Long distance buying - your advice please

Soldato
Joined
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Norwich
OK, so I change my mind about what car I want as often as I change my socks but I've given it a lot of thought and I now know what I want.

Problem is that whilst they aren't an uncommon car by any means I will probably have to do a bit of leg work to get one that meets my standards and mileage hang-ups :o Bearing in mind that I've only ever bought one car before and I did that by just doing the rounds of the local dealers I need a bit of help.

Basically before I go off on a 100 mile+ round trip I want to be pretty sure that I'm not wasting my time so can you lads and lasses help me out with a list of questions that I need to have answers for before I set off?

Assume I know nothing (not far from the truth) and start from the basics- what should I be asking.

Thank you please.
 
Im never buying long distance again, drove all the way to stoke in trent and he decided that he didnt want to go through with our deal and the bunked out on giving me petrol money. 700 miles and a lot of petrol wasted.

Make sure your 100% its going through, Arrange a set date and time if your meeting someone and agree that if it does go south theres no hard feelings. Other than that its all a bit of gamble really. :(
 
I've done two long distance buys no problems.

Ask general questions.

Any electrical problems at all?
Ever been in a crash?
Any rattles/squeaks funny noises?
Any rust, scratches, dents?
any other problems?


If you ask them, you should pretty much cover everything, as long as he awnsers truefully.
 
Done it twice, both went well. But i did by off people who loved the cars and was only selling due to an upgrade. Very genuine and both offered me petrol money if i didnt buy the car.
 
Thanks for the advice so far. Just had a quick browse on autotrader and ones come up privately in the next village! Its a bit on the pricey side but looks genuine and only has 54k on the clock, hasn't got cruise though. If its still around once I've got my money shifted over from my ISA then that will be the first one I look at. If they dropped £300 or so off what they're asking it would be worth considering.

The most annoying thing with what I'm after (Octavia vRS) is that on autotrader less than 50% of people list them as a vRS. The rest refer to them as a RS... which if you enter into the trim level filter doesn't filter out anything. So I have to enter 1.8T into the filter but that then leaves all the standard 1.8T models to sift through :mad:
 
Unfortunately, regardless of what questions you ask, the only way to know for sure is go and look. You have no idea what the seller considers as the truth, a noteable point or issue and so on.

All you can do is get the haziest of ideas from a telephone conversation or advert (unless it's catalogued with lots of clear photos).

Fortunately, as you are looking at a relatively recent car, there shouldn't be too much to worry about. Just try to get them to tell you about the general condition of the interior, exterior, mechanics and if there are any noticeable issues or flaws.

"What has it had done for the past few MOTs" is always a good one as well, along with "when was it last serviced/had a brake refresh" etc.

I speak from personal experience in this instance.
 
Ask about full service history, for the VRS you want to know if the water pump and the cambelt have been done, especially at the mileage you are talking about. What work they have had done since owning, any known problems or accident damage.

Interior and exterior condition, including all scratches, scuffs, dents and marks. Explain that you know its a 2nd hand car and you know it wont be perfect, so for them to be honest. Explain if you turn up and you have been misled, youll get back in your car and head home.

You generally get a feel for a person over the phone and in general contact I feel, and I wouldnt feel happy travelling long distances with niggles in my head.

Oh and last, but not least, make sure its still there when you set off!

I also like to arrange something to do for a few hours while in the region, visit family, attractions etc so if you dont come home with a car its not a total loss.
 
If you do end up travelling a fair way try and line up a few viewings. Drove up to Leeds to look at a car with my sister and the guy had sold it before we got there, dont blame him for taking a definite offer but he could at least have phoned to let us know :mad: . Luckily we had a car to look at in Bolton on the way back down and it was spot on so we bought that one.
 
