How many miles are too many miles for a 1.9tdi

CiDeRmAn

So,
Hoping to buy a certain car in a couple of days, and it is a beautiful 07 Skoda Superb.
And it is the 1.9tdi model as well, with a manual box.
The current owner says it's had all the work done, clutch, flywheel, filter, fanbelts, and it's a stunning, fully working example with no issues at all.
Only thing is it is an ex-hackney with 212k miles on it.
So, assuming it was well maintained, are those miles something to worry about?
From what I've seen online they are fairly small numbers, with many 1.9tdi engines doing double if not more miles, well into 500k, before packing it in.

So, what's the judgement of the experts here?
I'm hoping to pick it up for around €2k

Tzardine

Even with the high mileage that price seems suspiciously low for a 2007 diesel Superb.

if the owner did not have receipts for all the work he says has been done then I would walk. I would also walk if the receipts are all from the one garage ( unless its a main dealer )

Esel

Tzardine wrote: »

Even with the high mileage that price seems suspiciously low for a 2007 diesel Superb.

if the owner did not have receipts for all the work he says has been done then I would walk. I would also walk if the receipts are all from the one garage ( unless its a main dealer )

???

CiDeRmAn

It's an 06 Superb, apologies

Tzardine

Esel wrote: »

???

Its not uncommon for a shady dealer / seller to have a car with no service history and to stamp everything at once and say it was all done. Most cars 10 years old would have been to more than one garage in their lifetime.

All stamped from the one place is a big red flag for me.

Esel

Tzardine wrote: »

Its not uncommon for a shady dealer / seller to have a car with no service history and to stamp everything at once and say it was all done. Most cars 10 years old would have been to more than one garage in their lifetime.

All stamped from the one place is a big red flag for me.

The context was " it's had all the work done, clutch, flywheel, filter, fanbelts...", not the service history, but I take your point.

_Brian

It's essentially a B5.5 Passat, that sort of milage is well within their ability but lack of a service history would be a worry. By last B5 Passat had near 200kmiles and was running perfect (until a van drove across it and me).

Nuw

On this engine, if well maintained, there's not much to go wrong really, it was designed to munch miles. Provided it's been serviced regularly, I'd go for it.

CiDeRmAn

Yeah, it's a distance to see it, I'm in Dublin but it's in Limerick, but it is a gorgeous edition of the car.
I'm 6'2" and my 13 year old son isn't far behind me and him squashing into the rear seat of the Focus Estate Mk1 is a little too much for him now.
At 2.2k it's in the mean for the year of car but the extras and tax until November are nice, though the NCT up in Nov less so.
All in all it's a trade off between features and mileage but the car, if the condition is a good as the seller says it is, makes it a decent buy.
He said it was a Hackney, though he didn't own it, having bought it from a main dealer following a trade in from the previous owner.
Sounds complicated but I'd say pretty typical for dealers out there.
I can find a same year/less miles example closer to home but this edition seems worth travelling for.
Fingers crossed all will be well.
I'm going to call a garage down there and see if they can take a drive in once over before I commit to buying, makes sense before investing though, I know, it's "only" around two grand.
I had been considering a similar year Primera or 407, but they seem just too fragile a car to take a punt on.

grogi

_Brian wrote: »

It's essentially a B5.5 Passat, that sort of milage is well within their ability but lack of a service history would be a worry. By last B5 Passat had near 200kmiles and was running perfect (until a van drove across it and me).

B5FL and SuperB Mk1 are brilliant cars. Design with quality in mind, the last VWs to offer longitudinal engine.

CiDeRmAn

Thanks for the advice, I feel a little braver now!
I've a sad legacy of awful motor cars in my history of some 20 years, with near divorce over the Scenic 2 and the multiple issues with my love for Citroens.
Trying for solid reliability this time instead, that and legroom!

grogi

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, I feel a little braver now!
I've a sad legacy of awful motor cars in my history of some 20 years, with near divorce over the Scenic 2 and the multiple issues with my love for Citroens.
Trying for solid reliability this time instead, that and legroom!

That's an old, albeit solid, car - don't expect miracles though.

CiDeRmAn

grogi wrote: »

That's an old, albeit solid, car - don't expect miracles though.

No, I understand.
When one is in the market for a car costing €2,250 one has to recognise certain limits, but I know people who've spent good money on relatively new cars and have cursed them and what they've cost them.
Roll the dice I guess.

bazz26

It's quite normal for main dealers to sell cars like that that are traded in, on to small time dealers or self employed mechanics who buys cheap cars regularly from them. These cars are not suitable to be retailed on a main dealer forecourt.

My guess here is that car needed work done on it such as the clutch/flywheel, timing belt, etc and was just traded in against a new car rather than spend money on it. Whoever bought it from the main dealer may have been a mechanic who fitted the clutch/flywheel/timing belt kits themselves at a reduced cost and is now selling it on to make a few quid back on it.

vickers209

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

At 2.2k it's in the mean for the year of car but the extras and tax until November are nice, though the NCT up in Nov less so.
.

If you buy it make sure and nct it in august and you will get a two year cert for it.
It needs to be tested more than 3 months before its due and if its under 3 months you will only receive a 1 year cert to Nov 17.

Nonoperational

Engine will be fine, it's clutch, DMF, suspension that could be issues. History vital. Aircon compressors on VAGs of that eera were made of cheese too.

CiDeRmAn

I got in contact with the seller and he says that he has no main dealer stamps, but service stickers for the work done in local mechanics.

Renegade Mechanic

Do you need a car now? Or can you wait...?
Hackney car is a pretty big chance to take, imo.

Also to consider is how long you intend on keeping it, because - while there are exceptions to the rule - it doesn't owe anyone anything at 212 thousand miles.

