Beware or Buy away?

[brokenthusiast]

I've found a 2006 c220 cdi online, and she looks gorgeous with a dark blue color(picture below). The guy says that the car was given to him by his employer to sell and also mentioned that the car hadn't been used for about 6 months except for "maintenance purpose" runs and will probably need servicing. Is it such a good idea to consider buying? Assuming that the car is in good condition, will the lack of use cause any problems in the future even after the service he has mentioned would be required? I can manage to get it serviced for the first time, but I can't afford to do so if i get huge trouble. I really wanted to buy a w210 e class manual, but again mpg is obviously better on this one. But again, the 210 has better comfort and a couch like feel, blended with childhood nostalgia. Back to the topic at hand, any advice or experiences would be highly appreciated.

 

[219]

Lack of regular use over six months , if it has been getting periodic runs , won't be a problem .

However , I would take the story about being given the car to sell by his employer with a huge pinch of salt , and would want to see ownership papers , history , bills and MOTs , and speak to the employer , even if this person is now showing on the V5 , the previous keeper will still be shown , and verify 100% that the car is legally his to sell - otherwise you could part with cash and own nothing - a full HPI check at minimum - unless it's a £500 bargain and you can shrug off the loss .

 

[Scooby_Doo]

His employer probably owns the garage where he works ?? Doesn't want to sell it off the forecourt??

 

[gr1nch]

Interesting number plate, where's it from? I've never seen that character configuration in the UK before.

The story does sound a bit dodgy, as most well run businesses don't keep expensive assets like cars unused or unsold for 6 months. A story that might fit is a car with expensive work needing doing, but it's owner without the cash flow to do it, despite being the money from its sale. That pic also doesn't fill me with confidence. Would be interesting if it was a classic car bargain in that condition after many years in a barn somewhere, like a 60s-70s Merc or Jag

 

[Rakthi]

The car is in Hyderabad, unless you are living in India it might be a trifle expensive to ship it to the UK.

 

[Peter103]

Thought it looked like somewhere overseas, and the reg is 09 on an 06 all looks a bit iffy to me!

 

[tec]

Thought it looked like somewhere overseas, and the reg is 09 on an 06 all looks a bit iffy to me!

The car is in India. It's an Indian plate so nothing iffy about it.

It has the usual story that it is being sold for a 'friend' though, which would always put me off buying.

 

[CabrioDave]

Thought it looked like somewhere overseas, and the reg is 09 on an 06 all looks a bit iffy to me!

The AP stands for Andhra Pradesh, and the 09 gives the finer location as Hyderabad Central (as Rakthi said).

 

[brokenthusiast]

lol rakthi

 

[brokenthusiast]

gr1nch, i forgot to mention that the guy says that the owner went away. Also, the address he mentioned was a villa in an expensive place, and that's the only reason I'm considering going over to the place to see it.

 

[brokenthusiast]

Interesting number plate, where's it from? I've never seen that character configuration in the UK before.

The story does sound a bit dodgy, as most well run businesses don't keep expensive assets like cars unused or unsold for 6 months. A story that might fit is a car with expensive work needing doing, but it's owner without the cash flow to do it, despite being the money from its sale. That pic also doesn't fill me with confidence. Would be interesting if it was a classic car bargain in that condition after many years in a barn somewhere, like a 60s-70s Merc or Jag

Thanks for the advice. I forgot to mention that the guy said that his employer had gone away for some time. The only reason i'm even considering going over there to see the car is that the address is a villa in a really expensive place

 

[219]

OK , I would just stand by my original comments of making 100% sure that the guy has the legal right to sell you this car , and that the boss won't come home six months later and report the car stolen ...

 

[Peter103]

The AP stands for Andhra Pradesh, and the 09 gives the finer location as Hyderabad Central (as Rakthi said).

Wondering if the B F stands for. Bloody Fool? Might be better to stay away. Been to India, loved it!

 

[razzyh]

I'd stay well away imo

 

[gr1nch]

Coincidentally the first car in Mumbai I ever sat in was a brand new E (or S) class, which the Oberoi hotel has sent over to the airport for me. Was a shock, seeing it amongst all the putt-putts and crappy taxis clamouring for business. Unfortunately my rides went mostly downhill from then onwards

Looking at that picture more closely, although that might be a perfectly acceptable way of presenting a car for sale there....
* 1 mirror is folded, the other is out - electrics issues?
* someone has drawn in the dust on the car, that's odd, it's not wiped off in a few secs before taking the pic.
* there's some sort of bottle on the dash
I've known well-off people over there and they tend to keep their vehicles looking very nice. Labour is so cheap. Typically their drivers will wash it daily and keep the condition topped up at every stop!
If it's no hassle to visit for you and the price is tempting, then worth a look, but not worth getting hopes up imho!
Good luck!

 

[brokenthusiast]

Coincidentally the first car in Mumbai I ever sat in was a brand new E (or S) class, which the Oberoi hotel has sent over to the airport for me. Was a shock, seeing it amongst all the putt-putts and crappy taxis clamouring for business. Unfortunately my rides went mostly downhill from then onwards

Looking at that picture more closely, although that might be a perfectly acceptable way of presenting a car for sale there....
* 1 mirror is folded, the other is out - electrics issues?
* someone has drawn in the dust on the car, that's odd, it's not wiped off in a few secs before taking the pic.
* there's some sort of bottle on the dash
I've known well-off people over there and they tend to keep their vehicles looking very nice. Labour is so cheap. Typically their drivers will wash it daily and keep the condition topped up at every stop!
If it's no hassle to visit for you and the price is tempting, then worth a look, but not worth getting hopes up imho!
Good luck!

Took the words right out of my brain. Had the same stuff run in my mind... except of the bottle thing ofcourse. That's a room freshener sort of thing for a car. And about the mirrors thing, i'm trying to see if, i only find tiny stuff like that, i can bargain a little more. Nevertheless, i'm trying to be as careful as i can while looking into the buy.

 

[leef44]

also make sure a deposit is not asked for and then they disappear with your money, never to be seen again.