Fiesta Size car 4-5K - Suggestions
Discussion
Over the weekend looked at two Fiesta's.
1. Advertised with full FSH. From experience I know this can mean absolutely anything so I simply ask for dales of services, mileages and where it was done. Done every year was the answer. Great. Can I have details? There are none. I was told it was serviced every year when in warranty then he had it MOT'd. I had to point out an MOT wasn't a service
With further digging it has zero service history.
2. Next one. Has it ever been involved in an accident. Nope was the answer. Great. View it. I pop the bonnet and ask to see all the paperwork. She comes back. FSH checks out. A tell tale piece of paper is a collection slip from auto repairs two months after they bought it. A quick google reveals it's an accident repair centre. I ask again. Oh yeah, OSR bumper was scratched by someone else in a car park. NSR bumper shows scratches. Overspray on hatch. Some trim on the NS shows overspray. Pull back door seals but all good. Just then on the B pillar I see paint drips. So in the past two years this car has had at least three smacks.
The joys of trying to buy a car.
1. Advertised with full FSH. From experience I know this can mean absolutely anything so I simply ask for dales of services, mileages and where it was done. Done every year was the answer. Great. Can I have details? There are none. I was told it was serviced every year when in warranty then he had it MOT'd. I had to point out an MOT wasn't a service
With further digging it has zero service history.2. Next one. Has it ever been involved in an accident. Nope was the answer. Great. View it. I pop the bonnet and ask to see all the paperwork. She comes back. FSH checks out. A tell tale piece of paper is a collection slip from auto repairs two months after they bought it. A quick google reveals it's an accident repair centre. I ask again.
Oh yeah, OSR bumper was scratched by someone else in a car park. NSR bumper shows scratches. Overspray on hatch. Some trim on the NS shows overspray. Pull back door seals but all good. Just then on the B pillar I see paint drips. So in the past two years this car has had at least three smacks.The joys of trying to buy a car.
Don't necessarily discount the 1.0 over reliability fears. 2014 onward versions had the coolant pipe modified so that it wouldn't split and cause loss of coolant (the main issue with Ecoboosts) I'm 21, had my 1.0 Focus for 4 years and never had any problems with it. My insurance is also less than £500 with 4 years NCB.
Fiesta will be a good bet, as others said, loads to choose from so you can afford to be picky.
Fiesta will be a good bet, as others said, loads to choose from so you can afford to be picky.
Small cars are generally used around town and for shopping so are very prone to car park scratches and scrapes.
My wife's car, which we also use for family duties, is 4 years old and has had 3 smart repairs for car park scuffs. A lot of people wouldn't even bother getting scratches fixed as it's annoyingly expensive and not something you really want to claim on your insurance. The usual scenario is that you come back to your car and notice someone has done your bumper and promptly left so you can't claim from them either. I'm sure most people have experienced this. Obviously this kind of damage is purely cosmetic so not something that should concern the next owner. If I was asked if the car had been in an accident I'd say no.
What I'm saying is the fact that someone has had scratches and dents repaired actually shows signs that the car is well cared for. To me anyway.
As for history, most cars will have either a stamped up book and/or service receipts. If I was told the car had been serviced annually I'd just ask if the book was stamped. If it was then it's all good.
I think that maybe you're being a bit too suspicious. Most private sellers are genuine.
My wife's car, which we also use for family duties, is 4 years old and has had 3 smart repairs for car park scuffs. A lot of people wouldn't even bother getting scratches fixed as it's annoyingly expensive and not something you really want to claim on your insurance. The usual scenario is that you come back to your car and notice someone has done your bumper and promptly left so you can't claim from them either. I'm sure most people have experienced this. Obviously this kind of damage is purely cosmetic so not something that should concern the next owner. If I was asked if the car had been in an accident I'd say no.
What I'm saying is the fact that someone has had scratches and dents repaired actually shows signs that the car is well cared for. To me anyway.
As for history, most cars will have either a stamped up book and/or service receipts. If I was told the car had been serviced annually I'd just ask if the book was stamped. If it was then it's all good.
I think that maybe you're being a bit too suspicious. Most private sellers are genuine.
I'm looking for the same kind of car (g/f's daughter) - although budget can be slightly higher.
In fact, I did find the perfect car - at a bargain price - and she bought it. Eight days later, she proved why insurance is so expensive for young people!
I've just seen one local Fiesta advert - "serviced by family mechanic. Advertised as FSH because WBAC valued it as such" - I'm sure it did if you checked the FSH box. If you'd taken it to them, I suspect they would have taken a different view.......
