AA Vehicle Inspection - anyone used it?
Discussion
Hey,
I'm currently on the search for a new car; something along the lines of a E320 W211 or CLK320 and possibly a S-Type 3.0 (facelift) - all petrol variants.
I'm 23 and had 2 cars so far, they were both only a few years old and nowhere near as complicated as the above. Aside from checking the bodywork I don't know much else mechanically. So I'm thinking that if I find a decent example, to get an AA car inspection for peace of mind. Has anyone used them, would you recommend them? It costs around £150+ depending on the type of check.
More info:
https://www.theaa.com/vehicle-inspections/
I'm currently on the search for a new car; something along the lines of a E320 W211 or CLK320 and possibly a S-Type 3.0 (facelift) - all petrol variants.
I'm 23 and had 2 cars so far, they were both only a few years old and nowhere near as complicated as the above. Aside from checking the bodywork I don't know much else mechanically. So I'm thinking that if I find a decent example, to get an AA car inspection for peace of mind. Has anyone used them, would you recommend them? It costs around £150+ depending on the type of check.
More info:
https://www.theaa.com/vehicle-inspections/
I guess the question to ask is: what are the chances that the AA bod who inspects your potential purpose is an expert on that particular make and model? Not that likely, so all you'd be getting is a generic MOT-style check with maybe a checklist of issues specific for that model.
Any report they give will probably be just like a surveyor's report on a house; they have every incentive to err on the side of caution and list as many faults/issues as possible, so the output on any oldish complicated car may not be very helpful. I would also expect that the contract is quite carefully worded to minimise any potential comeback you would have if they did miss something.
I would say you'd probably be better off just doing some careful online research such as reading buyers guides on forums for the cars you're interested in. Then go to look at the cars armed with that checklist.
Any report they give will probably be just like a surveyor's report on a house; they have every incentive to err on the side of caution and list as many faults/issues as possible, so the output on any oldish complicated car may not be very helpful. I would also expect that the contract is quite carefully worded to minimise any potential comeback you would have if they did miss something.
I would say you'd probably be better off just doing some careful online research such as reading buyers guides on forums for the cars you're interested in. Then go to look at the cars armed with that checklist.
boz1 said:
I would say you'd probably be better off just doing some careful online research such as reading buyers guides on forums for the cars you're interested in. Then go to look at the cars armed with that checklist.
I'd very much agree with this. By looking at various forums for these cars, there is a vast amount of knowledge and things to look out for. Read up on this and quiz the seller or check up on these areas, look at how the cars been looked after and the history file etc. Buying cars such as this are some times a bit of pot luck. I'd put the inspection money aside into a repair fund Good luck!
When I was searching for a decent GTO, 10 years ago, I called on their services for a car in Basingstoke. I was a little concerned by the respray. He took us for a drive; fine. He spent a few minutes checking under the bonnet, smiled at me then slid underneath with a torch. Moments later he was out, saying "walk away". He'd found strange welding, sealed over.
Worth £150, I think.
Worth £150, I think.
Yep I've used them twice and both times where excellent. The first was a few years back on the BMW 318ti. The AA found it had been completely re-sprayed from Red to Blue (no obvious indication and later I found someone paid BMW to do it a vast cost). It also came back with finance still outstanding (which AA sorted as it was actually paid off). I bought the car as there was no obvious issues with it and it ran perfectly for the few years I had it before I sold it on.
Second time was on my current Merc C350, bought from a Mercedes garage and they where surprised I wanted to looked at (as they said they did a crazy point check before selling). However I didn't have time to view the car so this was the cheaper option for me than spending a day travelling to see it. Report came back with no issues and AA man said I am getting a very nice car for the money, 2 years later and zero issues.
Second time was on my current Merc C350, bought from a Mercedes garage and they where surprised I wanted to looked at (as they said they did a crazy point check before selling). However I didn't have time to view the car so this was the cheaper option for me than spending a day travelling to see it. Report came back with no issues and AA man said I am getting a very nice car for the money, 2 years later and zero issues.
I used them in 2003 and it missed a series of items, so much so that I had the full cost + extra refunded. May have just had a bad experience, but haven't used them on any of my purchases since. I would look for an expert of the particular car or a specific recommendation of a reputable inspector
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