If you are concerned at all about the condition of the car (interior for example), bet plenty of detailed photos. I drove down to Carlisle last weekend to see an Audi A8 which was an utter mess inside, despite me asking the dealer if there was anything wrong with the interior. I presume he though that because I had driven about 200 miles I would still go for it. Quite a look on his face when I told him it was the worst A8 I've ever seen and he won't sell it unless he halves the price. Hopped in the car and nipped back up the road :)
 
Well I had a look at one today, not a VRS but a L&K 1.8T. It wasn't far so I didn't bother asking too many questions as I had nothing to lose having a look. Anyway when I called I asked about the bodywork "its in really good condition." me- anything at all, just so that I know before I have a look "no. its in really good condition"

Well, my 9 year old motor was in better nick and this was only 4 years old with just 36k on the clock. Scuffs and scrapes all over. He obviously hit his garage wall everytime he opened the door as the edge was completely chewed up. Bits looked like they had never been cleaned, alloys had baked on grime. It was right on the money though, not cheap but probably the best value one within 100 miles.

Going to look at the other end of the scale hopefully in the next day or so. An over priced private VRS just 3 miles away. 56k on the clock :) silver :( completely standard :) 02 plate :) £6200 :eek:

It wouldn't have to come down by a massive amount for it to be a go'er but it needs to come well clear of the right side of £6k for me to consider it.
 
That one is overpriced as you say, only the black demand a premium price (look the best, and the bumper strips blend in more) and that one you mentioned is silver, almost as old as they come, not particularly low mileage. Personally I wouldnt pay over £5200 for that one and then only if it was in really good condition. Its also probably due a 60,000 service too which could be the water pump and belt.

Youve also got to take in consideration the extras, sunroof, parking sensors, cruise conrol etc etc. I would pay a little more for one with more options but if it doesnt have anything then its not worth it.

Another point to check is the stereo, as they are notoriously poor. Theres another £100-150 if it hasnt already been replaced.

There was a silver one on the autotrader site about a week ago with 36,000 on the clock for £4995, no idea if its still there.

Edit - This was the one I was on about, no idea if its still for sale.

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...category=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200727105913282
 
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Yeah it is on the steep side :( link

Think I'll still have a look though :)

EDIT- whats a ball park figure for cambelt and water pump? Also whats the schedule? Every 60k or 4 years?
 
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Actually to be fair, if I do a search on autotrader in price order for vrs' up to 60k, 5 yrs or newer that one that I said was overpriced is only the third one to come up. The other two being the one that you posted and one over 300 miles away.

Truth be told I don't mind paying top money for one that is perfect but at the same time I don't want to be taken for a mug :o
 
Its obivously priced for a sale of £6k that one being on at £200 over, thats what it says to me anyway.

Ive been paying attention to these the last month or two as Im thinking of getting one, originally agreed to buy one from a guy in Wigan, long story short he was a dick.

That was £5800, 50,000 on the clock in black and loads of extras in great condition. A dealer in Middlesbrough had a good black one with 70,000 on the clock for £5995 the other week, so that is the ball park price for them.

Silver ones as I said should be a few hundred cheaper, I had a silver one out for a drive last week at the same dealers in Middlesbrough that I was quite taken by. If you could get the bumper strips painted silver to blend in I think I could put up with silver.

They do seem to be selling like hot cakes at the moment, selling in a few days but I would be tempted to wait for a slightly cheaper one unless that is in absolutely fantastic condition.

Obviously I dont know what difference a couple of hundred make to you personally, but I would be strict and try to spend £5600-5800 tops. Ive currently agree to spend a little more on a black one with around 35,000 on the clock, have agree to pickup next month but will see nearer the time if its still a goer.

Dont forget ebay (I have octavia rs and octavia vrs as saved searches) and of course pistonheads too.

http://pistonheads.com/sales/175196.htm

http://pistonheads.com/sales/181226.htm

http://pistonheads.com/sales/175686.htm
 
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Cheers for the info and opinions, really appreciate it.

Well it may seem stupid but I really want to set a mileage limit of 65k max from a resale point of view in a few years time.

As far as colours are concerned my preferance would be Black>Red=Silver=Yellow but I'd happily have any of them.

