fleet car sales - high risk?

Trying to find a Galaxy/Sharan/Seat tdi auto with no luck.Second hand car market very low on stock and prices high.On searching have found Fleet Cars sales in Leicester who have a load of Sharans.Assuming they are Addison Lee cars (taxis) or similar , not sure many reps etc would have a mpv, would these be a disaster to buy. All are under 100k by a small margin and are 05/06 for roughly 6K. If they have been serviced properly which a big company is likely to do onw would hope they are in reasonable condition. Any ideas / experience? Tks............

Reply to
Tim
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As ever I think it is a bit of a lucky dip.

My father (and his father to an extent) has always purchased cars from my fathers employers pool cars / fleet once they are no longer required.

Most have been fine, the odd one has given greif, but then thats just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Many people will tell you to stay away from ex-police cars whereas many people will tell you they have owned them and never had a problem.

Tom

Reply to
Tom Burton

If it is a manual then it's been thrashed. Auto offers more protection.

So that means they have not been serviced correctly in accordance with the manufacturers guidelines. Are the service books a work of fiction or "missing".

They do have their advantages. Most have uprated suspension and brakes, HID lights, steel wheels and ride higher than normal. That means they handle far better and can take speed humps no problem. Base models also have aircon, bigger batteries and alternators etc. They are a base model loaded with extras and have modified engine management so are faster than their normal equivalents. You will also find traction control, ABS etc. Be sure to tell your insurers it is a modified base model or your insurance will be void. Most police cars are thrashed, not serviced regularly and DO NOT require any MOT until sold on. Watch out for bearings, engine and gearbox failures. The interiors are also quite worn.

Reply to
Clive

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Clive" saying something like:

Why is nearly everything you write a work of fiction?

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

I've bought two high mileage ex lease BMWs in the past - although I'd guess they had only the one driver (each ;-)). Both were 'as is' - not even valeted. Both were very well maintained - so you could easily see what might be needed done just by looking. My present one was bought retail some 10 years ago - purely because they were hard to come by at auction then. But if I ever decide to replace it I'd go down the ex lease car route again happily. After all, where do you think most dealers get their 3 year old plus stock from?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Yup, I've had two ex lease A6s with over 150K on, absolute bargains & 6 years of FSH with receipts.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

Quite a few company car drivers have picked this sort of vehicle, too, so they may not be from a taxi.

My Mondeo was an ex-fleet machine. Sure, I was the assistant fleet manager ;-) so I knew their history. Most of the company car drivers were driven in an unsympathetic manner to be honest *but* the difference between a knuckle-dragging private motorist and a knuckle-dragging company car motorist is that the private guy usually doesn't have some annoying irk insisting that they check their vehicle's fluid levels and tyres on a regular basis...

Reply to
DervMan

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