"Won" This on eBay Yesterday

[lordrobs]

I'm kind of mixed on this. On the one hand you get more time to look over the car than you would at an auction and you can just walk away if you aren't happy.

On the other hand IIRC even with an auction you have a limited window in which to identify a major mechanical defect and claim a refund plus you are not paying to run the business of a middle man.

For me that would be too much of a risk at £3200, I'd much rather pay a bit more and get to either psychoanalyse the previous owner and judge them on the neatness of their front garden or have the backup of a dealer and not have my consumer rights in question.

 

[rodenal]

If you can get trade buyer fees at auction then yes it probably still is a better place to buy as you aren't restricted to whatever the eBay guy has picked up, but whether you have recourse for major mechanicals depends on the sale type and if you don't know what you're doing you risk bidding with the other locals who don't know what they're doing and paying far too much.

The other issue with auction is it takes up so much bloody time, the catalogues are only a guide to what order/when the car will go through so you can send several hours over several weeks just waiting for something that looks like it suits your needs - whether its to move on for some cash, a cheap banger or a car just off its lease period.

 

[atpbx]

No I wouldn't of bought it.

I wouldn't of even read the description once I'd seen the formatting and choice of colour if I am honest.

 

[fonzee]

carswithnoreserve is a well known car trader on eBay. I know a few people who have dealt with them with no issues whatsoever. Their cars are obviously mainly high milers but go for silly cheap at times. They just include all that tosh to try to cover their backs I guess. Nada to worry about. The volly looks a good buy.

 

[panthro]

So things to consider on these, (knowing since I own one)

Look for Air in the clear fuel lines, could just need a filter change and re-prim(of which they do not have a primer) but it could be the pumps on the way out.

120 amp Alternators tend to fail, look for 150amp version.

Check the VIN number to see if this is Euro 3/4/5 depending on which it could be overdue a DPF replacement:
for example: chassis number YV1MW7541A25*****.
75 is the engine variant and the following 4 shows that it is Euro 4, 3 would be euro 3 and 5 being euro 5

if euro 3 you can safely remove/blank the EGR which helps daily running and service work.

Rear wheel bearings - cheap part to replace
Front wishbone bushes.

Self Servicing is really easy.

All in all I love mine, paid about £4.5 for mine with deal history and 60k miles, on a 54..

TBH the newer ones are more hassel than the other ones due to DPF issues. -- issues meaning they havent been serviced and/or driven a manor to keep the DPF in the right conditions

Great info thanks; I'll definitely be checking all of those things out. I have a feeling its a Euro 4 model, is that one with a DPF? I may look at getting the DPF and EGR valve removed.

I've looked at several V50's too and every one seemed to have noisy wheel bearings. One Volvo "specialist" told me that you can't replace the bearing by itself and you'd need to replace the entire hub.

 

[lordrobs]

If you can get trade buyer fees at auction then yes it probably still is a better place to buy as you aren't restricted to whatever the eBay guy has picked up, but whether you have recourse for major mechanicals depends on the sale type and if you don't know what you're doing you risk bidding with the other locals who don't know what they're doing and paying far too much.

The other issue with auction is it takes up so much bloody time, the catalogues are only a guide to what order/when the car will go through so you can send several hours over several weeks just waiting for something that looks like it suits your needs - whether its to move on for some cash, a cheap banger or a car just off its lease period.

I guess in the case of the OP where this seller is local then it makes sense. Has anybody heard of anyone that has tried not to go through with the sale though? They seem to have put in enough bum covering statements to have an argument for any reason you may give not to proceed. The allowing £400 for any issues statement especially.

I had a look at some of their other auctions where they proudly state "LOW MILEAGE" in the title yet they say that all of their cars are sold with 500,000 on them


I understand that they have to account for the ebay range of IQ levels but I'd be very wary if I was spending proper money.

EDIT - To be fair there are lots of positive feedbacks from people that didn't go through with the sale. Anyway, good luck and let us know how you get on with it.

 

[panthro]

It's a bit pricey but if it turns out to be straight I'll most likely take it.

 

[Meatball]

Check the aircon works on it too. The condensor is prone to failing due to rust.

 

[Scania]

The mileage is an issue and they mention the assumed incorrect for a reason.

Workmate bought an e60 from them a while back and got it very cheap, something like £3500 for a 57 plate 530D touring.