Is it NCT'd? You could at least expect a year + of life from the running gear and that. But I wouldn't be confident myself with that particular type (taxi) of car.

CiDeRmAn

I would hope to get 3 years out of a car.
My current is frankly shocking, but nothing major needed doing, just kept on keeping on.
There is an NCT, up til this November,
Here's the link
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-skoda-superb-edition-100/12343944

Renegade Mechanic

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I would hope to get 3 years out of a car.
My current is frankly shocking, but nothing major needed doing, just kept on keeping on.
There is an NCT, up til this November,
Here's the link
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-skoda-superb-edition-100/12343944

I'd have a suspicion it's an English import.
Either way, it's definitely a car you'll want to start cold, so you can see what the exhaust is like.
212,000 miles on Irish diesel leaves a wider chance it ran a few contaminated tanks - particularly in a career where fuel savings are everything...
I'd look for the reg, for a check mabye and bring someone car-savvy, if you aren't.
It's certainly a nice looking car, all the goodies. Very rare in this market - particularly on Skodas.
I'd check to see how many of those years it spent as a taxi, and be careful. Something is striking me as off, but I've no idea so it's likely just me.

CiDeRmAn

I just found out the guy is over in Newcastle West, which is a long long way to travel to see a car.
I think, despite the goodies, I might pass on it
The seller tells me that the work said as completed are what the garage that sold it to him informed him of, and the only thing that can be confirmed is the TB kit.
As such, too many risks really.
Bugger.

Atlantic Dawn

Just another thing to check if it's still taxed as a hackney/taxi you will need to taxi it privately instead in order for it to be valid.

CiDeRmAn

The dangers of little knowledge
I'm now terrified to go near a second hand diesel.
A lovely Mazda 6, 06, rocking a 2.0 diesel engine and all i read about are imploding clutches.
Even the Volkswagen group diesel cars seem like expensive disasters waiting to happen .

So what's the truth of it? not

CiDeRmAn

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I just found out the guy is over in Newcastle West, which is a long long way to travel to see a car.
I think, despite the goodies, I might pass on it
The seller tells me that the work said as completed are what the garage that sold it to him informed him of, and the only thing that can be confirmed is the TB kit.
As such, too many risks really.
Bugger.

Distance shouldn't be a major issue. What's another hour for a car you quite like.

Just assume the following: It needs everything done to it. If his price is 2,250, then aim to pay 2,000 or 2,100 at the most. ring two mechanics in the area (google them). You'll probably be charged about €50 for a chap to slap it up onto a ramp and tell you what's good and bad with it. Some guys charge a bit more to do a diagnostics, usually €80 for check and diagnostics.


I bought a 407 in Limerick (Travelled from Drogheda). Car broke my heart in the end with electrical issues popping up, and just some genuine bad luck (someone breaking the spoiler, and a CV boot going in the same week, etc.) but i took that to 2 different mechanics in limerick and both were absolutely sound folks. Pointed out the bits that were wrong with it, which I used to haggle a tad, and put me on the right track in general.

Just make a day out of it, but don't appear desperate. Tell the seller you know someone living there that you've to pop down to for a while and you can meet him whilst you're there.

If the seller thinks you're after driving hours on end to just see a car, then he'll never budge on price cos he knows you're not gonna walk away over the sake of a hundred euro after having drove there and back.


But do google mechanics. Some lads will look at it for €35, some will be up to €100, but by and large you'll be given an honest, unbiased overview of the car for a fraction of the purchase price.


EDIT: Also take into consideration the amount of cars that are driving about with more than that mileage on them and were clocked back before being sold, so the owners haven't a notion. I'd say there's a fair few 300+ mile cars on the road that the owners are oblivious to.


My own car is an 09 C5 estate, and it's at 215,000km at the moment. Not a bother with it. (I put about 40,000 of those on it myself in the last 10 months). I realise that's still smaller mileage than the Superb you're looking at but if a car was taken care of...

Mech1

Why isnt / didnt, his taxi mate buying such a super car off him?

in all honesty I have never fixed a taxi mans car without him looking for a cheaper way out.

Mech1

Mech1 wrote: »

Why isnt / didnt, his taxi mate buying such a super car off him?

in all honesty I have never fixed a taxi mans car without him looking for a cheaper way out.

I did a bit of car detailing last year, and offered a basic valet service. I did this fairly briefly, and had a couple of taxi drivers.

Most cars were fairly normal in terms of clean/dirty etc. but two of the lads had their cars immaculate. One chap was in a, I believe, 98 avensis. The car was probably dirtier after I cleaned it, if I'm honest. It was impeccable.


A lot of taxi drivers will drive it into the ground and give it a hard life, but I think many of them look at the car as their office/place of work, and their sole means of income, and therefore will treat it accordingly.

Not fair to tar them all with the same brush.

CiDeRmAn

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I would hope to get 3 years out of a car.
My current is frankly shocking, but nothing major needed doing, just kept on keeping on.
There is an NCT, up til this November,
Here's the link
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2006-skoda-superb-edition-100/12343944

Nothing in add is off-putting except the tax is probably PSV so worthless.

If it's confirmed timing belt & water pump was done and if clutch is biting fine with no tremors from DMF and all seems well on test drive I'd buy it after having a peak underneath etc.

You won't find perfect car for 2k

dermob

These have problems with water ingress if not addressed, it wrecks the internal electronics. Good car though!!

CiDeRmAn

I nearly made the trip, but had to knock it on the head, I'll bide my time.
Lovely car but my day and a mates wasted if it turns out to be a turkey, pity though, it is probably the best equipped Superb I've seen