Car buying... Where are all the decent cars?!
Discussion
Off out on a jolly today to have a mooch around some cars
In the need for something sensible(ish) and reliable, I've got a small budget to get a cheap hack (£2.5K) so not expecting the best car in the world
First up Volvo S40 2.0d - Dealer description of very good, service history etc.Pictures looked very promising
Car body condition was OK(ish) small patch of rust on 1 door, 4 mismatched ditch finders, No service history(!), no sign of cambelt change, 1 receipt for a clutch 4 years ago. Whole car shook at idle! Didn't bother with test drive
Second place had 2 Civics to look at and spotted another Volvo whilst there
Civics were shot, basically crap cheapo PX's driven from the Auction house and plonked on the lot. Bad paint, trim missing, mismatched tyres... etc. etc 120k+ miles
Volvo was in reasonable condition (1.6 petrol S40), low mileage - Chap said "Yeh we've had it a while so reduced to shift it at £1800 ish." It had 3 flat tyres (should have walked away then and there), battery flat (not unexpected when its been on the lot a while). Jumped it and ran smoothly. No service history, not even the service book present. Then he tried to sell it at £2450.... Cant do any better mate. It's on your f*cking website for £1850! C*ck so i left
Finally Honda Accord 2.2 diesel - FSH - 1 Owner - Leather
Car was shoved at back of tiny dealership.
Flat battery (again not unexpected), crap tyres, jumped it and a HUGE ploom of smoke! Engine management light on, glow plug light on, bulbs gone.... Cue dealer "Nothing to worry about it comes with a warranty"..... Er no thanks mate.
Small rant but essentially a waste of 3 hours of my life!
Cue replies saying what did i expect...
Well don't know TBH was hoping there would be 1 semi decent car out there, service history, decent tyres (not even premium branded just matching with tread, heck even matching fronts would do!) and not like it was about to die the moment i drove it off the lot!
I can see why people lease now.
On a positive note did discover today just how comfortable Volvo seats are!...
In the need for something sensible(ish) and reliable, I've got a small budget to get a cheap hack (£2.5K) so not expecting the best car in the world
First up Volvo S40 2.0d - Dealer description of very good, service history etc.Pictures looked very promising
Car body condition was OK(ish) small patch of rust on 1 door, 4 mismatched ditch finders, No service history(!), no sign of cambelt change, 1 receipt for a clutch 4 years ago. Whole car shook at idle! Didn't bother with test drive
Second place had 2 Civics to look at and spotted another Volvo whilst there
Civics were shot, basically crap cheapo PX's driven from the Auction house and plonked on the lot. Bad paint, trim missing, mismatched tyres... etc. etc 120k+ miles
Volvo was in reasonable condition (1.6 petrol S40), low mileage - Chap said "Yeh we've had it a while so reduced to shift it at £1800 ish." It had 3 flat tyres (should have walked away then and there), battery flat (not unexpected when its been on the lot a while). Jumped it and ran smoothly. No service history, not even the service book present. Then he tried to sell it at £2450.... Cant do any better mate. It's on your f*cking website for £1850! C*ck so i left
Finally Honda Accord 2.2 diesel - FSH - 1 Owner - Leather
Car was shoved at back of tiny dealership.
Flat battery (again not unexpected), crap tyres, jumped it and a HUGE ploom of smoke! Engine management light on, glow plug light on, bulbs gone.... Cue dealer "Nothing to worry about it comes with a warranty"..... Er no thanks mate.
Small rant but essentially a waste of 3 hours of my life!
Cue replies saying what did i expect...
Well don't know TBH was hoping there would be 1 semi decent car out there, service history, decent tyres (not even premium branded just matching with tread, heck even matching fronts would do!) and not like it was about to die the moment i drove it off the lot!
I can see why people lease now.
On a positive note did discover today just how comfortable Volvo seats are!...
Edited by haddock82 on Saturday 18th November 23:18
To be fair, I've noticed this with a lot of trade sellers. They just don't seem to give a toss anymore. I've seen more than a few ads on Autotrader where the pics have been lifted straight from the BCA auction website.
Hopefully my next car purchase will be today. I'm going to view it later. Private sale, owned for four years, clean MOT history at the same garage, affluent area of Cheshire, four matching Bridgestone tyres on. All the signs are looking good.
