Buying a vintage car

trister

Hi,

I'm looking at buying a vintage car and have a question on the best way to go about it.

The car looks in good condition but I want to have a mechanic to get it on a ramp and check it over for the things I would not spot or know what to look for, hidden rust, suspension etc.

Should I-
1. Arrange with the seller to have the mechanic to have a look at it(in my presence) and once I get the OK negotiate on the price

or

2. Negotiate a price first, put a deposit down, have the mechanic look it over and if all OK buy based on the original negotiated price.

The mechanic will be giving the report to me without sharing it with the owner.

Just wondering which is the best approach is.

Thanks

Henry Ford III

It's definitely 1/.

biko

Don't hand any money over to the seller until after inspection.
You have to pay the mech yourself since he is doing the inspection on your behalf. You can probably get a price cut for the cost.

Merrion

50 spent on an inspection can save 500 in the first year :-)

power pants

yeah, I almost bought an utter **** heap of a fellow boardsie a couple of years ago

looked great, new nct, service history but the engine and other mechanical parts were totally ****ed

he wanted a particularly dear price as well, wouldnt have minded paying if it was mechanically sound

garage I brought it to, told it was a heap of ****

few weeks later he was on the forum detailing all that was wrong with his **** heap

have a bad taste in my mouth thinking he intentionally sells cars he knows are ****ed

so, yeah definitely get a mechanic

ben9195

Try to get a mechanic that is familiar with the make and model of the car you want inspected and be mindful of the fact that without access to a hoist or ramp there is only so much he can inspect while it is on the ground.

swarlb

What kind of a car is it ? Year, make, model would help.
In the general sense a 'vintage car' is simply an old car, which could be anything between the late 1800's and a year ago. A true 'vintage' car, with respect to an enthusiast, is a car built between 1919 and 1930.

Alan Ashe

Knowing what vehicle would help, buddy. At the very least it might attract someone from this forum who knows the vehicle you need inspecting. Vintage all the way, I only have two vintage vehicles but one of them is my primary vehicle

trister

My mistake and completely wrong, meant Classic not vintage, the post was in haste.

It's a 70's - 80's Merc SL I'm looking for. Some might argue this is not yet a classic.

Found one recently and looked good(I have a fair idea what to look for when it comes to the old SL's) but would not buy till properly checked out by a professional. Said all this to the to the seller, they said OK but seemed a bit vague when I asked about specifics like rust areas, bulkhead, jacking points, rear suspension, etc.
The day after they retracted their offer of allowing the car to travel(100km, at my expense) to have a thorough inspection. They suggested that I find someone closer to where the car was based, he did offer a ramp close by when I requested it.

A couple of days later(today) when I had organised a mech who had good experience of the SL and who was willing to go and see the vehicle, the seller seemed a bit jumpy on the phone,

"Oh are you paying someone to have a look at the car, where are they from, who are they? Do you realise that the car is 35 years old. It has passed its NCT, recently, is that not enough?"

Initially the seller accepted to show it (from cold and then on the ramp), but then 2 hours later rang to say someone had "viewed it, taken it up the road and had put a deposit on it" it was then (maybe 2 hours later) pulled from the online add site it was posted.

Call me suspicious here, but I think the seller was worried about the car being tagged as having an issue/issues!

One of the last comments from the seller when I spoke to him over the phone was that "I was being unfair and unreasonable to have someone inspect the car before buying, was an NCT not enough!"

In hindsight there were warning signs from the beginning, but you let these slide when you know a competent mech is the last checkpoint before purchase. In this case the prospect of a proper examination of the car was enough put the seller off(my belief).

Anyway the search continues.

Thank you all for the advice and information

Alan Ashe

In my opinion the seller is hiding something. Pity, as potential buyers are far nicer to deal with if you're honest. Personally speaking I sold a 300E recently and highlighted it might have a head problem. People actually called me to thank me for my honesty, says a lot. No luck in hiding problems on a car that's for sale. Mercs Achilles heel is corrosion, in general.

trister

Yep, the the problem that the seller may have been worried about could have been one I was willing to deal with if the price of the car was right. I'll never know!

The cynic in me is expecting to see this car up for sale again in the coming months!

Alan Ashe

Have you asked Ned Kelly about any of his classics? An absolute gent of a man. I highly recommend you pay him a visit and look at his mammoth collection!!! Furthermore, he's upfront and honest. Kilkenny.