There seems to be very little around at the moment. Yes, there are lots of Fiesta's - but they're not allowed to be red, or more than about 10 miles away, or......... and some of the other brands don't meet the criteria for style.
A few that we did call about had already gone.
In fact, I did find the perfect car - at a bargain price - and she bought it. Eight days later, she proved why insurance is so expensive for young people!
I've just seen one local Fiesta advert - "serviced by family mechanic. Advertised as FSH because WBAC valued it as such" - I'm sure it did if you checked the FSH box. If you'd taken it to them, I suspect they would have taken a different view.......
There seems to be very little around at the moment. Yes, there are lots of Fiesta's - but they're not allowed to be red, or more than about 10 miles away, or......... and some of the other brands don't meet the criteria for style.
A few that we did call about had already gone.
davek_964 said:
A few that we did call about had already gone.
It's a seller's market at the moment, especially with small cheap cars. I guess that's why many private sellers won't tolerate buyers who mess them around or basically want brand new condition for rock bottom price.I sold recently and whilst I got an okay price I was minutes away from telling the buyer to do one due to the number of stupid questions and repeated checks despite all the service records and receipts being right there.
Used cars are exactly that..used. if you want to know what they're like go and see them. It's fair enough to ask questions and look at any history but not everyone keeps meticulous records. But if a car looks good and drives okay and the seller seems genuine then that should do. And if not then you need to pay more from a dealer to get some kind of warranty.
ChrisH72 said:
It's a seller's market at the moment, especially with small cheap cars. I guess that's why many private sellers won't tolerate buyers who mess them around or basically want brand new condition for rock bottom price.
I sold recently and whilst I got an okay price I was minutes away from telling the buyer to do one due to the number of stupid questions and repeated checks despite all the service records and receipts being right there.
Used cars are exactly that..used. if you want to know what they're like go and see them. It's fair enough to ask questions and look at any history but not everyone keeps meticulous records. But if a car looks good and drives okay and the seller seems genuine then that should do. And if not then you need to pay more from a dealer to get some kind of warranty.
I just want an honest seller.I sold recently and whilst I got an okay price I was minutes away from telling the buyer to do one due to the number of stupid questions and repeated checks despite all the service records and receipts being right there.
Used cars are exactly that..used. if you want to know what they're like go and see them. It's fair enough to ask questions and look at any history but not everyone keeps meticulous records. But if a car looks good and drives okay and the seller seems genuine then that should do. And if not then you need to pay more from a dealer to get some kind of warranty.
Has it had accident repairs that you know of? Simple enough question. No was the answer. It was in an accident repair centre shortly after they bought it and the repair looked fine. Even when I clocked this I was told that was it. I picked up another area of damage and at least two other repairs.
If you want to accept a stamped book then that's cool. I'll check it as when buying Lady B's vehicle there were quite a few fake histories.
No car yet but do have to report on some of the sellers.
One seller said although the car is for sale I can't have it for a month as she's still using it
Another one who said yes excellent condition but failed to mention the passenger side that needs a machine polish, the dent in the bumper, the broken grill, dent in wheel arch etc etc
I have two sellers at the moment who are taking 2/3 days to answer questions, I reply with another question and then have to wait another 2/3 days. I've never had this much trouble buying
One seller said although the car is for sale I can't have it for a month as she's still using it
Another one who said yes excellent condition but failed to mention the passenger side that needs a machine polish, the dent in the bumper, the broken grill, dent in wheel arch etc etc
I have two sellers at the moment who are taking 2/3 days to answer questions, I reply with another question and then have to wait another 2/3 days. I've never had this much trouble buying
To bring this to a close.
In the end I found the Fiesta was produced in 14 different colours. 14.
Although Black was an initial option it was withdrawn
Found a lovely car in Birmingham. 16 Reg, one owner, full Ford SH, no accidents, Sub 30K miles. Lovely car. Only problem was it was f
king white.
In the end I did find a great car. One owner, FSH, bit higher on the miles than ideally wanted but sensible money. I didn't hang about and went to view immediately. Owner could have sold it three times that day after me.Left deposit and returned next day to collect.
In the end I found the Fiesta was produced in 14 different colours. 14.
Although Black was an initial option it was withdrawn
Found a lovely car in Birmingham. 16 Reg, one owner, full Ford SH, no accidents, Sub 30K miles. Lovely car. Only problem was it was f
king white.In the end I did find a great car. One owner, FSH, bit higher on the miles than ideally wanted but sensible money. I didn't hang about and went to view immediately. Owner could have sold it three times that day after me.Left deposit and returned next day to collect.
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