Hopefully my next car purchase will be today. I'm going to view it later. Private sale, owned for four years, clean MOT history at the same garage, affluent area of Cheshire, four matching Bridgestone tyres on. All the signs are looking good.
haddock82 said:
Small rant but essentially a waste of 3 hours of my life!
Well don't know TBH was hoping there would be 1 semi decent car out there, service history, decent tyres (not even premium branded just matching with tread, heck even matching fronts would do!) and not like it was about to die the moment i drove it off the lot!
I can see why people lease now.
On a positive note did discover today just how comfortable Volvo seats are!...
I have been having a similar experience with slightly higher priced cars (>£5k) as i am after a family hack and found the same lack of care at a few local dealers.I had wanted a fun car for weekends as well but as i need a car for general use i will probably just lease something...Well don't know TBH was hoping there would be 1 semi decent car out there, service history, decent tyres (not even premium branded just matching with tread, heck even matching fronts would do!) and not like it was about to die the moment i drove it off the lot!
I can see why people lease now.
On a positive note did discover today just how comfortable Volvo seats are!...
Edited by haddock82 on Saturday 18th November 23:18
Plate spinner said:
Buy privately at that budget.
£2.5k dealer cars are £1.5k cars...
I looked at a couple of local private cars and one was a dealer selling for a friend (yeah right) and the other car was a mess,a vacuum and a wipe down would of helped..£2.5k dealer cars are £1.5k cars...
Edited by blueveloce on Sunday 19th November 08:20
Find a decent dealer then find the car?
I've leased now, but was looking possibly for a 2005 Honda CRV. Checking numberplates vs mot online I found a dealer who had good stock. Virtually everything they stock has adecent mot history and looks straight. Reading the ads theyve even made sure things like air con works on 10yo cars. Prices at higher end, but I knew it wouldn't be a wasted journey.
I've leased now, but was looking possibly for a 2005 Honda CRV. Checking numberplates vs mot online I found a dealer who had good stock. Virtually everything they stock has adecent mot history and looks straight. Reading the ads theyve even made sure things like air con works on 10yo cars. Prices at higher end, but I knew it wouldn't be a wasted journey.
They are out there.
I'm just about to sell the 09 Focus that I bought privately in August. It's never seen a main dealer. It has full indie history. As soon as I walked up to the car then knocked on the owners door I knew it was a car. It's been to France/Belgium a month ago and the oil is still clean from it's oil change in May. The filter was clean so now ive changed my perception of indie . V . Main dealer servicing. Ironically wbac offers what I paid for it.
No squeeks too but a Type R beckons.
They are out there. Sounds like a generalisation but I always do a Google Street view before I set off and have a lengthy phone call or email exchange
I'm just about to sell the 09 Focus that I bought privately in August. It's never seen a main dealer. It has full indie history. As soon as I walked up to the car then knocked on the owners door I knew it was a car. It's been to France/Belgium a month ago and the oil is still clean from it's oil change in May. The filter was clean so now ive changed my perception of indie . V . Main dealer servicing. Ironically wbac offers what I paid for it.
No squeeks too but a Type R beckons.
They are out there. Sounds like a generalisation but I always do a Google Street view before I set off and have a lengthy phone call or email exchange
I found this out when trawling the local dealers for a sub £2k small car for one of the OH’s friends.
Speaking to one dealer who had a Ka for sale at £1800 (this thing was grim and I wouldn’t of given him £500 for it) he just said “someone will pay the asking price as there’s not much else out there!”
I believe it’s a tough price point due to the scrappage schemes etc.
Speaking to one dealer who had a Ka for sale at £1800 (this thing was grim and I wouldn’t of given him £500 for it) he just said “someone will pay the asking price as there’s not much else out there!”
I believe it’s a tough price point due to the scrappage schemes etc.
t 💩I had an experience with Ford (Evans Halshaw) this year trying to buy a used Fiesta ST, bare in mind these aren't in short supply.
Placed a holding deposit on one I liked in Wakefield which then mysteriously "was involved in an accident" so I could no longer go and see it...
They then shipped me one from Preston to my local branch, had the car in 2 days before I could get into see, they didn't even bother to clean it... Spent 5 mins looking around, noted the large lip on the front brake disks and the 3A tyres on the front and wondered if it had actually done the 12000 miles the odometer said, if that were true, it had clearly had a tough start to its life, there were marks and scuffs all over it. When the sales person asked if it met my expectations i think she got abit of surprise when I said no...
Placed a holding deposit on one I liked in Wakefield which then mysteriously "was involved in an accident" so I could no longer go and see it...
