Is this a good deal?

[mathepac]

When I meet him tomorrow and ask him for the chassis number, what do I do then? ...!

Add the engine and chassis numbers to your existing motorcheck and see what pops up.

... We met at a car park in Waterford but he asked me to drop him home from there tomorrow as he will have no lift. ...

You're meeting him in a car-park and he's a motor trader? Forget it - this is a massive and potentially expensive con.

... He says he bought the car himself from a supplier in Dublin, where he buys all his cars, got a motorcheck done like he always does and then sells them on...

So by his own admission, despite what the ad says he's a motor dealer. Ask him about warranties and guarantees.

 

[Billo]

When I meet him tomorrow and ask him for the chassis number, what do I do then? We met at a car park in Waterford but he asked me to drop him home from there tomorrow as he will have no lift. He says he bought the car himself from a supplier in Dublin, where he buys all his cars, got a motorcheck done like he always does and then sells them on.
The car itself came up ok though on motorcheck???? Ah dunno what to do now!!

This sounds very suspicious to me too.
Every additional post is making it more suspicious.
Beware.

 

[chrisboy]

Once you've got the chassis number and the reg, you can ring the motor tax in shannon and verify that they match.. Dont have the number but i did it the last time i bought a car..

The fact that you met in a car park is not the way to do business. You wanna be checkin this stuff in his driveway. Would i be right in thinking then, that his name and address are not on any of the documents seeing as he bought it off a dealer in Dublin? Which dealer? Ring them and make sure.. Take all the details off his drivers licence too..

Just cause the reg came up right for the car doesnt mean anything. They could be false plates, thats why you wanna match the chassis number to the reg.. Did you pay the 35 euro and get the comprehensive check? I'd certainly be doin this..

 

[allthedoyles]

Slookie , you have paid extra money to get an administration check , and you intend to spend more money on Alloys etc.

Will you for god's sake , pay a reputable mechanic to examine this car , before you take this any further .

 

[slookie]

I paid the 35 euro for the comprehensive check...results on previous page. If the chassis numbers match, would that mean that the mileage would be 99% genuine. Gonna cancel the alloys tomorrow and tell him that I know they should be standard on a comfortline passat. gonna be asking him alot of questions before I decide to buy. Would i be entitled to my €200 deposit back? He gave me a written receipt and we both signed it.

 

[chrisboy]

On the cartell site, you can input the chassis no, and the engine number tomorrow and it will tell you wether they match the registration of the car. This, to me, is the most important thing you need to do. But dont do business in the car park again, and dont bring any money tomorrow either. This will stop you impulsively handing it over.. Make up some excuse that you didnt have time to get it or somethin..

 

[mathepac]

...If the chassis numbers match, would that mean that the mileage would be 99% genuine. ...

No

 

[chrisboy]

Also, you want to be checking the chassis number yourself, not 100% sure but there's generally a little compartment with a plastic cover on the driver side floor and inside is the number..

 

[roro123]

No harm in asking for his ID either. He should have a driving licence. The guy is most like legit, but meeting you in a carpark and dropping him home is not ideal. Firstly, it might not be his home, secondly if its a cash transaction which I bet you it is, then having 10k cash in a carpark could be a risky business. Best thing is to view the car with a mechanic, get the chassis number and very the checks. Look at the service log and verify the mileage, if he doesn't have it then walk away. And if you still want the car if all the rest checks out make an excuse that you were delayed by the bank in getting your loan and you'll need to wait an extra day or 2, and you will be in touch. Your own built in cooling off period!

 

[Pique318]

OK for one thing, the car in the pictures does look like it has alloys....just not very nice ones.
Second, 18k on a 3 year old car is very little but I don't put up much more than that and many people probably put up less.

Now, if you meet a seller ANYWHERE than his own address, then forget it, it's a bad omen.
He sounds like a decent enough bloke offering you the diff alloys and so on, so there's the other side of the coin.

However, as others have said:
Meet him at his house or place of business ONLY!!!
Ensure that the name on the ownership docs match his name.
Ring the previous owner to see what their reason for selling was and roughly what mileage was on the car when they sold it.
Check the level of wear on the seat bolster, steering wheel, gearknob and pedals (18k should not make any impressions on anything but maybe the bolsters and only then if the owner is overweight.
If he's a dealer get a guarantee (even 3 months) or walk away. Make sure it's a comprehensive one too!
If he's a wheeler-dealer, WALK AWAY!!! If anything goes wrong (and it may) he's not gonna want to hear about it.
DO NOT bring money to the next meeting....bring an AA engineer (couple of hundred well spent, considering the price of the car) and if all checks out with him, then you're OK if the Cartell check comes up ok too.

But above all, keep looking at www.autotrader.co.uk and see what kind of car you can get for your money under 50k miles...as that's only running-in miles for a modern diesel anyway.


I wouldn't even worry about the taxi/reps car comments. What? Do only Taxi drivers and reps own Passats/Octavias/Avensis now ?

 

[chrisboy]

I wouldn't even worry about the taxi/reps car comments. What? Do only Taxi drivers and reps own Passats/Octavias/Avensis now ?

No, but definately the car of choice. If you're already worried about the car bein clocked, this factor would definately be ringing through my head.

 

[slookie]

Thanks for all the replies folks.
[Check the level of wear on the seat bolster, steering wheel, gearknob and pedals (18k should not make any impressions on anything but maybe the bolsters and only then if the owner is overweight.].....Sorry but what is the seat bolster.
Going to e mail him a full list of information I want before I go down to him this evening.

