Excellent Prepurchase inspection and a big Lemon

[Meldrew2]

A TALE OF TWO CARS

Both James and Thomas bought identical cars six years ago.

James is an on-call GP and spends his working day driving from one patient to another. He takes his holidays at long-haul destinations.

Thomas works in an office and commutes to work by train. He usually holidays in France, and drives to his hotel because he is nervous of flying.

Today, both cars have covered 160,000 miles. They are both for sale.

The question is - which car would you buy?

 

[diselsam]

A TALE OF TWO CARS

Both James and Thomas bought identical cars six years ago.

James is an on-call GP and spends his working day driving from one patient to another. He takes his holidays at long-haul destinations.

Thomas works in an office and commutes to work by train. He usually holidays in France, and drives to his hotel because he is nervous of flying.

Today, both cars have covered 160,000 miles. They are both for sale.

The question is - which car would you buy?

I do not know which one I will buy. I need to see the cars, inspect them visualy, take a look at the papers, analyse their owners as personalities and habits. And if I feel satisfied I will call the professional with the star diagnosis and jacks. Or just go as in the end I am spending my own money and I decide.

 

[MercedesDriver]

A TALE OF TWO CARS

Both James and Thomas bought identical cars six years ago.

James is an on-call GP and spends his working day driving from one patient to another. He takes his holidays at long-haul destinations.

Thomas works in an office and commutes to work by train. He usually holidays in France, and drives to his hotel because he is nervous of flying.

Today, both cars have covered 160,000 miles. They are both for sale.

The question is - which car would you buy?

Tough one but I would buy a car from Mr.Yamamoto. He used the car for 12 years only on weekends and covered 40,000 miles. Every year on the same day of the same month Mr.Yamamoto would handle the car keys to Mercedes service assist driver who would drive the car to the same MB workshop for annual service and MOT and would return the keys to Mrs.Yamamoto that day afternoon. Mondays to Fridays, car was in a garage as Mr.Yamamoto had a company Lexus.
Mr.Yamamoto loved his Mercedes very much but got a transfer to the States and reluctantly had to sell his pride and joy.
There is always one Mr.Yamamoto's car but it takes time to be discovered.

 

[diselsam]

MercedesDriver.

This is absolutely correct but according to many of our colleagues here a single owner car is a no no as the owner tends to not notice all the dirtiness, scratches and so on... As I once said, go figure... And a 12 year old car, it must have been totally blasted.

 

[MercedesDriver]

As previously said it depends on owner's some are sensitive and some just know how to fill a petrol. Take no rush and keep looking. I always preferred low mileage cars but was buying high milers too. But I never looked for a specific age of a car, I looked for a good car no matter how old it is or trim it has. From my experience top trims on used cars offer top accessories but with higher possibility of failure so I always avoided such cars (except with CL).
If I'm buying a new car then top trim all the way, warranty will cover all.

 

[gIzzE]

MercedesDriver.

This is absolutely correct but according to many of our colleagues here a single owner car is a no no as the owner tends to not notice all the dirtiness, scratches and so on... As I once said, go figure... And a 12 year old car, it must have been totally blasted.

All I know is the three one owner cars I owned, out of 40 odd Mercs, BMWs and Audis, have cost the most to get 'right'.

I'm not saying they will all be like this at all, but I am saying that just because it is a one owner car doesn't mean it will have been pampered.

At the end of the day, when you are buying a £4k car that was £35k just a few years ago that has done 160,000 miles you need to go and see it yourself.


I am also very wary of buying this mileage car from a dealer, how will he know what is wrong with it? He will have bought it, washed it, given it a quick look over and then stuck a price on the windscreen. He won't know if the gearbox is flaring, the suspension is knocking on certain surfaces etc. etc.

Also, when buying cheap, why didn't the seller just advertise themselves? I always think they dump it on a dealer as it has issues. Again the cars bought at this end of the market from a dealer have always had the most issues for me. Ones bought privately tend to be pretty much spot on, certainly mechanically.

I think many dealers who deal with high mileage, older cars tend to get a bit blasé to scratches, leather condition, marks on trim, where as private owners tend to be far more honest in their description, most tend to be better than described, I think when selling it direct we want buyers to turn up and think 'nice' rather than 'hmmm?'.


But then, I wouldn't expect an 8 year old car that has 160k miles on it and happens to be the cheapest car in the UK to be like new anyway, no matter how the dealer described it.