Pete.
Member
- Messages
- 14,801
- Location
- Kent, UK
Man I've had a frustrating two weeks trying to find a car for my daughter. She has been driving around in a 59 plate Beetle that we bought her for her 21st birthday 7+ years ago. Now it's been round the world and really falling apart rapidly aside from having had several hard to diagnose electrical gremlins in the past couple of years. Finally 2 weeks ago it started running very rough and it looked like the head gasket had gone. I had to get her to park it up and borrow my wife's car to get to and from work.
So I started looking for another car with a budget of up to £2k. I was looking on Autotrader and local gumtree, and a bit on ebay but not so much there.
Found a guy selling a couple of cars, a Ford KA 2009 for £1900. Gear box was knackered. Also had a 2008 Kia Rio which was quite a nice example with a few miles advertised at £1500. I offered £1350 and he got all offended saying " I have it advertised for £1650". When I showed him the autotrader advert he said "Oh, it's on facebook for £1650". Claimed he had spent £300 getting it mot'd and it had a new windscreen but the rubbers were undisturbed.
I told him I'd pay £1350 fo rit OR £1000 and he can take her shed of a Beetle. He said no so I walked away. Next day he's on the phone saying he'd take the beetle and a grand offer so I agreed. Turned up to do the deal and now he wants £1100. Told him to get and do one.
Next was a guy who had a Peugoet 307. Turned up to look at it and he said "I'm just going out" Locked up and drove off.
Next was a Kia Ceed 2009 for £1950 decribed as "Mechanically faultless, great condition inside and out". Straight away I see multiple dents in both front doors, door sill caved in. Pulled up the rear seat and it's full of mud, stones and straw. Air con didn't work at all and the exhaust was blowing. I put my hand on the outlet and it spewed water out of the back box seam. Walked away from that one.
Hyundai i20 2009. Looked and ran ok but the air con didn't work. Got underneath and the whole underside front is rusty bare metal. They must have steam cleaned all of the old rust and paint off. One winter and it would dissolve. No thanks.
Next was a 2008 golf. Full of dents and scratches and a failed power steering fault. I t was cheap but too rough.
Mercedes A-class 2006 which looked nice and was cheap because the starter had failed. Replacement starter in the boot but it's an utter cowson of a job to change it. Tow-started and drove OK but the air con didn't work and all of the door bottoms were rotted out. Looked in the boot and for some reason it's got salt everywhere, that big grainy road salt stuff. No wonder it was rotten. Shame because I really liked that car.
In the end I did get a nice car from a private seller. An advert popped up on Gumtree for a Peugeot 207 in gorgeous metallic blue with 60k miles, 2 owners and only £1100. I jumped straight on the phone but got no answer. I had the postcode though and it was in a car park so I figured I'd go looking for it. In the end I stopped and called the guy a second time and he replied so 20 minutes later I'm there looking at it. This was the first car I'd seen that was honest;y described and it really was a peach. The guy lived in a bit of a dodgy-looking estate but he was reaaly a nice friendly sound sort of a guy with no guilein him whatsoever. I went 100yds down the road in the car and decided that was the car for my girl.
It just goes to show that you can't judge people by their surroundings. This car came from an estate that you wouldn't leave your car in overnight but the guy was as sound as they come - he even had it valeted and dropped it off because he couldn't be there at the time we agreed I'd collect it. I gave him a couple of bottles for his trouble.
Her old beetle you can just see in the pics. Went for scrap.
So I started looking for another car with a budget of up to £2k. I was looking on Autotrader and local gumtree, and a bit on ebay but not so much there.
Found a guy selling a couple of cars, a Ford KA 2009 for £1900. Gear box was knackered. Also had a 2008 Kia Rio which was quite a nice example with a few miles advertised at £1500. I offered £1350 and he got all offended saying " I have it advertised for £1650". When I showed him the autotrader advert he said "Oh, it's on facebook for £1650". Claimed he had spent £300 getting it mot'd and it had a new windscreen but the rubbers were undisturbed.
I told him I'd pay £1350 fo rit OR £1000 and he can take her shed of a Beetle. He said no so I walked away. Next day he's on the phone saying he'd take the beetle and a grand offer so I agreed. Turned up to do the deal and now he wants £1100. Told him to get and do one.
Next was a guy who had a Peugoet 307. Turned up to look at it and he said "I'm just going out" Locked up and drove off.
Next was a Kia Ceed 2009 for £1950 decribed as "Mechanically faultless, great condition inside and out". Straight away I see multiple dents in both front doors, door sill caved in. Pulled up the rear seat and it's full of mud, stones and straw. Air con didn't work at all and the exhaust was blowing. I put my hand on the outlet and it spewed water out of the back box seam. Walked away from that one.
Hyundai i20 2009. Looked and ran ok but the air con didn't work. Got underneath and the whole underside front is rusty bare metal. They must have steam cleaned all of the old rust and paint off. One winter and it would dissolve. No thanks.
Next was a 2008 golf. Full of dents and scratches and a failed power steering fault. I t was cheap but too rough.
Mercedes A-class 2006 which looked nice and was cheap because the starter had failed. Replacement starter in the boot but it's an utter cowson of a job to change it. Tow-started and drove OK but the air con didn't work and all of the door bottoms were rotted out. Looked in the boot and for some reason it's got salt everywhere, that big grainy road salt stuff. No wonder it was rotten. Shame because I really liked that car.
In the end I did get a nice car from a private seller. An advert popped up on Gumtree for a Peugeot 207 in gorgeous metallic blue with 60k miles, 2 owners and only £1100. I jumped straight on the phone but got no answer. I had the postcode though and it was in a car park so I figured I'd go looking for it. In the end I stopped and called the guy a second time and he replied so 20 minutes later I'm there looking at it. This was the first car I'd seen that was honest;y described and it really was a peach. The guy lived in a bit of a dodgy-looking estate but he was reaaly a nice friendly sound sort of a guy with no guilein him whatsoever. I went 100yds down the road in the car and decided that was the car for my girl.
It just goes to show that you can't judge people by their surroundings. This car came from an estate that you wouldn't leave your car in overnight but the guy was as sound as they come - he even had it valeted and dropped it off because he couldn't be there at the time we agreed I'd collect it. I gave him a couple of bottles for his trouble.
Her old beetle you can just see in the pics. Went for scrap.
. . . even if at the point of inspection she asked for assistance . . .