Collecting a car next week - anything to be aware of?

.Lethal · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:22

Hi there,

I'm picking up a 1.7 Ford Puma (2001) next week and I'd like to find out what OcUK thinks of this particular car and what I should look out for.

I've done some internet searching prior to looking at it - and agreeing to buy it, and so far I've done the following.

1. Checked the wheel arches for rust as I'm aware that is a common problem (this is fine).
2. Asked the owner to get a new MOT as the current one expires in November
3. Checked the log books and that it has the full service history with all the stamps. Last service was in the early 29k miles at the end of 2009. Currently the milage it at the high 29k miles mark.

The car has 29k miles, the reason for this is that the owner (woman driver in her 50s) only passed her test in her 40s and has a fear of driving. This has ment that the battery needed replaced many months ago due to not driving it reguarly; again this has made me think that the current battery may need replaced due to not driving it often enough - but the MOT should pick this up?

I've red that the Cambelt needs changed over time but with such low milage this should be fine, iirc this shouldn't need doing until the 60k+ mile mark.

Other than that it's just the usual make sure there is 2 keys, spare tyre, full manuals etc.

Over to OcUK,
Thanks

fendi · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:28

Has the cambelt ever been changed? I am guessing not. This would worry me even with the relatively low mileage. Someone will be able to clear that up I am sure.

Steve_bullockuk · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:29

.Lethal said:
Hi there,

I'm picking up a 1.7 Ford Puma (2001) next week and I'd like to find out what OcUK thinks of this particular car and what I should look out for.

I've done some internet searching prior to looking at it - and agreeing to buy it, and so far I've done the following.

1. Checked the wheel arches for rust as I'm aware that is a common problem (this is fine).
2. Asked the owner to get a new MOT as the current one expires in November
3. Checked the log books and that it has the full service history with all the stamps. Last service was in the early 29k miles at the end of 2009. Currently the milage it at the high 29k miles mark.

The car has 29k miles, the reason for this is that the owner (woman driver in her 50s) only passed her test in her 40s and has a fear of driving. This has ment that the battery needed replaced many months ago due to not driving it reguarly; again this has made me think that the current battery may need replaced due to not driving it often enough - but the MOT should pick this up?

I've red that the Cambelt needs changed over time but with such low milage this should be fine, iirc this shouldn't need doing until the 60k+ mile mark.

Other than that it's just the usual make sure there is 2 keys, spare tyre, full manuals etc.

Over to OcUK,
Thanks

Get the cambelt changed ASAP. The age of belt means that the rubber will have started to perish. This is something that is overlooked by a lot of people who buy older cars with low mileage.

gouldar · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:30

Cambelt will be 6 years or 60k miles whichever comes first.

If its not been done on a 2001 puma i would budget for it.

.Lethal · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:31

Steve_bullockuk said:
Get the cambelt changed ASAP. The age of belt means that the rubber will have started to perish. This is something that is overlooked by a lot of people who buy older cars with low mileage.

Cool, I would imagine as it goes through the MOT then it will be picked up?

I can't remember if it has been changed, like you said I had assumed with low milage it wouldn't have needed to - so I didn't actively look for this on it's history.

Westyfield2 · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:32

Get the cambelt changed!

My 2002 Saxo VTR is on 47K miles so is a way off being changed yet based on miles... but I got it done anyway this year as that 10-year old piece of rubber failing could cause an expensive repair bill!

numnutz · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:32

No MOT only picks up specific safety related issues. A Cambelt isn't one of those.

Frozennova · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:33

MOT won't tell you if it needs a battery or not

Cam belt is replace ever 60k or 5 years so id get one done as the current belt will need replacing as its done 10 years work

I cant offer any car specific questions though so ill leave that to somebody else

edit: beat like a Ginger step child.

Kenai · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:34

If it has been driven by a nervous driver, I would be keen to know if the clutch was slipping at all, it's that sort of driver who is liable to end up pulling away at 5000rpm by really slowly letting the clutch out all the time in case they might stall.

Steve_bullockuk · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:36

.Lethal said:
Cool, I would imagine as it goes through the MOT then it will be picked up?

I can't remember if it has been changed, like you said I had assumed with low milage it wouldn't have needed to - so I didn't actively look for this on it's history.

As said, the cambelt is not part of an MOT. There is no real way to check how long a cambelt has left unless there is obvious wear marks. I'd seriously budget for this and get it changed as soon as you can. It may cost between £300 and £500 to get it changed but the repair costs are a lot more if the belt snaps.

.Lethal · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:39

numnutz said:
No MOT only picks up specific safety related issues. A Cambelt isn't one of those.

Ah right, thanks for that.

frozennova said:
MOT won't tell you if it needs a battery or not

Can belt is replace ever 60k or 5 years so id get one done as the current belt will need replacing as its done 10 years work

Given that it is now 10 years old I would fully expect it to have been changed at least once then. But this also means it is probably due another change. Something I will surely look into. Thanks

Kenai said:
If it has been driven by a nervous driver, I would be keen to know if the clutch was slipping at all, it's that sort of driver who is liable to end up pulling away at 5000rpm by really slowly letting the clutch out all the time in case they might stall.

Good question there, I didn't notice anything like that, it felt like it was going perfectly, but I'll try it out more throughly once I pick it up.

Would it be worth my time and money taking it in for servicing? Given that it was done less than 1k miles ago - but nearly 2 years ago.

Steve_bullockuk said:
As said, the cambelt is not part of an MOT. There is no real way to check how long a cambelt has left unless there is obvious wear marks. I'd seriously budget for this and get it changed as soon as you can. It may cost between £300 and £500 to get it changed but the repair costs are a lot more if the belt snaps.