They then shipped me one from Preston to my local branch, had the car in 2 days before I could get into see, they didn't even bother to clean it... Spent 5 mins looking around, noted the large lip on the front brake disks and the 3A tyres on the front and wondered if it had actually done the 12000 miles the odometer said, if that were true, it had clearly had a tough start to its life, there were marks and scuffs all over it. When the sales person asked if it met my expectations i think she got abit of surprise when I said no...
blueveloce said:
Plate spinner said:
Buy privately at that budget.
£2.5k dealer cars are £1.5k cars...
I looked at a couple of local private cars and one was a dealer selling for a friend (yeah right) and the other car was a mess,a vacuum and a wipe down would of helped..£2.5k dealer cars are £1.5k cars...
Edited by blueveloce on Sunday 19th November 08:20
It's a risk for sure, but there are bargains out there. Personally I set the criteria I want - last time was 'estate, diesel, auto, less than £2.5k, within 15 miles'. I'm then flexible about what brand I'll buy. Keeps travel time / expense down and means I have no issues walking away. Last car I bought I initially had my offer rejected so shook hands with a smile, said that's the most it was worth to me I'm afraid and to be in touch if you have a change of mind. As I was back in my car setting the nav to drive off, the seller runs down the drive, taps on the window as says actually they'd like to do the deal. Result! Spent the next day giving it a deep clean and had enough money in the deal to get it straight up on the ramps; new discs and pads all round, oil and filters, fix a loose exhaust bracket, replace some worn suspension bushes. 18 months on and it's still a decent runner.
Plate spinner said:
When buying a cheap daily beater I like private cars that are a mess... if the mechanicals are in good order then all the seller has really done is allowed you to haggle much harder.
Sorry but a car covered in dog hairs,food stains and smells really bad is a no no for me.....haddock82 said:
Second place had 2 Civics to look at and spotted another Volvo whilst there
Civics were shot, basically crap cheapo PX's driven from the Auction house and plonked on the lot. Bad paint, trim missing, mismatched tyres... etc. etc 120k+ miles
Were they at a place that calls itself a 'car supermarket' with hundreds of wrecks up to about £3-3.5k? If it is the ones I've just looked at you can tell from the pictures to run a mile! (One with dodgy aftermarket alloys, scrapes and EML on, and the other with various bits of trim missing!)Civics were shot, basically crap cheapo PX's driven from the Auction house and plonked on the lot. Bad paint, trim missing, mismatched tyres... etc. etc 120k+ miles
Hub said:
haddock82 said:
Second place had 2 Civics to look at and spotted another Volvo whilst there
Civics were shot, basically crap cheapo PX's driven from the Auction house and plonked on the lot. Bad paint, trim missing, mismatched tyres... etc. etc 120k+ miles
Were they at a place that calls itself a 'car supermarket' with hundreds of wrecks up to about £3-3.5k? If it is the ones I've just looked at you can tell from the pictures to run a mile! (One with dodgy aftermarket alloys, scrapes and EML on, and the other with various bits of trim missing!)Civics were shot, basically crap cheapo PX's driven from the Auction house and plonked on the lot. Bad paint, trim missing, mismatched tyres... etc. etc 120k+ miles
Sa Calobra said:
They are out there.
I'm just about to sell the 09 Focus that I bought privately in August. It's never seen a main dealer. It has full indie history. As soon as I walked up to the car then knocked on the owners door I knew it was a car. It's been to France/Belgium a month ago and the oil is still clean from it's oil change in May. The filter was clean so now ive changed my perception of indie . V . Main dealer servicing. Ironically wbac offers what I paid for it.
No squeeks too but a Type R beckons.
They are out there. Sounds like a generalisation but I always do a Google Street view before I set off and have a lengthy phone call or email exchange
Hmm Focus is about the right size for me, you got any more details? PM or email me ;-)I'm just about to sell the 09 Focus that I bought privately in August. It's never seen a main dealer. It has full indie history. As soon as I walked up to the car then knocked on the owners door I knew it was a car. It's been to France/Belgium a month ago and the oil is still clean from it's oil change in May. The filter was clean so now ive changed my perception of indie . V . Main dealer servicing. Ironically wbac offers what I paid for it.
No squeeks too but a Type R beckons.
They are out there. Sounds like a generalisation but I always do a Google Street view before I set off and have a lengthy phone call or email exchange
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff