Why are they always so far away?
Discussion
Potential chariots...
Spotted a cracker of an XJS which would be in budget, WITHOUT having to sell the 928! and it's the exact spec i've been looking for too. However it's in Scotland
and i'm in the Midlands (England) Routeplanner makes it a 900 mile round trip!!!
Sods law ha
What's the furthest any of you guys have ventured to look at a new toy then?
Spotted a cracker of an XJS which would be in budget, WITHOUT having to sell the 928! and it's the exact spec i've been looking for too. However it's in Scotland
and i'm in the Midlands (England) Routeplanner makes it a 900 mile round trip!!!Sods law ha
What's the furthest any of you guys have ventured to look at a new toy then?
I travelled to Sheffield on the train to pick up a 123d - a fairly mundane car, but that's what I wanted. A check on the Bimmer approved used with 100% spec achieved left 1 car in the UK. It was priced fairly well, a quick deposit over the phone and off I went.
I'd travel anywhere in the UK to get the car I wanted. We're only a tiny country, so it's not exactly a chore is it?! And you get to drive your 'prize' all the way home. It all falls apart when yo travel miles for a car, only to find it has been mis-described upon arrival......
I'd travel anywhere in the UK to get the car I wanted. We're only a tiny country, so it's not exactly a chore is it?! And you get to drive your 'prize' all the way home. It all falls apart when yo travel miles for a car, only to find it has been mis-described upon arrival......
Brewsters said:
I'd travel anywhere in the UK to get the car I wanted. We're only a tiny country, so it's not exactly a chore is it?! And you get to drive your 'prize' all the way home. It all falls apart when yo travel miles for a car, only to find it has been mis-described upon arrival......
I did tihs.I drove from Solihull - Bedlington (North of Newcastle) about 250 miles, took us 5 hours to get there. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a few tatty looking workshops and the "mint condition" car that was said to be great on the phone. Didn't even stop at the garage to say we had arrived. It was obvious it had been bodged up.
5 min stretch our leg break and back home we went
What we do for cars ey
I do normally, my E46 touring was in Belfast, my S4 avant was in Dorset, the 335i was Cotswolds and the 123d was in Sunderland and the Merc I just got was Cheshire, however they were all 6 month old cars and cost a few quid, all the ones I am looking at now at sub £5k 330i's and nearly 10 years old, it makes it a hell of a treck to get there and say "It's a dog, I'll leave it thanks, any chance of a lift to the train station??' 
gizlaroc said:
I do normally, my E46 touring was in Belfast, my S4 avant was in Dorset, the 335i was Cotswolds and the 123d was in Sunderland and the Merc I just got was Cheshire, however they were all 6 month old cars and cost a few quid, all the ones I am looking at now at sub £5k 330i's and nearly 10 years old, it makes it a hell of a treck to get there and say "It's a dog, I'll leave it thanks, any chance of a lift to the train station??'
Similar car taste to me fella - had a 335d though.....
Me and a couple of my mates drove 750 miles from Johannesburg to Sedgefield on the south coast of South Africa and back again to pick up our 1973 Series III Land Rover.
Set off at about 4am or so in our little Hyundai Atos and got to the south coast at around 8pm, after crossing mountains, rivers and great plains etc along the way.
We then promptly turned around and set off straight back to Joburg, travelling at a notably slower pace and got back 2 days later.
Was an amazing journey and well worth the trip. She was a real beauty of a car.
(couldn't resist posting - oh the memories
)
If it is a car you really want, you should do it!
Set off at about 4am or so in our little Hyundai Atos and got to the south coast at around 8pm, after crossing mountains, rivers and great plains etc along the way.
We then promptly turned around and set off straight back to Joburg, travelling at a notably slower pace and got back 2 days later.
Was an amazing journey and well worth the trip. She was a real beauty of a car.
(couldn't resist posting - oh the memories
)If it is a car you really want, you should do it!
