Buying a cheap used car rant

[biggs682]

Following on from my Luxury Bangernomics thread a while back .

We are currently trying to source a sub £600 small sized car and so far we have seen 3 and the thing that worries us is that apart from 1 of them . Is that when contact is made with the seller and we arrange to view we get given a post code and a house number which you think ok but .......

case no 1 given a post code of an old motor dealership that is now closed we get there no sign of car or seller after 5 mins we leave thinking dodgy

case no 2 given a post code in down town Far Cotton so off we go and the sat nav takes us to a bit of waste land by a set of busy traffic lights , sure enough car there complete with a very Irish sounding & looking female who i wouldn't argue with , car looks ok , drives okish but just didn't feel right . Wouldn,t give us her address details etc etc as we didn't need to know !!!

Now i can remember the good old days where you either went to a house or a garage not some vacant bit of land !!!

i know all about hpi checks and what to be careful about so no worries after all i buy and sell a couple of bikes .

got another one lined up lunch time awaiting address details as i type

 

[Cycleops]

Come back Arthur Daley.

 

[Brandane]

Could it be that in case #1 you got lucky as you were being set up to be relieved of your cash by means of violence?
It's quite a common MO for robbers, as you would presumably turn up cash in hand for such a transaction. So they advertise a non existent car, priced low enough for a cash buyer. Arrange the deal somewhere suitable for them, and bingo......

Be extremely cautious with the game you are playing....

 

[Freds Dad]

If they can't / won't meet you with the car at the address on the V5 then walk away, but some dodgy sellers will park just down the road from the registered keeper so be aware of this. You could of course ask to use their toilet while you are viewing the car outside their house.

 

[biggs682]

Could it be that in case #1 you got lucky as you were being set up to be relieved of your cash by means of violence?
It's quite a common MO for robbers, as you would presumably turn up cash in hand for such a transaction. So they advertise a non existent car, priced low enough for a cash buyer. Arrange the deal somewhere suitable for them, and bingo......

Be extremely cautious with the game you are playing....

@Brandane I totally agree and we only have £25 with us for similar reasons when we go but thanks .

@Cycleops Arthur Daley or Dell boy

 

[TreeHuggery]

maybe go auction?

 

[biggs682]

maybe go auction?

Good idea , think they still have auctions locally will look into it

 

[steveindenmark]

I have bought 3 motorbikes in the UK and two in Germany since moving to Denmark and all have gone without a hitch.

I am not going to travel to the UK to meet someone on a scrap of land in the middle of nowhere. On the off chance that the bike is or isnt stolen.

You need to do a bit of groundwork and that means writing a long list of questions that you want answered before you even go and see the car. Get them on the phone. Its a way to try and suss them out a bit. If there is any hesitation on the sellers part to answer any of your questions. Then move on and find another car.

I also get them to send up to date photos of their bikes as you have no idea how old the photos are you are looking at. I ask them to put a cup on the seat of the bike and send me the photo. That way I know they have the bike and the photo is up to date. They think Im odd but they do it. They dont think its odd when I meet them and tell them why.

My way works. I am still in touch with three of the sellers and have an open invitation to visit 2 of them. They have all been good experiences. Thats important to me. I wouldnt enjoy a vehicle if it had been a hassle buying it.

Its a buyers market.

 

[Brandane]

@Brandane I totally agree and we only have £25 with us for similar reasons when we go but thanks.

I thought you probably were streetwise enough to know about this when you mentioned your bike buying and selling experience . But it's scary how many naive people fall for it.

 

[Levo-Lon]

As @Brandane says.
YouveY be lucky not to be robbed and at best bought a ringer.

Cheap car ,try the car Auction

 

[helston90]

A warm engine can hide a multitude of problems, I would insist on seeing it started cold. This also limits the chance of them being able to move it somewhere dodgy!

 

[Electric_Andy]

Yes some of them might have been cosher but best not to risk it. You can tell a lot from the photos but don't rely on them. I always ring first and try to get good conversation out of them. If anything sounds dodgy then I hang up.

My criteria are:

Meet at their house or not at all. An honest seller should have nothing to hide.
If they know every detail about the car and tell you what you need to know straight away (full s/h, recent cambelt change etc etc) then they might be a trader in private clothing, which isn't always a bad thing but they will be less likely to be seeking a fair price for a good car.
If the engine is running when you get there, there's a problem. Insist on a cold engine start.
And the very snobby one - if you wouldn't approach them in the street to ask the time then don't buy a car off them.

 

[Dirk]

When initially calling about a vehicle for sale that's being advertised privately, always ask "I'm calling about the car that's for sale". If they ask "Which one?", just walk away.

 

[Profpointy]

When initially calling about a vehicle for sale that's being advertised privately, always ask "I'm calling about the car that's for sale". If they ask "Which one?", just walk away.

Wouldn't necessarily walk away - it just means they deal a bit on the side. Car may or may not be any good after all. And such a person is going to try and buy half-decent cars to flip and probably knows enough to avoid buying duds, whilst a private individual is just as likely to try and shift a problem car.

 

[biggs682]

Just had a text confirmation from the guy we are meeting lunch time that he works at the place we are meeting so that's good

As normal i will give it a once over and a min of 5 miles road test at various speed's and road conditions with my ears open for noises and eyes open for any other issue's whilst the other half checks the important things like paperwork