Bit of advice

[LiveForever]

I live in Glasgow and I have been looking for a white C Class C220 Coupe for the past few months.

I have found a 2011 one within my budget, however it is down in a Mercedes Garage in Stockport. I have seen pictures and also a video of the car and it does look good and is well spec'd with sat nav, leather etc etc.

Due to the distance involved I am a bit unsure, as I feel if I go down the dealer will have all the bargaining power, they will think it's an easy sale as I won't want to go away empty handed, I have more or less agreed the price but my worry is if I test drive the car or notice anything wrong with it.

Has anybody ever travelled a big distance to buy their car and if so, what was their experience.

 

[moonloops]

I live in Glasgow and I have been looking for a white C Class C220 Coupe for the past few months.

I have found a 2011 one within my budget, however it is down in a Mercedes Garage in Stockport. I have seen pictures and also a video of the car and it does look good and is well spec'd with sat nav, leather etc etc.

Due to the distance involved I am a bit unsure, as I feel if I go down the dealer will have all the bargaining power, they will think it's an easy sale as I won't want to go away empty handed, I have more or less agreed the price but my worry is if I test drive the car or notice anything wrong with it.

Has anybody ever travelled a big distance to buy their car and if so, what was their experience.

Distance is irrelevant, put a spin on it and say you've come a long way and you like the car but its not perfect. Pull out the sympathy card and get a bit knocked off

Go away empty handed if you need to, it's not as if C220's aren't common as muck these days

p.s. buy one from Mercland for peace of mind

 

[GazB]

May not be an option but some garages will agree a transfer and refundable deposit if you don't like the car on arrival.

Not always an option but I've done it it in the past but admittedly not with Mercedes

 

[Rory]

.. they will think it's an easy sale as I won't want to go away empty handed,

I bought mine some years ago at a bit of distance - live near Chester and bought from MB Direct (now called Mercedes Benz Used cars) in Birmingham - I told the dealer I had another one to see at a dealer not too far away and had the details of both cars printed out in my hand. Dealers know that once you leave you're probably not coming back.

However MB Direct did have a repuation for being a bit like a car-supermarket - they were quite aggressive at selling. I was fine with that - it was welcome after visits to other MB dealers who didn't seem to care whether I bought or not.

 

[Abb]

I travel all over the country to buy my cars, if I feel as I have found what I am looking for. I ask as many questions as I can over the phone, even down to tyre tread depth! That said, when I thought I had found the right ML and numerous phone calls, I travelled all the way to Wembley from Teesside, only to find it was not as it was described!
Annoyed was an understatement, but I DID leave empty handed and travelled back home. As fate would have it, I found a much better one within 48hrs and travelled 80 miles for that one!

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I've been to all four corners of this green and pleasant land to buy a car, I'll mostly only travel big miles for something specifically quite hard to find though.

If it was quite a common vehicle I tend not to have to travel further than a 50 mile radius, but I am in Yorkshire which is pretty much the centre of our island (and the universe).

 

[rockits]

Prefer as local as possible for obvious reasons but would have no issue travelling for the right car.

Bought 2 x SL's from Wales. One from the south & one from the north! Funny thing was one of the went back to Wales after.

Generally use my brother & his drivers to do some collecting/selling/delivering for me as he is in the trade & I have less time these days. When I was young & foolish I would have gone anywhere. That is half the fun. Often a nice early morning drive there which is always nice...especially in a nice motor

I'm in Hertfordshire just outside M25 23/24 btw.

 

[MD5]

I agreed over the phone to buy a member's car here once. It turned out a close relation of his was a friend of ours, so I was confident of his description. Armed with everything I needed, off I went on a one way train ticket, and my heart sank when I saw the car outside of the station at the other end. Apart from anything else, I was furious that I had to buy another single ticket home.

Like SPX, I've traveled far for rare cars, with lots of disappointments, but for more common models I would explain to the seller you are looking at several and try to negotiate the best price before you view. I would email any questions you have to a dealer regarding the description so you have further bargaining power if there are any acceptable discrepancies. If travelling by train, buy a return ticket just in case and write it off as a day out. You could even try to claim your travel cost from a dealer under the Trades Description Act if your email is specific enough, I would have thought?