As far as that ones concerned, as I say I don't mind paying top dollar but the car would have to be as it rolled off the production line. It would have to come in at less than £6k for me to consider it with a further drop if it needs a belt and pump in the next month or 2. For me spending a couple of hundered quid more than I need to is better than weeks and weeks of spending my free time searching for a bargain.

It may sound like I don't know if I want a crap or a haircut but I'm also considering 1.8T L&K's and maybe Elegance's. The logic behind this is that either would be a compromise. The VRS wouldn't be quite as good for the 90%+ of the time I'm just trying to get from A to B but it would be much better for the up to 10% of the time that I'm giving it stick.

I'll have a look anyway. I can but offend telling them its too much money :p

EDIT- as for the Pistonheads ones I assume the month old+ ones would have sold and if not I'd be asking why. The first one I was very interested in and was going to have a trip up to Ikea and drop in on the way but its sold :(
 
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Im not one of the people on here to go on about mileage, I understand why people will put up with or even seek out higher mileage cars, and I can understand why people like to put a limit around 60,000. Pretty obvious that if you pay a little more for a low mileage example, it will still have less miles on it when you come to sell it.

By what you say, Id probably stick to silver. Everyone likes silver, it hides scrathes and dirt better than black, doesnt fade as much as red - and isnt yellow! Then theres the chance to buy a WRC version, the white with green vinyls. Been 2 on ebay in the last week. One relisted (Hes taken the vinyls off), no idea about the other.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=016&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=260135771856&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=008&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=180135355846&rd=1&rd=1

Parts and a few hours labout for the cambelt and water pump will probably end up being £250-300.

Pistonheads is a strange place sometimes, some sell quickly some dont. Ive had a car on there a month or so and not even a sniff of interest, same with friends. No interest for 2 months then first to see buys.

Personally I could only buy a VRS, but its your decision. The other models do seem to be a fair bit cheaper mind, so you could get a real bargain with a lower spec one.

Im sitting and waiting for the right car at the right price, sounds like you might be the other way around. Either way Im sure there will be more over the next few weeks, just keep checking auto trader, ebay and pistonheads.
 
For me the WRC models are way too in your face and the de-stickered one looks like an ex squad car to my eyes :p

Yeah its easy to forget Pistonheads has a much lower user base than autotrader so I guess its fair enough that they don't sell as quickly.

I must admit I am quite impatient when I see what I want but I'll have to keep that in check I guess. My 306 is getting to the point where it will start needing some TLC and I'm sticking on about 1500 miles a month at the moment so for me buying sooner rather than later and paying a premium is preferable to some degree. The longer I wait the more I'll keep upping my budget... I lack disciplin in that regard.

As for the L&K and Elegance for the type of driving I do they make a fair bit more sense than the vRS... thing that keeps nagging in the back of my mind though is that I'm 25 not 55. Something that kept niggling me as the retired old boy was showing me around his L&K today :o
 
Go the whole hog and get the vRS. As said I couldnt drive another model but this one. Get a remap and youre in business. Checks for earlier models are coilpack replacements and of course service schedules.

Also, some earlier models shipped with 16" wheels, not the bigger 17" ones. The bolsters on the front seats are prone to wear also and the white mesh can be a bit of a pain to clean but looks good.

If the car has no mats factor in the £100+ Skoda want for a new set of OE ones.

Due to the open design of the wheels this makes it easy to check for brake wear and possible replacement down the line.
 
You could be right with regards to the vRS. I think I'll need an unacompanied test drive of a L&K / Elegance to rule them out though ;) :o

I'll be keeping it standard.

The white mesh on the seats is what really puts me off tbh. The full leather of the L&K is much more preferable, 1/2 leather 1/2 Alcantara even more so. Same with the dark carpets as opposed to the vRS' white ones. Xenons, Cruise, Sunroof and parking sensors as standard are also a nice touch on the L&K :cool:

Still not sure on the service scedule with regards to belt changes.

Decided against going to look at the overpriced one. If it was at a dealers I'd waste their time a bit in the hope that they knock a wedge off the price but can't be doing with wasting my time in the rain outside someones house :p

Also if it was perfect I'd probably end up going for it :o
 
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