It was showing 135k miles but when he checked it's MOT history it had done 255k at it's last MOT prior to him buying it!

It did have a full BMW history though which he sourced from his dealer and didn't complain to them partly because of the disclaimer and partly because they are in Berkshire and he lives in Staffordshire.

He ran it for just over 12 months with no problem whatsoever and sold it for more or less what he paid for it.

 

[kerrgreg]

Yep the bearing is a hub replacement - think i sourced two rear ones for under £20 each. the part is the same part as used on the focus so that's a bonus, in terms of availability and mass production savings.

Yeah the Euro4 has the worse of DPF's from what ive read, but I dont know much about that since I dont have one, Ive not really had to look into it. Seems like getting it professionally removed is the best option for reliability.

 

[Haggisman]

The mileage is an issue and they mention the assumed incorrect for a reason.

Workmate bought an e60 from them a while back and got it very cheap, something like £3500 for a 57 plate 530D touring.

It was showing 135k miles but when he checked it's MOT history it had done 255k at it's last MOT prior to him buying it!

It did have a full BMW history though which he sourced from his dealer and didn't complain to them partly because of the disclaimer and partly because they are in Berkshire and he lives in Staffordshire.

He ran it for just over 12 months with no problem whatsoever and sold it for more or less what he paid for it.

That's not a huge issue though - just do an MOT history check while you're inspecting the car, and if you're not happy with the results then walk away.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

The only issue I have with the car is the lack of service history, as they state that if they haven't specified that the car has history, then there will most likely be none.

Service history is overated, especially if you never plan on reselling it and will run it into the ground.

 

[panthro]

Yep I agree, if I buy it I'll have no intention of selling it and just use it as a work horse until it dies.
Dumb question, how do you do an MOT history check? I was planning on doing a full RAC HPI check, this should include the MOT history right?

 

[Haggisman]

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history-vehicle

You just need the reg and a previous MOT certificate or the V5.

 

[scousegit]

Do google searches on this seller, they have been doing this along time on ebay and their descriptions and practises have become more and more shady.

If the car doesnt reach what they need, they contact the winner telling them the cars gearbox is knackered etc. If you leave them a negative they report you as a non payer which then gets the response removed. It happens all the time, they have a lot of negatives and then a few days later their gone.

theirs a remark were they tried blackmailing / threatening a buyer due to them leaving them a negative I think it was

their businees is called sterling cars is it not in reading? They state that they have to list the cars as spares or repair due to issues with trading standards in the past.

 

[Scania]

That's not a huge issue though - just do an MOT history check while you're inspecting the car, and if you're not happy with the results then walk away.

Iirc he said he didn't get access to the mot prior to buying it.

Also, given the disclaimer (and the price, this was a good 18months ago) he half expected the car to be clocked, it was the cheapest e60 he could find by a very long way, for the price he expected a shed but given it's overall condition, he bought it as soon as he saw it.

It was in superb condition and the interior looked like it had not done 100k (an exception maybe for an e60!) he loved the car.


More just making the OP aware.

 

[panthro]

Went to look at the car this morning. It had clearly been sitting around for a long time. Started it up it was blowing a lot of blue smoke for about 5 minutes. We took it on a long test drive and the blue smoke disappeared and it ran fine. Its had all new brakes, front wheel bearing and front wishbones. Its a Euro 3 so no DPF. Also has a good spec but in need of a serious clean. 7 previous keepers, which is a bit much! The service book was missing one stamp, but the most recent service was in May and cost the previous owner £1600 on account of the brakes, wishbones and wheel bearing.

I told the guy that I had concerns about the blue smoke at start up. He advised that it could be the breather pipe that was clogged up as it was sitting around for a while and that I could take it away and get it inspected and if I didn't like it he'd refund me. No idea how that would work so I'd have to draw up a contract.

I haven't made a decision yet but said I'd call him later.

 

[[TW]Fox]

It sounds like a crap example. Why would you continue to be interested? 8 owners on a car like that is somewhat bizarre as well - why has it been handed around so much?

It's hardly an exotic Ferrari that people buy to tick a box then move on. It's exactly the sort of car you'd expect the average owner to keep for 3 years. Assuming the first owner did then thats 7 people in the space of 6 years..

 

[panthro]

Yep I'm not really interested, just thought I'd have a think about it but will call him later and say thanks but no thanks.

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

Blue smoke? Doesnt that indicate either burning oil or turbo issues?