 

[ioweddie]

What about this one advertised on here, nothing to do with me just saw the ad and thought of you:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/classifieds-cars-sale/208049-2011-c220-cdi-amg-sport.html

 

[LiveForever]

What about this one advertised on here, nothing to do with me just saw the ad and thought of you:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/classifieds-cars-sale/208049-2011-c220-cdi-amg-sport.html

Hi thanks for this, yeah i saw that one, however it is the coupe model I am after, that would have been ideal aswell as by the sounds of it, it has been well looked after.

Another thing i have noticed during my search is that cars down south seem cheaper than up here in Scotland,

 

[derektrotter]

I've travelled 100's of miles for my cars but I tend to stick with franchised dealers, so far its worked and the cars have been immaculate, only time i've had issues is when going to look at cars from private dealers.

 

[neilrr]

Save the travelling & look at Auction centres - British Car Auctions

It's where most late model cars are sourced.

 

[automaniaman]

I have bought several cars from dealerships, physically unseen. Agreed the deal over the phone, including delivery to my home address.
Upon delivery if the car doesn't match the description it can be returned under the sale of goods act. To date I've personally never had an issue.
My glass is always half full though...

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I agreed over the phone to buy a member's car here once. It turned out a close relation of his was a friend of ours, so I was confident of his description. Armed with everything I needed, off I went on a one way train ticket, and my heart sank when I saw the car outside of the station at the other end. Apart from anything else, I was furious that I had to buy another single ticket home.

My top tip when going to view a car is always buy a return ticket if you're going on the train; I remember going to view a C36 in Birmingham and Developer very kindly picked me up from Birmingham New Street to go view. Sadly (for me at least!) the car was an absolute pile of crap only good for breaking.

I was on my way back to Doncaster within an hour of me initially arriving.

 

[LTD]

Invest a day in checking out a car you will probably have for years.

Prepare to walk away but also factor in something else to do on that day in case it doesn't work out.

Oh, do you like a curry ? Good Glasgow GTG for a curry now and again - all about the people - not the cars.

 

[TKvS]

Good Glasgow GTG for a curry now and again

It isn't after you've read this thread:fail

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/2284195-post1.html

 

[E55BOF]

TKvS, too much information...

To answer the OP, I've flown three times in the last year to buy a car (I live near Heathrow; from there to Leeds/Bradford [twice] cost very little more than rail using CheapOair, and was much quicker, and from there to Belfast it was a no-brainer). One was pretty much exactly as described, the other two were not (and one was sh1te...). The photos will ALWAYS look better than the reality, unless it's genuinely immaculate, but the newer and lower-mileage the car, the less risk it will have problems.

You could ask if there's anyone on here nearby who would be willing to go and have a look; we're a friendly, helpful bunch (mostly...).

 

[JohnBell]

If travelling by train, buy a return ticket just in case and write it off as a day out. You could even try to claim your travel cost from a dealer under the Trades Description Act if your email is specific enough, I would have thought?

Your not being serious are you?

 

[MD5]

If travelling by train, buy a return ticket just in case and write it off as a day out. You could even try to claim your travel cost from a dealer under the Trades Description Act if your email is specific enough, I would have thought?

Your not being serious are you?

About the first sentence, John, yes. However, suppose a dealer replied to an email stating that a car had never had paintwork, and they knew you were travelling to buy on the strength of this. Would you have wasted your money on a journey to find out when you arrived that every panel had been painted poorly?

The OP is travelling from Scotland and asking for advice, so it's something he could consider, I'd have thought.

 

[LiveForever]

Wee update.

I told the sales person what I was willing to pay, the manager said no, she phoned me back and I said this was my absolute maximum and I was already pushing the boat out and I wouldn't pay anymore, she said she would speak to him again but if he said yes could I pay a deposit to secure the car as this might sway him, she phoned back saying he's prepared to go with my offer.

So I paid the deposit and I'm going down on the 29th to get the car, the deposit is refundable should I see anything I'm not happy with, but she has assured it is in great condition. She has sent me plenty of pictures and a video, lol I even asked if there was any unpleasant smells in the car such as smoke.

Can't wait to go get it now, thanks for all the advice on this thread.