Search them every day looking for new adverts, don't mess about if there's
something good and cheap go look at it asap, or someone else will get there
first.
My Fiesta came from Friday ad, it had been on the website for 3 days but
hadn't come out in the printed paper by that point.
Also look on Supermarket For Sale boards etc.
Phone the person up and have a good chat about the car, ask lots of
questions such as,
Has the cam belt been changed (when?)
How is the bodywork, dents etc.
Any rust patches? (round the wheel arches and the sills under the doors are
favourite problem areas that could cause MOT failures)
When was it last serviced.
How long have you had the car. (be suspicious if they've only recently
bought it, particularly if MOT is short on it)
How much MOT/Tax left. (Anything under 3 months MOT the owner may be worried
it'll fail another one)
What condition are the tyres in (lots of tread or only just legal?)
Try and work out why they are selling it.
Mileage
Colour
How many owners
Ask if there's any work they think will need doing on it soon.
Has it ever had new Head Gasket, Clutch, Exhaust etc.
Battery? (the Diesels I've had seem to struggle to make a battery last over
3 years even with 4 year warranty ones)
Ask what mpg they get out of it.
Finally ask them how much they want for it, the price may instantly drop
from the advertised price, or you'll get a feel how badly they want to sell,
what sort of offers they want.
Don't worry too much about the mileage, virtually any diesel engine will
outlast the bodywork, apart from it's headgasket may go, internet searching
or talking to a mechanic may well tell you what sort of mileage that car
normally does before head gasket fails.
When you have a look at a car, look out for bodges. If something you can see
has been bodged then who knows what else you can't see.
Take it for a test drive, make sure you get to a nice bit of straight road
where you can get up to 60/70 see how it behaves, let go of the steering
wheel to see if it pulls heavily to one side.
Make sure any window etchings of numberplates etc. all match.
Suggest you avoid Corsas of that age, at some point they will need welding
doing on the frame. My M reg one needed some 4 years ago, fairly common on
the A frame apparently.
Take someone else with you, second opinion, may spot things you didn't etc.
If your instinct says there's something dodgy, walk away.
Don't seem too enthusiastic when you've seen the car, discuss some worries
with them. Give the impression you're thinking of walking away, again they
may take a lower offer.
Sorry for the epic message, hope some of this helps you John.
Richard
#2727 Twin Turbo
and Corsa 1995 1.5 TD, 173k miles, with blown head gasket as of Saturday.
(obviously heard me plotting to sell it in a few weeks time)
-----Original Message-----
From: John Tien [mailto:johntien99@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 09 February 2005 00:32
To: doc-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [doc] OT - Buying diesel cars in general
Dear all,
So sorry to post off topic stuff again, but I need a
helping hand... Sorry!
Right, I saw a Peugeot 106 XDN K reg for private sale
on Auto Trader for £475 (in Bradford)... is this about
the right price, or am I just looking at a car that
will break down at any time?? What's the verdict on
these old 106 diesel?? Shall I buy from dealers
instead??
Another question... would anyone be kind enough to
point me out what to look out for when buying a old
car?? And what paper work will I need to sign or
transfer for?? Tax name, MoT name,
registration...etc??
Last odd question... What is the best and 'not too
expensive' way to get from Leeds to Bradford?? The 106
I am looking at is in Bradford...
Many Thanks!!
John Tien
DOC 8
RHD 3046 (In Hong Kong...)
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