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Close Escape


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Just had a close escape - My lad is looking for a car - while awaiting his Theory and subsequent practical test (it is cheap to insure on a provisional) and a Mini came up yesterday locally - went and looked at it last night, took out a DayInsure to take it for a test drive, left a small deposit subject to MOT.

Anyway - done a check on the car - outstanding finance - I queried the seller to be told he was going to pay it off after we have paid him. I said I would pay it off and give him the difference - he said no - so I have just met him at a local busy petrol station and got my deposit back

My lad is disappointed and so am I as it was a good car - but it isn't worth the risk of 3 months down the line the loan company repossess the car leaving him carless 😞

The seller was from a small EU country........

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I am trying my best to teach him all the mistakes I made when I was starting out on my car ownership journey - in some ways a lot easier nowadays on finance etc....

The car passed the MOT with flying colours as well!!!

It may be nothing - finance in his wife's name (he said he would pay it when she got home) but then again.....

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Did you check the tax bracket as the wife as 02 Auto £315. 

BMW1 Diesel are twenty tax  and cheap to insure brought my grandson one as all the young ones are buying them.

 

Click on MOT check and history and enter the Reg.  For tax prices go on Honest john car tax and enter the reg.

Hope this will help

Edited by bottletopbill
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Well done for checking, reminds me of Mrs D put a deposit on a Yellow Mini at a large car dealer not far from us, i went to look over it while she was at work. 

The driver side wheel arch was out of line, the plastic arch inner was not fixed, the door was not square to the frame and it just looked tatty. I asked if it had been in an accident. there reply was "its had a HPI check" I asked again had it been involved in an accident the replay again was "Sir, all our vehicle's are HPI checked"  I got rather frustrated by getting a none answer to my question and understanding that the HPI will not flag up every accident unless its an insurance write off or very close to (unsure of categories of  write off's} I told them being a substantial dealer and unable to answer the question with more than obvious evidence of some front impact they will not be selling the car to Mrs D, i laughed at the plonker when he said "we will clean it for you sir"

 

Idiot !!!

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Dougy said:

Well done for checking, reminds me of Mrs D put a deposit on a Yellow Mini at a large car dealer not far from us, i went to look over it while she was at work. 

The driver side wheel arch was out of line, the plastic arch inner was not fixed, the door was not square to the frame and it just looked tatty. I asked if it had been in an accident. there reply was "its had a HPI check" I asked again had it been involved in an accident the replay again was "Sir, all our vehicle's are HPI checked"  I got rather frustrated by getting a none answer to my question and understanding that the HPI will not flag up every accident unless its an insurance write off or very close to (unsure of categories of  write off's} I told them being a substantial dealer and unable to answer the question with more than obvious evidence of some front impact they will not be selling the car to Mrs D, i laughed at the plonker when he said "we will clean it for you sir"

 

Idiot !!!

 

 

 

But there is the problem, accident damage is often repaired very poorly by insurance companies. When I bought my SL55 I could see it had a new wing. The previous owner said it had a fairly minor bump a couple of years before. Their insurance had collected the car and brought it back a couple of days later "fixed"

It was a thin pattern wing with one thin coat of paint blown over on it, no rustproofing had been done underneath, it was bare primer. It would have looked OK at the time, but for how long though? 

I got it replaced

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8 hours ago, bottletopbill said:

BMW1 Diesel are twenty tax  and cheap to insure brought my grandson one as all the young ones are buying them.

It is what is attracting us to them - £250 under provision - £1k once test is passed - I have found another one - little bit older but less miles for a little less money - from a dealer who does national delivery - at least we would have distance selling regulations and will pay on my credit card..

7 hours ago, Dougy said:

The driver side wheel arch was out of line, the plastic arch inner was not fixed,

taught him that as soon as we went looking - check your lines and your gaps - before you even speak to a salesman

6 hours ago, Vince Green said:

In the end I took him to a VW main agent and stood over him till he bought a Polo 

His budget is £3k although we are going to try and liquidate some stuff to increase that - anyone interested in a Logitech Sim racing wheel, pedals and gear shifter - or a mint Traxxas Monster Mutt?? :D

6 hours ago, chrisjpainter said:

Well played, sir; well played indeed.

Thanks

4 hours ago, WalkedUp said:

Well done and good lesson.

Thanks

4 hours ago, clangerman said:

always enjoyed the look on sellers faces when i got out the car and put my overalls on seen enough lemons to open a green grocers 

I bet - I don't know enough to do it "on the ground" so to speak and not much more in the air!!

Also, while teaching him all this is also a bit of self defense for myself because you know who will have to sort it if there is problems - he is typing this now - with the obligatory ear bashing off SWMBO!!

 

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That exact scenario happened to me about 18yrs ago.

Apart from the fact I knew the lad selling the cavalier personally and only lived a couple of streets away . He had the car for a while then I noticed it was parked up on his front lawn for a few weeks .

I asked what was wrong and he replied a mechanic had looked at it and it needed a new engine . It had the 8v ohc bullet proof 1.6 petrol engine in so I asked if he wanted to sell it . Anyhow a brief chat and I handed over £100.

At the time I worked in my mates garage so we towed it there .

Charged the battery and started it (off the button instantly) .

The engine was dripping in oil and the top end was clattering like a goodun .

I steam cleaned it off topped the oil up with some old oil and fired it up again .., top end quietened down but oil was peeing out of the oil pressure switch in fact squirting. 

New O/P switch was under £5 and fixed the car instantly and drove perfectly ... 

Then 6-7months down the line I get contacted by a finance company asking me to go into the local office to see them regarding the car .

At the meeting the guy was really nice and asked about how I came to own the car . I told him the full story Inc the details of the lad I bought it off ... Then he came out with " well I can inform you that Mr ?????? Had outstanding finance on the vehicle . 

I told him that I had carried out substantial repairs to get vehicle back on the road . 

He said I could keep the car and use it but couldn't sell it on .

A couple of months later they contacted me to say everything was now ok with vehicle and I was the legal owner

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