Far far away…

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You have got to see it yourself of trust someone you know very well who is a fussy as you (or not) to look at it. Videos and pictures never tell the full story. I fancied me a F and F shape Supra just after the film came out. (don't worry...the urge soon passed....but they make good cash now). There was a bargain priced (that should have been a clue but I've bought good cheap cars before....like my current 159) in Bristol....a half reasonable drive from Bognor.....Got loads of pics sent. So I went to see it.......I should haver noticed that all the pics where from one side!!!....nice dent in the passenger wing, generally tatty....must have used a filter on the pics......but the interior was disgustingly dirty (the grey seats had a brown tint from the dirt) and covered in marks and scratches. I let the owners know that I was less than pleased with their description and dishonesty.....this was a mistake and they then suddenly turned very threatening (both he and she were tattooed and multi pieced!).....saying that I had agreed to by the car and that they had turned away other potential buyers....yeah right.....looking at her I'm sure she just wanted to sell it to get her next fix!
Either drive to go and see it....or find a closer one.
 
Just over 7 years ago I drove from home in Barnsley to Mercland in Nuneaton.
Took me over 2 hours.
Well worth it.
I took home the W211 E280 CDI Sports Estate.
There were initial teething problems which Mercland sorted out for me with no hassles.
74,000 miles later --- A great car.
I've never regretted the 2 hours there and the two hours back.
I never regretted buying from Mercland.
I did the same, west of Carmarthen to Nuneaton, took one ML and p/x it for another . Mind you my daughter lives only 3 miles away so was able to overnight but would have been happy to do it in a day.
A year later bought an SLK from a MB dealer in Exeter, 3.5 hr each way, needed to go back 10 days later after a little paint job had been done . Always happy to travel if it looks ok on line and dealer satisfies me when I question them.
 
I was stung by a car supermarket in Bristol, I was after a Volvo C70 about 7 years ago & phoned them about one they had advertised being described as immaculate with low mileage. I told them I'd be doing a 320 mile round trip from Kent & asked all the correct questions, they assured me it was in top condition, the alloys were in great shape etc. etc. So a mate gave me a lift to Bristol & as soon as I saw it from 200 yards away in the dimly lit showroom it was obvious that one of the front wings was a different shade to the rest of the car, also every alloy had been badly kerbed. The interior was in a rough shape too. And they had the audacity to be asking top dollar for it. I wasn't happy & kicked off in the middle of the showroom busy with customers. They ended up covering the cost of petrol for the round trip. So, even with dealers beware.
 
I drove for 2hours to see my SL... dealer even gave me the keys for myself and Mrs757 to take it for a test drive.. very trusting of him as we were parked not that close, with our car out of sight of the dealership. . within 100ft of driving the SL55 I was sold.. paperwork confirmed everything i wanted to know about its previous service and care..I bought it and drove it home...

Would never personally buy unseen... however far away it was.. you get a feeling about the person selling the car.. and their response to questions, and you can look at everything... including the paperwork.. and do your hpi checks etc while you view.

In contrast.. during lockdown I sold a 3 year old BMW R1200RS to a guy 400miles from me , I never met.. after two telephone conversations.. and a live whatapp call showing him around the bike , he sent me the money by bank transfer, and arranged for a motorbike courier to collect two days later.. Bike courier turned up in a van, checked my bike and paperwork.. phone him and told him everything was in order (turned out the courier was a retired police officer) put bike in his van... and left.

I had a phone call from buyer two days later thanking me and saying how happy he was with the bike.. plus the courier who also did a little bit of bike trading as well had bought his (my buyer's) 3 year old BMW GS off him while he was there and took it with him.. !

there is always an element of risk buying or selling anything... but I like to think I am a good judge of character... but to be honest I would not have done what my bike buyer did... that was 1 year ago... :)
 
If you have someone to drive you there (and back if necessary...) go and see it. I usually take the train, but I've flown up to Leeds to buy an R129 (absolute sh1theap, seller was a thoroughly crooked, lying little scrote), up to Liverpool to buy my last E55, and up to Belfast to buy a Hyundai coupe for my wife, and only the R129 was a dud; it was also the only one I didn't drive home.

If you have time to kill and want some amusement, it's all in this thread: Bought an R129 unseen - a Cautionary Tale... | General Discussion

If you go up alone, if it's a dud you then have to get home, which may be inconvenient by the time you find out it's not quite what you want, so you're a bit conditioned to buy it.
 
