Buying A second hand car

zzzzzzzz

Ok, looking at an 05 car - decent price

I've done a check on Cartell.ie and it's told me it was originally a UK car.

There have been 3 Irish owners in the past 2 years that the car has been here. (+ 1 year in UK, so that's 4 previous owners making me the 5th assumedly...)

I'm planning on getting a mechanic to look at it but everything seems ok. I had my dad, who was a mechanic 20 years ago, look at it and he reckons there's no obvious signs of major damage. No kink in the roof, underside looks ok, nothing misaligned or dinted in the spare tyre well.

Another concern: low mileage & no service history.

Also, should I get a HPI check on the UK reg? Or am I OK with just the cartell.ie check (they gave me a uk check too, but it didn't seem to be very detailed - maybe i'm wrong)

If a mechanic gives me the all clear should i go for it??

dos30

I would walk away if you have any doubts.
4 owners in 3 years and a UK import with no service history sounds too dodgy to me.

Mean_Mr Mustard

Did you take it for test drive? What sort of car is it?

Esel

Be sure it has not been clocked at least once!

Does the seller have a genuine reason for selling it?

How long did the seller and the previous Irish owners keep it?

Can you contact any of the previous owners to see what they have to say about the car?

lizzyd66

I would recommend paying the extra and getting the HPI check. I was in the same position - turned out the car I was interested in had been written off twice and stolen once so I walked away from the deal. Best ££ I ever spent!

zzzzzzzz

@Mr Mustard: It's an Audi A3 1.9 TDI, took it for a test drive and it seemed ok. No pull either side and a nice drive in all

@esel: No way to be sure it hasn't been clocked because of the lack of a service history. Cartell came back and nothing was flagged to do with the mileage(except that it was below average).
Yeah, seller did have a genuine reason - to get a deposit for a house
Seller bought it last november from a garage. Contacted the garage but they didn't seem too interested in checking their database...

Anyway, thanks for all the replies. I've decided to walk away from it. With no service history and low mileage it seems a bit suspect. Too much cash to gamble with to be honest. Also, when i'm re-selling it I'm going to have the same trouble he's having now so I might as well just go to the UK and import one myself with FSH from an Audi dealer.

niceirishfella

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Ok, looking at an 05 car - decent price

I've done a check on Cartell.ie and it's told me it was originally a UK car.

There have been 3 Irish owners in the past 2 years that the car has been here. (+ 1 year in UK, so that's 4 previous owners making me the 5th assumedly...)

I'm planning on getting a mechanic to look at it but everything seems ok. I had my dad, who was a mechanic 20 years ago, look at it and he reckons there's no obvious signs of major damage. No kink in the roof, underside looks ok, nothing misaligned or dinted in the spare tyre well.

Another concern: low mileage & no service history.

Also, should I get a HPI check on the UK reg? Or am I OK with just the cartell.ie check (they gave me a uk check too, but it didn't seem to be very detailed - maybe i'm wrong)

If a mechanic gives me the all clear should i go for it??

Something tells me your gut is telling you theres something amiss with this Car..........wise decision to WALK AWAY!

4 owners, no service his, low miles (clocked probably) - - there are stacks and stacks of good quality verifiable car out there............STACKS!
You'll get the car you want, no hassles.

good luck btw