I had red online of people talking between £250 - £350 for this done on the Puma. But I suppose it can vary between where you live and who you go to.

Steve_bullockuk · 2 Sep 2011 at 13:53

.Lethal said:
I had red online of people talking between £250 - £350 for this done on the Puma. But I suppose it can vary between where you live and who you go to.

That is more than likely correct. I only based that price on my previous experiences.

Get yourself onto the Puma owners forum and try and find a recommended garage in your area.

Perywinkle · 2 Sep 2011 at 19:55

Check for rust, they can be real rot boxes.

mjd · 2 Sep 2011 at 20:51

.Lethal said:
Ah right, thanks for that.

Would it be worth my time and money taking it in for servicing? Given that it was done less than 1k miles ago - but nearly 2 years ago.

That would really depend on what the previous service 'actually' consisted of.
Was it serviced by a main dealer or an indy?
A 'service' has no concrete makeup and to many garages is nothing more than an oil change and counting the wheels. Personally I would change the oil and filter and plugs as matter of course once you have signed on the dotted line. The cost is negligible and its amazing how much of a difference these simple changes can make.

As for checks, (assuming there is nothing obviously and seriously wrong) I tend to start with any consumables that may require attention and look at the costs involved. Sometimes a few new tyres, brake pads etc.... can hike the 'actual' cost of the initial purchase so you may want to use such things as leverage for bargaining.

.Lethal · 3 Sep 2011 at 12:38

Steve_bullockuk said:
That is more than likely correct. I only based that price on my previous experiences.

Get yourself onto the Puma owners forum and try and find a recommended garage in your area.

Registered on there a few days ago

Perywinkle said:
Check for rust, they can be real rot boxes.

I wouldn't call it a rot box but yes, it is prone to rusting especially on the rear arches.

mjd said:
That would really depend on what the previous service 'actually' consisted of.
Was it serviced by a main dealer or an indy?
A 'service' has no concrete makeup and to many garages is nothing more than an oil change and counting the wheels. Personally I would change the oil and filter and plugs as matter of course once you have signed on the dotted line. The cost is negligible and its amazing how much of a difference these simple changes can make.

As for checks, (assuming there is nothing obviously and seriously wrong) I tend to start with any consumables that may require attention and look at the costs involved. Sometimes a few new tyres, brake pads etc.... can hike the 'actual' cost of the initial purchase so you may want to use such things as leverage for bargaining.

I'm sure you mean well but no service is simply a case of counting wheels and checking the oil. However the last service was done by a local garage, they are long time family friends so I don't really think they would try to rip them off. I have suggested a new service but I am undecided if this would be worthwhile. For now when I pick it up the first thing I plan to do is check when the belt was last changed.

Totally agree regarding the small things adding up, I had this with my last car needing 2 rear disc pads and brake pads all round.

mjd · 5 Sep 2011 at 20:38

.Lethal said:
Registered on there a few days ago

I'm sure you mean well but no service is simply a case of counting wheels and checking the oil.

Okay, perhaps I was exaggerating and should have highlightd the sarcasm, but what I was getting at is there is a lot of variation in service standards. I have come across several cars that have 'allegedly' been serviced prior to sale, some that have even supposedly passed an MOT with some fairly obvious failures/problems (not so much these days thankfully). A lot of it comes down to interpretation, a portion of any service relies heavily on the intrepretaton of the person doing the service. One will deem that there is life left in a part, whilst another will feel it requires replacement immediately.
In your case (i.e family friends), I'm sure its not an issue, but this is not to say it doesnt happen.

.Lethal · 6 Sep 2011 at 01:02

mjd said:
Okay, perhaps I was exaggerating and should have highlightd the sarcasm, but what I was getting at is there is a lot of variation in service standards. I have come across several cars that have 'allegedly' been serviced prior to sale, some that have even supposedly passed an MOT with some fairly obvious failures/problems (not so much these days thankfully). A lot of it comes down to interpretation, a portion of any service relies heavily on the intrepretaton of the person doing the service. One will deem that there is life left in a part, whilst another will feel it requires replacement immediately.
In your case (i.e family friends), I'm sure its not an issue, but this is not to say it doesnt happen.

Without a doubt I agree with the variation in service standards depending on where you go. I tend to believe that if you goto an offical dealer you'll get better service, but whats to stop them giving you the same sort of treatment you may get from a bad independant garage.

I still think an offical dealership will give a good service, but also at a premium.

I wish I knew a lot more about the ins and outs of cars myself.

MissChief · 6 Sep 2011 at 01:03

Anyone else a little surprised at the few hundred miles in nearly two years? Check for signs it's been clocked as well IMO. Very low mileage for the year which should make you curious if nothing else.

.Lethal · 6 Sep 2011 at 01:07

MissChief said:
Anyone else a little surprised at the few hundred miles in nearly two years? Check for signs it's been clocked as well IMO. Very low mileage for the year which should make you curious if nothing else.

Of course, I think most people would be - which is why we talked about it and is mentioned above in my posts.

All the paperwork is there, HPI check was fine and the woman that owns it seems very genuine. I could assume this is all a facade but I think if you met them (her sister as well who was there) and had a chat you'd leave quite confident that everything seems as it is.

Scania · 6 Sep 2011 at 10:32

Bar the fact its a Puma....

The low miles especially given over the last two years would make me wonder about the true mileage, how many owners has it had? & (if I missed it) when was the last change of owner on the V5c (Log book)?

Also, if it has done so few miles in two years, get it serviced (along with a cambelt) ASAP.