If you have someone to drive you there (and back if necessary...) go and see it. I usually take the train, but I've flown up to Leeds to buy an R129 (absolute sh1theap, seller was a thoroughly crooked, lying little scrote), up to Liverpool to buy my last E55, and up to Belfast to buy a Hyundai coupe for my wife, and only the R129 was a dud; it was also the only one I didn't drive home.

If you have time to kill and want some amusement, it's all in this thread: Bought an R129 unseen - a Cautionary Tale... | General Discussion

If you go up alone, if it's a dud you then have to get home, which may be inconvenient by the time you find out it's not quite what you want, so you're a bit conditioned to buy it.

E55BOF
your cautionary tale was a sobering read... glad the end result went in your favour.. :D
 
I travelled over 8 hrs (there and back) to purchase a car from a forum member on here... best decision I ever made! :)
 
Looking to replace the missus Smart, and me being a stickler for exactly the right spec, I’ve this weekend spied a vehicle that absolutely ticks every box we need. Private sale in Ellon …….. that after the ferry trip is a 628 mile journey each way. Buying cars as a profession for many years I’m used to traveling and always happy to do so, but in this case sadly I’ve decided against the trip. 😉
 
Looking to replace the missus Smart, and me being a stickler for exactly the right spec, I’ve this weekend spied a vehicle that absolutely ticks every box we need. Private sale in Ellon …….. that after the ferry trip is a 628 mile journey each way. Buying cars as a profession for many years I’m used to traveling and always happy to do so, but in this case sadly I’ve decided against the trip. 😉
Brabus convertible?
 
Pictures always make a car look better than it really is (usually), I viewed a BMW not long back (hour or so trip) which looked great, took a drive up and didn't even bother with a test drive and left!!!! My c250 I got recently looked a lot better in the pics than in the flesh (scuffs, chips etc), and there were some minor issues to sort out, but it was mechanically sound and had a fair chunk of history/recent services, so I brought that instead, still was an hour or so drive there. :)
 
I've just had a garage offer to drive the car to me (from Leeds, 150 miles away) with the option to say I don't want it if I'm not happy with it after test driving it. I have to pay £208 delivery but If I want it they will knock it off the price, otherwise I see it as £208 for an unsuccessful test drive.
He was saying that he wouldn't offer to do that if he didn't think there was anything wrong with it... but why am I feeling like that's too good an offer?
It's had 9 owners and has done 73k miles.


Would love peoples thoughts. Am I just being too untrusting? Also, I've started to look at Z4 coupes... so that's not helping. 🤦🏻‍♂️
 
2 MOT tests within a few months for no reason is a bit odd?

Broken spring on the last check, assume fixed
One year did like 200odd miles, seems kinda low?

MOT Check
 
Spotted in the Autotrader ad pictures...
either side of the rear window the trim has lost its sheen/ gone milky, this is a problem on some SLs
.. (I waited a year on back order for a new one for mine which had a cracks in it. the situation may have improved.. about £120 each.. )

button cover for side mirrors controls broken off/missing..
crack on drivers seat next to seat buttons...
MOT history looks OK .
9 is a lot of owners for a 15 year old car.. IMO
You need to see what the service history looks like.. just stamps or receipts too?
how many keys?
boot seal need checking.. and the usual things...
consumer battery low... in need of a charge or replacement? (120+)
I personally would go to him...unannounced and get a feel for what kind of dealer he is...
your choice at the end of the day.

John
 
I was in a similar situation - I was looking at a new (to me ideal) E-Class that is 150 miles away. They offer trailer delivery for 150 quid ... I agreed to that because in all honestly, my current daily being an e63s and with current prices, the petrol will probably be similar. Plus consumer rights say I can take it back if something is not up to scratch .. In fact, if something is obvious he can take it back straight away ...
 
Spotted in the Autotrader ad pictures...
either side of the rear window the trim has lost its sheen/ gone milky, this is a problem on some SLs
.. (I waited a year on back order for a new one for mine which had a cracks in it. the situation may have improved.. about £120 each.. )

button cover for side mirrors controls broken off/missing..
crack on drivers seat next to seat buttons...
MOT history looks OK .
9 is a lot of owners for a 15 year old car.. IMO
You need to see what the service history looks like.. just stamps or receipts too?
how many keys?
boot seal need checking.. and the usual things...
consumer battery low... in need of a charge or replacement? (120+)
I personally would go to him...unannounced and get a feel for what kind of dealer he is...
your choice at the end of the day.

John
Two different obscure brands of ditchfinders fitted also. Personally, I'd want to budget for changing those.
 

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