Condition or Spec?

[Bren]

Do you buy on condition or spec?

 

Does a clean giffer spec car make a wiser purchase than a leggy high spec model?

 

I have always gone on condition rather than spec - which seems to go against what most people choose these days.

 

The only time it goes against you is when you have to sell.

 

I have applied for another job, a round trip of 40 miles every day, which makes my A6 not that viable - mainly motorway, but a lot of it is stop - start.

 

The A6 is low spec - 2.4 SE,manual,leather,bluetooth but no sat nav. I am only the second owner and the car has 52 K on the clock. It also lacks a spare key - I dropped a bollock not realising how much a spare key would cost.

 

Unfortunately in the grand scheme of things it is as desirable as ebola - £290 a year tax does'nt help.

 

If I sell it will mean taking a huge hit - I will have to see how things go I guess.

[Crusty Sills]

Spec doesn't really bother me at the prices I buy my cars.

Condition is more important.

Plus less gadgetry = less to go wrong.

Poverty spec FTW.

[PiperCub]

Spec is largely unimportant as long as it does what I need, condition is way, way more important. Completely agree with what CS says about the less gadgets/clever crap fitted - the less can go wrong, this is especially relevent to our cars. (Yes, those fancy, clever features were wonderful and terribly whizzy and sexy when the car was new but 10-15+ years down the line........... maybe not so much a benefit more a chore).

 

When people ask me about buying this or that car I always trot out the same old lines:

 

"Buy on condition not age or spec"

 

"Always buy the best example you can realistically afford"

 

This has worked for me for the last 33 years so I'm in no hurry to change my ways. 

[mrbenn]

Condition/history probably the winner. So long as its got a/c cos I sweat like a bastard in the summer.

[purplebargeken]

Condition all the way baby.

[xtriple]

Condition every time.

 

Spec is nice though..... (trots out the old joke about always buy a high spec Rover as they are more comfortable while you're waiting for the AA) so if you can get both, so much the better. The other thing is: often a higher specced one will have been bought by someone who gives a shit and so 'may' have been better looked after.

[fatharris]

Most cars can have option retrofitted easily if desired. Surely that's made the case for condition over spec a no-brainer?

 

To throw another choice in the hoop, low mileage or good condition?

 

I'd take the high miler in decent Nick every time.

[rml2345]

Condition over spec or mileage is the way to go, particularly with bigger cars as short journeys/sitting about seems to do them more harm.

Done it the other way about loads of times though so I never learn.

[Pete-M]

I tend to look at spec first. If it's got the spec I like I'll then investigate further.

 

Cars with miserable spec make me miserable.

 

My checklist is pretty much as follows:

 

Is it grey inside? If so, walk away.

Is it white outside? If so, walk away.

Is it French? Normally walk away.

Is it tidy with service history?

Is it the fast one?

 

Then it's spec time.

 

If a car was available with leather and air-conditioning then that's what I'm looking for. I can't be doing with cloth seats or no air-conditioning.

 

Then it's just a case of checking out what's out there. Mileage is rarely something I worry about - I'd rather have a 200k mile car that's been serviced properly and used every day than a 20k miler that's done the run to the garden centre on a Sunday, is still on tyres and brakes from 1998 and been serviced biannually.

[Vince70]

Condition every time for me, it just wouldn't be autoshite if we went for upmarket spec motors..

[Pete-M]

To me, Autoshite doesn't have to actually be shit cars, just unfashionable.

[fordperv]

Condition is the main thing for me, I would rather a mint L spec car than a hanging ghia

[Lacquer Peel]

I owned a Peugeot 405 'Style', the base model, which had all I require - central locking because it's a  5 door, and power steering because it's a modern FWD diesel. Posher models are compromised with non-essentials like ABS, air conditioning (the fan setup is hideously complicated on these models) and a sunroof which eats into headroom.

[chodweaver]

Condition, of course.

 

This consideration goes out the window every time I go buying - I have to have the silly twiddly bits that make the car heavy, go wrong and are a bugger to fix. Hence my fascination with big old Citroens, 'trip' computers, pop up headlamps and t bar roofs etc etc. Not intending to change my ways anytime soon either.

 

And I've not even started on electric roofs yet.

 

Sent from my GT-S5830i using Tapatalk 2

[Supernaut]

Take my recent purchase as my reply.

 

Condition. It's 'only' a 2.6 V6, and it's got cloth seats. However, it's in bloody good nick.

