Buying warning signals!

[mercrocker]

I rarely buy cars.   The Minor was an expensive mistake that has only paid for itself through sheer abuse for 10 years.   Most of the things I have looked at / for (as opposed to tripping over) have been Mercs.

 

I would never buy one of these with the three pointed star missing from the bonnet (preferably radiator grille).  Anybody prepared to drive one around with that missing does not deserve the car and probably pissed in the radiator, sold the first-aid kit on Ebay, adulterated his wife on the back seat and had the car serviced at KwikFit.

[dollywobbler]

Sometimes you need to ignore the warning signs. My Perodua was advertised with pictures the size of avatars and two lines of not entirely descriptive text. Surely a typcial grunting Gumtree mong. I thought I'd send an email anyway and it turned out to be an elderly but very genuine gentleman who wasn't very good on computers.

[forddeliveryboy]

Does the seller look you in the eyes and listen to your questions, answering them as fairly and honestly as seems reasonable? I've known the finest people living in the most dire circumstances - whether of their own making or not - so tend not to be judgemental whether they live in third-world type environments or a stately home. We're such a snobby nation regarding property, it brings us little good.

[fred]

You can usually suss out the Mongs from the decent sorts just by the phone call. 

If they speak the Queens English and answer all the questions without saying 'mate' 'bud' 'pal' 'fella'

you have a half decent chance of netting a good un

[Split_Pin]

"Few age related marks, nothing major" = Neglected then hastily tidied up

"Short MOT" = Will never pass another

" Not arsed if it doesn't sell" = Attempt to lend provenance to a sub standard car using frosty aloofness.

Offer from seller to have car checked at any garage to confirm fitness for the road.

[stripped fred]

I pay particular attention to the tyres. I'm not keen on really cheap makes but in particular mismatched tyres with varying levels of tread. To me it indictes an owner who doesn't really care so has probably neglected other aspects of the car. Also, owners who don't keep paperwork.

[forddeliveryboy]

The older a car gets, the more it's down to whether or a local garage could be bothered to do work properly or not, in many cases. If owners have diyed, it's usually of a good quality - though watch out for the 'enthusiast' who has never stopped fiddling and has a car which may shine and have new brake discs and pads but otherwise is totally borked.

 

You can usually suss out the Mongs from the decent sorts just by the phone call. 

If they speak the Queens English and answer all the questions without saying 'mate' 'bud' 'pal' 'fella'

you have a half decent chance of netting a good un

 

I've known of some very dodgy cars sold, genuinely privately, by people who should know better. There are honest people in this world, and those who couldn't care a siht about anything which doesn't directly affect them. Class is no barrier to decency.

[sierraman]

This is it, there's loads of people who think a service is an oil change, then want all the money because it had the timing belt changed in 2005...

[Ghosty]

Auto Trader: when the 'trade seller' doesn't have a landline.

[Bren]

If there is a trampoline/dogshit/budweiser mini fridge in the front garden then it's fair to say I'll be giving that motor a miss.

 

No offence.

[chaseracer]

2011 - Decided to sell mini (998) and buy a Honda Accord icdti - There were hardly any for sale, and I rang up loads of people with weird accents, who couldn't answer a straight question. The guy I bought it off was a 'gentleman dealer' selling an ecelectic range of cars from his house in the welsh country side...

 

AFAIK, Mr. Wobbler has never had a Honda Accord...

 

[chaseracer]

Voxalls or Pujos in Chester.

 

FTFY, Billy 

[Des]

Here's an early warning to run like a whippet with his knackers alight.

 

FOR SALE

[michael1703]

Tyre paint

[sierraman]

Someone purporting to have FSH. What you find then is an array of Kwik Fit bills for tyres and a solitary MOT from about four years ago.

[twosmoke300]

Anything worth more than 300 quid and running on veg oil I'm afraid

[sierraman]

Various indicators of a life on the minicab circuit. Holes in bumper, diesel, sagging doors etc.

 

Most taxis can only be a certain age anyway. Unless they are in some backwoods dodgy authority like Gedling or something where the only requirement is that it will run.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Nothing really good cars can be owned by bad* people and the same the other way.

 

What I don't get is the hatred of dealers* what's wrong with wanting to make some money and only having the car 5 minutes? Or not having a land line, if it weren't for the Internet most people wouldn't have one anyway

[sierraman]

I agree I've bought off dealers in the past and they've been dead honest about the car and realistic about what its worth. I've also bought off private people that will lie through their teeth and have no concept of what the cars worth.

[sierraman]

My favourite is 'owned by mechanic' - like he's spent 50 hour a week fixing other people's cars. He's going to just love doing it when he gets home as well!

[bub2006]

Most mechanic owned cars I've seen are absolute dogs. Used as a pool car for gaffer or laccy to run around to scrapyard in.