[Hammy98]

Depends what kind of dealer it is. A chain such as Evans Halshaw or Arnold Clark you should be okay as the warranty will be usable at any local dealers. You could also point out any issues upon inspection and either reject or negotiate accordingly.

An independent garage I wouldn't bother, not worth the hassle if there turns out to be any issues.

[TooMany2cvs]

Four Litre said:

Has anyone bought a car from a garage - circa 35k and had it delivered.

If it's being delivered, and that's the first time you see it, then distance selling regs kick in, so you have 14 days to simply cancel the purchase, without even having to go to your normal consumer rights to reject.

Also, if you do need to reject, they would then have to collect.

Still think you're barking mad not even contemplating going to see it beforehand, though, especially if you're that picky.

[geeks]

Is there a local PH'er you could send to give it a once over as well as someone like the AA/RAC etc?

[Ron99]

Yesterday I went to view and test-drive a very nice, very rare, diesel-engined car, 2.5yrs old, at a medium-size independent dealer.
I'm glad I didn't put a deposit on it beforehand because given the smell and the soot I am certain its previous owner had tampered with the DPF which, at.next MoT could land me in trouble.

[Ranger 6]

Four Litre said:

Has anyone bought a car from a garage - circa 35k and had it delivered.

Yes, £34k - but not delivered.

From a BMW dealer and we agreed up front that I could walk away should the car be misrepresented in any way. It wasn't and that was three years ago, I've still got it.

[Dr_Rick]

I've taken both routes:

1) I bought a Discovery 4 over the phone / internet from Lancashire and had it trailered up to me just outside Glasgow. WE were on the understanding that anything I didn't like, and the vendor would sort it at their cost. It was being sold by a dealer, not a private sale. I had no issues with the car.

2) I looked at a local car from a 'high end specialist' and had an inspection done, following my initial visit. The inspection found a number of items that I didn't spot (what a surprise) and in the end I walked. That too was a dealer sale.

And a final one. My wifes current car was bought from a main dealer with an Approved Used warranty, but it's still made it through the multipoint checks that they do with a wonky steering wheel. Go figure.

All in all, it'll depend on how risk averse you are, and what the car is.

[Four Litre]

The car in question is this one -

https://www.lloydltd.co.uk/Showroom/AUDI-RS4-4-2-F...

I had my heart set on Maser GT but now have a new dog so my C63 coupe doesn't really work with furry people!

[jeremyh1]

geeks said:

Is there a local PH'er you could send to give it a once over as well as someone like the AA/RAC etc?

Ha ha is this a joke would you trust somebody on here to do that
Have you actually seen what these people write Would you want then scouting for you ?

[geeks]

jeremyh1 said:

geeks said:

Is there a local PH'er you could send to give it a once over as well as someone like the AA/RAC etc?

Ha ha is this a joke would you trust somebody on here to do that
Have you actually seen what these people write Would you want then scouting for you ?

Yeah ok, see your point, there are some good ones on here though

[Harry Flashman]

Thats What She Said said:

So you're looking to shell out 35,000 of your hard earned pounds, and you cant even be bothered to go and look at it? Is £35k disposable income for you?

What will you do if the car develops a problem? Expect the dealer to come and get it?

Look for one closer to home.

Or outsource the inspection. Frankly, time is my most precious commodity. If I can pay an expert a few hundred to do a report, rather than spend a day (and hundreds of pounds) travelling miles away to look at a car, I will.

I've bought cars remotely before - including a Twisted Defender and my Aston. No problems other than those ID'd in a report, negotiated into revised pricing, and dealt with by either me after purchase or seller pre purchase.

Anyway, who on earth wants to go to Newcastle? The necessary vaccinations will cost him half the cost of an inspection.

[Four Litre]

geeks said:

jeremyh1 said:

geeks said:

Is there a local PH'er you could send to give it a once over as well as someone like the AA/RAC etc?

Ha ha is this a joke would you trust somebody on here to do that
Have you actually seen what these people write Would you want then scouting for you ?

Yeah ok, see your point, there are some good ones on here though

Lol! Could be worse than garage!! I'm thinking get AA report - and written understanding that Im not buying if its c**p - no risk really as they would be bringing it over for a viewing in reality?

[Harry Flashman]

Four Litre said:

The car in question is this one -

https://www.lloydltd.co.uk/Showroom/AUDI-RS4-4-2-F...

I had my heart set on Maser GT but now have a new dog so my C63 coupe doesn't really work with furry people!

Incidentally OP, I am considering the same car (but in the bright blue metallic they did), as I have a kid on the way. Watching this with interest!

I am also considering this, because £23k for 444bhp twin turbo V8. At 82k miles, it would need a full inspection anyway.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Edited by Harry Flashman on Wednesday 23 May 12:21

[Jasandjules]

Just did this for the first time last year.. Had 2 ten min vids of the car sent to me, inside and out and then picked up on a few chips etc which were then agreed to be fixed.

I then drove 3 hours to collect it (they drove 4).... The first time I met the car was when I paid the cash........ I totally love it and have no regrets at all.

(Oh I simply didn't have the time to drive 7 hours each way to simply view a car)

[Chrismawa]

This car is literally round the corner from where I'm sitting. However with it being an expensive car wouldn't want to be responsible for missing something! Something like an AA report is probably your best bet.

[Debaser]

A friend paid a deposit to buy a used M3 from a main dealer. They had promised there had been no accident or paint repairs.

I drove him to collect it and as soon as we walked into the dealer he saw the car and realised it had been repaired. Took about an hour of arguing to get his deposit back.

I wouldn't trust a main dealer to accurately describe a used car, and I wouldn't buy one without seeing it for myself.