 

(The colour may have played a part too. Pootling about listening to Ghost is so much fun).

[sierraman]

Condition and whether it's been maintained are important, so long as it has a radio and a heater what else do you need?

[Liggle]

Condition and history are key for me

[Pete-M]

Condition is obviously important, but I'll search and travel for a decent condition one in the right spec. They are out there, but they take a bit more looking for.

 

An immaculate car in a shit spec isn't something I'm interested in.

[Rocket88]

Condition / history.........and don't worry about mileage either, the two worst cars I ever bought were "little old lady low mileage" jobs.......guaranteed to explode if ever taken above 60 m.p.h

[Sealtainn]

I would say "Condition & History" but then again I bought a low mileage Granada with full history, in good condition and I'm about to get it back from the garage along with a bill for £1,500 so what do I know. At least I know she'll now be good for a while and she'll be out of this crap climate, tucked up safely in one of my barns by the end of the year.

[dollywobbler]

Condition. I bought the XM mostly because it seemed a really good one for the price. The added bonus has been that it's a low-spec one, so less to go wrong! Possibly, that made it cheaper to buy too. Not really sure. 

[gordonbennet]

First of all, instead of flogging yon A6 at mega loss, 'ows about LPGing the bugger, keeping it forever and creaming yer knickers whilst whistling a merry tune to the words Fuck You Gideon every time you fill up at 50p a litre....German cars do very well on the stuff.

 

Condition is all, but my choices tend to come in one spec anyway cos i'm usually after a certain engine and gearbox combo.

[strangeangel]

99/100 it's condition, but I sold my old 205 and bought one in less good condition with twice as many miles because cabrio. I justified this unusual action by reminding myself I was only spending the profits from the surprisingly generous insurance settlement on the old one.

[HH-R]

There's only really three features I'm really bothered about, ABS brakes, air con and variable intermittent wipe. The latter is not that common on European stuff so not a deal breaker. Other than that, condition. I'd have something without air con as a weekend/toy car but it certainly makes it a lot more pleasant on your daily driver.

[Pete-M]

Later (intermittent delay wipe) not common? my stuff has it, Mercedes is rain sensing, Subaru via the stalk.

 

P6 Rover had it in 63!

[Ghosty]

Old Man always buys on condition.

And he won't buy anything on more than 90-100k, on the assumption that the gearbox will be approaching the end of its service life.

He's also gone completely off autos because of electrickery.

[MarvinsMom]

condition is the deciding factor for me. when looking at a car.

 

service history, receipts and handbooks are nice to have, i always think that if a previous owner has cared enough to keep stuff like that, then they may well have cared enough about the car to keep on top of its servicing and maintenance needs.

 

extra toys are nice until they break! plus rust is always going to cost to sort out where as fancy trim and extras can be found on fleabay or, assumong its still a common car at the local scrapers.

 

plus i like the "thrill" of the challenge of finding that bit of tat for a car. 

 

but i am odd.....

[Pillock]

I'd love to tell you that I buy on condition. It sounds right that I would go over a car with a fine tooth comb and scope out all the bits that need work.

 

In reality, show me a Bluetooth head unit and electric rear windows and I'll be throwing cash at you.

[Bren]

condition is the deciding factor for me. when looking at a car.

 

service history, receipts and handbooks are nice to have, i always think that if a previous owner has cared enough to keep stuff like that, then they may well have cared enough about the car to keep on top of its servicing and maintenance needs.

 

extra toys are nice until they break! plus rust is always going to cost to sort out where as fancy trim and extras can be found on fleabay or, assumong its still a common car at the local scrapers.

 

plus i like the "thrill" of the challenge of finding that bit of tat for a car. 

 

but i am odd.....

I am normally a stickler for spare keys, sevice books etc.

 

I could see that the audi was immaculate and had lots of receipts for services but no service book.

 

I would sooner see bills than just a stamped book, however as it was a local car I bought a duplicate book and got the garages to stamp it.

 

I would assume the original book is with the spare key - in a box at a car auction somewhere.

[danthecapriman]

Condition for me.

 

It's nice to go for a well specced car but, the sort of stuff I like are a bit too rare nowadays to be getting picky over spec. I'd rather have a good condition and solid basic car than a rotten, battered high spec one. But more often than not I've just gone with whatever happened to be available at the time, I'd have been waiting months if not years for my ideal spec car to come up.

Obviously if you can find a good condition high spec car then it's a bonus.