I think the point isn't so much whether it is worth travelling for the right car, but the relatively high chance that the car is going to be a dog, and the seller has you over a barrel when it comes to bargaining for the right price. All the ones that I like seem to be in Cornwall, which would probably be an overnight job from Yorkshire, and a small overdraft for the rail fare.
Travelled to see this dog http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1715176.htm
At the time it was said to have FSH. This turned out to be one service at 72k. Trader argued that this was a history. hmm. 4 different (one winter tyre), one missing wheel stud, one unpainted parking sensor, and deeply suspicious of mileage turned and went home.
Next car also in London. Asked lots of questions on the phone, guy seemed genuine. Hopped on the train. Car was not nearly as good as suggested. Had enough in the end, so negotiated hard and bought it. Still not sure if I had done the right thing.
Don't like buying used cars.
At the time it was said to have FSH. This turned out to be one service at 72k. Trader argued that this was a history. hmm. 4 different (one winter tyre), one missing wheel stud, one unpainted parking sensor, and deeply suspicious of mileage turned and went home.
Next car also in London. Asked lots of questions on the phone, guy seemed genuine. Hopped on the train. Car was not nearly as good as suggested. Had enough in the end, so negotiated hard and bought it. Still not sure if I had done the right thing.
Don't like buying used cars.
gizlaroc said:
Always in Scotland, I have got 9 cars in my favourites that are for sale at the moment and 8 of them are in Scotland, and I am in Norfolk.
Works both ways good chap; I'm in Aberdeen but any metal that regularly takes my fancy (Caterhams, E39s, 159s, defenders etc) always seem to be down in the midlands or further south; I rarely see any cars I really want local to me, and if I do they are usually higher/over priced Northern Ireland is the furthest I've travelled to buy a car; wasn't too bad actually, but I did end up using all modes of transport in my journey; walk, taxi, train, bus, airplane to get there, then car, boat, car to get back
Zad said:
I think the point isn't so much whether it is worth travelling for the right car, but the relatively high chance that the car is going to be a dog, and the seller has you over a barrel when it comes to bargaining for the right price. All the ones that I like seem to be in Cornwall, which would probably be an overnight job from Yorkshire, and a small overdraft for the rail fare.
Absolutely right! It's the thought of being in the middle of nowhere (especially with a private purchase) with the cash or banker's draft etc and deciding that you don't want it - how do you get back (with the money) when you only booked a one-way flight, bus, taxi?Luckily the car I just bought from the middle of nowhere in Scotland was perfect and exactly as described.
I think the key is to make sure you have a written exchange beforehand and that their basic spelling, grammar etc is ok and speak to them on the phone and check they can string a sentence together. I know this probably makes me a old tw*t but I wouldn't buy a used car from someone who uses textspeak when they are trying to sell it.
what sort of questions do you ask, in order to get an idea of whether a car is worth seeing or a seller is OK?
One I like is to ask what tyres it has, generally, if the seller actually knows what brand they are, and whether all four are the same, they may have a modicum of mechanical sympathy
if they don't even know, or they are a mixture of linglong deathtread plastic remoulds, you can safely give it a miss
One I like is to ask what tyres it has, generally, if the seller actually knows what brand they are, and whether all four are the same, they may have a modicum of mechanical sympathy
if they don't even know, or they are a mixture of linglong deathtread plastic remoulds, you can safely give it a miss
boomboompow said:
gizlaroc said:
Always in Scotland, I have got 9 cars in my favourites that are for sale at the moment and 8 of them are in Scotland, and I am in Norfolk.
Works both ways good chap; I'm in Aberdeen but any metal that regularly takes my fancy (Caterhams, E39s, 159s, defenders etc) always seem to be down in the midlands or further south; I rarely see any cars I really want local to me, and if I do they are usually higher/over priced Northern Ireland is the furthest I've travelled to buy a car; wasn't too bad actually, but I did end up using all modes of transport in my journey; walk, taxi, train, bus, airplane to get there, then car, boat, car to get back
Had a chap and his missus drive over from N Ireland to look at my CTR few years ago, left a deposit, then flew back over the next week, to collect car. Absolutely no issue for them...
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff