Is buying privately just too risky?

My TI was owned by Consignia prior to me. It did 45,000 miles in the four years that they owned it, and as above, was immaculate.

I agree with Tim (for once :) - there's nothing wrong with ex-fleet cars.

They have way too much to lose IMO. I know trading standards probably don't care, but if "large" numbers of people started voicing concerns, they'd be history.

Pete.

It may have been the end of the market I was looking at, I was looking at 3 year old high mileage diesels with low price tags. Citroen contract hire and Lex vehicle leasing were the previous registered keepers on a few of them. I think there is a difference between a hire car and your own personal company car, if it's your own company car you are more likely to look after it than if you've just got it for a short period and then get shot of it. A lot of these cars were damaged (scratches / chips / bashes / trim broken etc) and had not been repaired to any great standard.

I was working to a strict budget at the time too, and seeing how new a car I could get for it. In the end I went for something older cheaper and seemingly better looked after. I'm sure there are plenty of clean ex-fleet cars out there which have been looked after and haven't done excessive mileage but I didn't see one. The only clean cars I saw had been privately owned and run, a couple of them at franchised dealers but they were above my budget.

The car I bought had been bought pre-registered by the seller from Citroen and he had had it for about 5 years. Citroen had it as a company fleet vehicle for 6 months and 20k miles before the seller bought it, so it could be considered to be ex-fleet.

-- James

Last time I was in a hire car I had it bouncing off the rev limiter in all the bottom 3 gears. I wasn't paying for fuel or tyres either.

Vectra GSI V6 3.2 litre.

-- James

The ones who do know what they are doing are the ones to be wary of...

"No I'm not a dealer" or "I'm selling it for a friend / relative"

-- James

I've had a couple of 6 year old ex fleet high milers that where great, but there are some real dogs out there

We firstly, Fords of Winsford are a reputable garage and they don't clock cars.

There are so many myths about used cars:

1) Fleet and rental cars are, some will say, thrashed within in an inch of their lives and poorly maintained. Well, some are, most are not.

2) Dodgy dealers buy high mileage fleet cars from auction and clock them. Well, most main dealers and large garages will not, some small traders do.

It's all about taking reasonable precautions - it's not rocket science. If you're buying a car off some dodgy-looking trader, you take your chances. But if you buy a car from a reputable garage you're much safer.

You should buy a car with a fully documented service history which shows a steady rise in mileage over the car's life. The last service in the book should be within the last 12 months and should be within a reasonable mileage from the current mileage. If the car's showing 60k miles and the last service in the book showed 58k miles two years ago then work it out for yourself.

You can buy a crap car from a main dealer, from a small trader, from auction and privately. It's all about shopping around, looking carefully, making sure it's got a proper history and using your gut instinct - dodgy people and dodgy cars go together; if you don't like the person you're buying the car from, walk away.

Well, we don't know what the OP paid so it's hard to tell. Trade values would not differ greatly.

Well good for you both, but do you honestly believe everyone drives like this? They don't.

Many years in the motor trade here - most car salesmen don't drive like this. If a salesman damages a car the consequences are severe. And don't kid yourself that an occasional hard drive does a car any harm anyway.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating: over the years I've bought and sold on *many* ex-rental cars and those customers have not been back with tales of woe - quite the opposite actually.

It's all about knowing enough about buying cars to sort the good-uns from the wrong-uns. If you can't tell the difference, you're better off spending more money to cover your arse.

Actually, I have to say that my car's service book reads

Year 1 : Major Service at 17k miles Year 2 : Major Service at 43k miles Year 3 : Major Service at 57k, minor at 57.5k! (had it done when the head gasket went) Year 4 : Major Service at 65k Year 5 : Major Service at 66k Year 6 : Major Service at 69k

I had a bike accident during Year 4, then changed jobs so my mileage just went through the floor over the last year.

Looks a bit dodgy, doesn't it?

I do too ... returning it with front wheels *not* black from brake dust doesn't seem to be trying.

However, I had one hire car where the "Service Engine Now" light came on when I a couple of hundred miles away from home. Rang up the hire company and asked if I should drop it off at their nearest franchise, since I had lots of miles still to do (and the handbook indicated that carrying on would be a "really bad idea" (TM)). Nope, they said to just keep on running and call the AA if it broke down.

As I returned the car and waited for a lift I saw them dish the keys out to the next guy in line. No check on the engine at all.

This was a national chain, not a scummy back street hire company either.

This is the important bit ... if you're lucky you might get a hire car that was lent out to Mr. Jones while his car was being repaired and just sat on his driveway.

Be fair though - they can't use the advert as proof in a court (your word against his). MOTs are about to be computerised so maybe in five years time ...

No, because you can see by the _dates_ that it's at least been serviced once a year.

It's when the mileage hasn't gone up, and there's a year missing from the service history that you start to look dodgy.

You could also explain to the punter why the mileage dropped off.

Pete.

All the salesman is intested in is gauging the profit on the deal.

For an older car which he won't sell on the forecourt this means - how much will he get realistically when the car goes to Auction or otherwise through the trade.

If it's going to sell on his forecourt, the cost of any mechanical problems will be offset by "shifting" the cost of repairs to some sort of warranty insurance, so unless there is something obviuosly amiss he won't be too bothered, and if there is he'll dispose of it through the trade. The rest is how much it will cost him to prepare it for sale.

I guess his risks are also minimised by The service records for the car, if it's him you serviced it with The HPI checks that might be going on in the background while you are left to your own devices! Anything else that the trade would know that you or I do not!

my cars an ex demo car made 6 months before it was registered fully loaded to the teeth with every option and it never went wrong in the first 3 years I owned it :) it's spent most of the last 18 months parked outside my house or in the workshop mind, but that's another matter :) as for the hire cars, they sell them on when it's time for their first service or 3/6 months old and that's the end of it

Heh - a 1.6 Bravo will do 100 in 3rd with only 10 miles on the clock...

1000 miles in a year!! and you'll still need to filll the tank monthly...

Weekly ...

That just ensures you don't glaze the cylinders. I say you were doing them a favour.