Buying a car...what a nightmare.
Discussion
Don't know why i'm posting this. All I want is a VW. So many out there and yet each one seems to have problems.
The number of times I have asked about service and got 'Do it myself mate'...OK that's not a problem. Do you have the receipts for parts used? No.
I can get an MOT on it for you if you wish *wink* *wink*
Asking to view anywhere apart from their home. Then I look at the V5. Who is this? Oh it's where I normally live.
New engine at 85k. Receipt? Nah, mate done it cash in hand.
People have some strange idea of what small scratches are.
Then you get the one line answers on emails. I sent a huge text asking details and giving phone number etc and all I get back is Yeh still 4 sale.
Looking at the £3k - £5k range so hardly clapped out bangers.
I am now looking at garages but don't really want to as I am looking for a bargain.
The number of times I have asked about service and got 'Do it myself mate'...OK that's not a problem. Do you have the receipts for parts used? No.
I can get an MOT on it for you if you wish *wink* *wink*
Asking to view anywhere apart from their home. Then I look at the V5. Who is this? Oh it's where I normally live.
New engine at 85k. Receipt? Nah, mate done it cash in hand.
People have some strange idea of what small scratches are.
Then you get the one line answers on emails. I sent a huge text asking details and giving phone number etc and all I get back is Yeh still 4 sale.
Looking at the £3k - £5k range so hardly clapped out bangers.
I am now looking at garages but don't really want to as I am looking for a bargain.
Morningside said:
I am now looking at garages but don't really want to as I am looking for a bargain.
That might be your issue, usually you get what you pay for. If something is cheap there's often a reason, pay decent money for a decent car and I bet it'll go better in the long run. I would rather have a well looked after high mileage car than a barried/abused low mileage one (which could well be clocked anyway).Morningside said:
I am now looking at garages but don't really want to as I am looking for a bargain.
The old maxim - 'you get what you pay for' can apply to car purchases too. As I'm sure you know, you're more likely to buy something with a decent provenance from a dealer - not guaranteed of course, but generally that's why they tend to be more expensive. You've got some recourse against a dealer too.No advice, apart from what you're doing which is 'do your research and buy on condition.'
Good luck!
Have you thought about leasing? :-)
ETA Beaten to it
Sounds like my local Facebook car selling site but at £3-5k you should have some decent private sellers and not chancers who have run the car on a budget.
Maybe widen your choice and don't just stick to VW.
Or persevere and hope you find a decent one or as you said look at dealers.
ETA Beaten to it
Sounds like my local Facebook car selling site but at £3-5k you should have some decent private sellers and not chancers who have run the car on a budget.
Maybe widen your choice and don't just stick to VW.
Or persevere and hope you find a decent one or as you said look at dealers.
Morningside said:
Looking at the £3k - £5k range so hardly clapped out bangers.
They will be relatively old cars though - 10+ years old.Sadly VWs (and predominantly diesel) of that age and price are prime candidates for the "home private trader" brigade who'll "meet you at Tescos pal", take your money and switch off their PAYG sim and look for the next victim.
Al U said:
Buying any car as long as it is a certain brand is definitely a new buying technique to me.
Since my missus got a VW and I joined a couple of VW forums, I noticed that sticking religiously to the brand seems common. There are often threads were people wonder which model they should get next, often covering a surprising range of vehicle sizes. Suggestions of non-VW models are dismissed out-of-hand.I don't want to be one of those 'OP is always wrong' types, but if you are spending a relatively small amount on a car then I think your options are either A) not be too fussy, or B) expect it to take a long time and to have to deal with a few muppets along the way. As it happens my latest car cost £4k - slap bang in the middle of your price range. For cheap-ish cars I always go with the maxim that if it looks right, sounds right and drives right, it's probably alright. As a result I bought the first one I went to see (from a dealer), not-quite full service history, no receipts for parts (actually I didn't even ask), and 10,000 miles later it's spot on. Could I have got something similar cheaper? Probably, but my time I would have spent mucking about trying to find it is worth more to me that the few hundred quid I could have saved.
OP don't give up hope.
When buying privately provenance is all important.
Any suspicion of foul play then walk away.
Ask the difficult questions over the phone first since that saves you a lot of time.
When you do find a genuine seller then make a quick decision and negotiate immediately since they are few and far between.
Good Luck.
Oh and just ignore those "get what you pay for" replies. £10K dealer cars are just the same £5k cars that you are seeing but with a £5k mark up.
John
When buying privately provenance is all important.
Any suspicion of foul play then walk away.
Ask the difficult questions over the phone first since that saves you a lot of time.
When you do find a genuine seller then make a quick decision and negotiate immediately since they are few and far between.
Good Luck.
Oh and just ignore those "get what you pay for" replies. £10K dealer cars are just the same £5k cars that you are seeing but with a £5k mark up.
John
DON'T try local auctions !!!
As a VERY general rule - any vehicle entered into an auction, at your price point, is in there for a reason. Plus, it isn't until the hammer drops and you turn up at the pay desk, that you realise the horrendous charges that are added on to the hammer price. Plus - the auction house sends the reg. doc. off to DVLA on your behalf - and charges you for the privilege.
Do a VERY GREAT DEAL of research and buy privately. You get to look the car over at your leisure/speak to the owner/test drive the car/negotiate a price - NONE of which you can properly do at an auction.
I won't charge you for giving out 45 years of experience for free.......
As a VERY general rule - any vehicle entered into an auction, at your price point, is in there for a reason. Plus, it isn't until the hammer drops and you turn up at the pay desk, that you realise the horrendous charges that are added on to the hammer price. Plus - the auction house sends the reg. doc. off to DVLA on your behalf - and charges you for the privilege.
Do a VERY GREAT DEAL of research and buy privately. You get to look the car over at your leisure/speak to the owner/test drive the car/negotiate a price - NONE of which you can properly do at an auction.
I won't charge you for giving out 45 years of experience for free.......
Strangely, someone I know bought a MK1 Focus at an auction with 103k miles on it for 225 hammer price and premiums so the car costed 350 in total and had no issues with it ever since. For 5k you can even get a Phaeton I think. But some ppl (in my oppinion wrongly) have a brain stop when they see over 100k miles when especially german cars are made to do like 300k miles and that with PROPER MAINTENANCE should be no issue at all.
Greenmantle said:
OP don't give up hope.
When buying privately provenance is all important.
Any suspicion of foul play then walk away.
Ask the difficult questions over the phone first since that saves you a lot of time.
When you do find a genuine seller then make a quick decision and negotiate immediately since they are few and far between.
Good Luck.
Oh and just ignore those "get what you pay for" replies. £10K dealer cars are just the same £5k cars that you are seeing but with a £5k mark up.
John
All good advice apart from the last sentence which is absolute nonsense When buying privately provenance is all important.
Any suspicion of foul play then walk away.
Ask the difficult questions over the phone first since that saves you a lot of time.
When you do find a genuine seller then make a quick decision and negotiate immediately since they are few and far between.
Good Luck.
Oh and just ignore those "get what you pay for" replies. £10K dealer cars are just the same £5k cars that you are seeing but with a £5k mark up.
John
datum77 said:
DON'T try local auctions !!!
As a VERY general rule - any vehicle entered into an auction, at your price point, is in there for a reason. Plus, it isn't until the hammer drops and you turn up at the pay desk, that you realise the horrendous charges that are added on to the hammer price. Plus - the auction house sends the reg. doc. off to DVLA on your behalf - and charges you for the privilege.
Do a VERY GREAT DEAL of research and buy privately. You get to look the car over at your leisure/speak to the owner/test drive the car/negotiate a price - NONE of which you can properly do at an auction.
I won't charge you for giving out 45 years of experience for free.......
Not sure I agree with all of this.As a VERY general rule - any vehicle entered into an auction, at your price point, is in there for a reason. Plus, it isn't until the hammer drops and you turn up at the pay desk, that you realise the horrendous charges that are added on to the hammer price. Plus - the auction house sends the reg. doc. off to DVLA on your behalf - and charges you for the privilege.
Do a VERY GREAT DEAL of research and buy privately. You get to look the car over at your leisure/speak to the owner/test drive the car/negotiate a price - NONE of which you can properly do at an auction.
I won't charge you for giving out 45 years of experience for free.......
Certainly, if you buy privately, or from an independent dealer, you can definitely have a good look at the car and drive it before you commit yourself, but isn't the reason a lot of vehicles are entered into auctions nothing more sinister than "large dealer group getting rid of overage trade-ins"? Yes, buyer's fees are horrific these days, but as long as you are aware of them (how much do they charge for sending off the reg. doc?) and can still get the car cheap enough, then, if you are confident enough, I don't see why you shouldn't buy from an auction.
By confident enough, I mean able to make a reasonable assessment of the condition of the car in the thick of an auction sale. And to know what you should be paying for the car, including all the buyer's fees, etc. and making an allowance for bork factor.
Definitely not for the faint hearted, I agree, and maybe not worth the effort if you can't buy cheaply enough.
There was another thread on here saying that auction fodder is not going to be that much cheaper than forecourt, especially once you add the private buyers premium on top. The days of saving thousands at auction seem to be over.
Stick to private op, keep scanning Facebook,eBay,gumtree,etc and something will turn up eventually. Just be patient.
Stick to private op, keep scanning Facebook,eBay,gumtree,etc and something will turn up eventually. Just be patient.
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