 

[slookie]

I sent him an e mail just now and I hope this will cover everything. Apologise for basic English but I wanted to be sure he understood everything 100%....

Hello, I just need some more information before I come to you this evening, and it is easier to e mail you as I am at work. I have done some more research on the internet and I have been advised to look for some information from you, to make sure that this is the car for me. I will list them and you can e mail me back with the information.

1. I need to see full service history for the car when I meet you later. If you do not have this, let me know now.
2. I need the name and address of the previous owner - it will be on the log book, and also the address of garage in Dublin where you bought the car.
3. I need the chassis and engine numbers.
4. Also could I get your name and address, (and also a copy of your driver's licence from you this evening).
5. Since you are a part time dealer, are you offering a guarantee/warranty with the car, should anything go wrong with it? I hope to get at least a 12 month guarantee from you - if the car is as good as you say it is, then you should have no worries for this. I will type it up and we can both sign it this evening.

Also, it was pointed out to me that as this is a 2006 Passat Comfortline, alloy wheels are standard on this car. Where are the original alloys? I have been advised not to pay extra for alloys, as they should be on the car anyway. But since you have them changed over from the 2007 Passat, I will pay you €100 extra for your labour, thats it. So I will give you €10350 today in cash. If you are not happy with this price for the alloys, you can remove them and I will pay you €10250.

Finally I have been advised to meet you at your house, and not a public car park. So when you e mail me your address I will meet you there instead of Tesco.

Sorry for looking for all this information, but I have to make sure that everything is 100% before I buy, as €10000 is alot of money!!! So will you e mail me back this information as soon as possible this morning and then I will let you know what time I will be down later.

If all this info comes back and ok, I think I should be happy.

 

[Pique318]

Thanks for all the replies folks.
[Check the level of wear on the seat bolster, steering wheel, gearknob and pedals (18k should not make any impressions on anything but maybe the bolsters and only then if the owner is overweight.].....Sorry but what is the seat bolster.
.

They are the 'wings' of the seat back and seat base. Not the bit you actually sit on or lean back against, but the bits that keep you there when cornering. Basically the bits you're gonna rub against when getting in and out of the car.

 

[chrisboy]

the chassis no is something you need to see for yourself. If there are false plates on it then its more than likely he has all details of the car as what he is basically doing is cloning a perfectly legitimate car owned by someone else. Thats why the report shows it as not being stolen or damaged.

 

[slookie]

Ya I know. Was gonna input it into motorcheck and then manually check it later myself

 

[kceire]

OK for one thing, the car in the pictures does look like it has alloys....just not very nice ones.

they are deffo not alloys in the pics, they are standard steelies with hubcaps as per my original post.

2. I need the name and address of the previous owner - it will be on the log book, and also the address of garage in Dublin where you bought the car.
happy.

correct me if im wrong, but my log book has no previous owners information on it, unless of course if he didnt register the car to himself, then all you will get is the name and address but with a little digging and a phone book, you might be able to get a phone number for him/her.

Who are you? How are you connected with the seller?

You seem to be answering questions on behalf of the seller which I believe the buyer needs answered.

My only interest is in protecting the interests of the buyer; you seem to have a different agenda so why not reveal what it is?

@ mathepac - you still accusing me of being dodgy and having some hidden agenda on this car??

 

[mathepac]

... @ mathepac - you still accusing me of being dodgy and having some hidden agenda on this car??

I wasn't aware that I had levelled any accusations or had ever described you as "dodgy", although I did ask you some questions; my post is reproduced below.

I initially thought it odd (and I still do) that you answered questions OP needed to ask the seller. OP, IMHO, seems to need help protecting himself and his interests in this transaction and while I thought him asking my questions of the seller could help in that, I found you answering them strange.

As the thread progressed my initial uncomfortable feelings about the deal seem to have been confirmed and if OP has information enough to protect himself from a bad deal, as a result of the posts in the thread, then I'm happy.

My original post -

Who are you? How are you connected with the seller?

You seem to be answering questions on behalf of the seller which I believe the buyer needs answered.

My only interest is in protecting the interests of the buyer; you seem to have a different agenda so why not reveal what it is?

 

[slookie]

Have just found out through a third party that the car was crashed 6 months ago with over €10k worth of damage, and also that the mileage is significantly higher. Must thank ye all for making me look into this a little more. Last problem now is to recover the €200 deposit. Should I ring him and tell him I know, and that unless he refunds it, I will contact carzone and the guards and he will never sell it?

 

[kceire]

I wasn't aware that I had levelled any accusations or had ever described you as "dodgy", although I did ask you some questions; my post is reproduced below.

I initially thought it odd (and I still do) that you answered questions OP needed to ask the seller. OP, IMHO, seems to need help protecting himself and his interests in this transaction and while I thought him asking my questions of the seller could help in that, I found you answering them strange.

As the thread progressed my initial uncomfortable feelings about the deal seem to have been confirmed and if OP has information enough to protect himself from a bad deal, as a result of the posts in the thread, then I'm happy.

My original post -

you accused me of having a different agenda.

also in your post you didnt actually state that the OP should ask the questions you were posting, it looked to me that you were asking them questions.

you were very quick to judge me of having a hidden agenda.

anyway, enough OT talk, i suppose we put it down to a mis-understanding.