would you buy under these circumstances?..............

[DannyBwoy 0]

Hi

 

I have put a few posts on here today, i am probably gonna start annoying everyone soon.

 

Just wanted to ask what peoples opinion was of service history on oldish C's. If a car has really low miles for the year (75k on a G) and no service history for the last 25k and 9 years, would this ring any alarm bells?

 

The guy who is selling says it has been stored for a couple of years since 1996 ( 96-98) hence the low miles.

 

Also, and i dont want to make it sound really dodgy, but i met him at a lock up where he stored the car. What do you think of this? He told me he only lived round the corner.

 

He seemed like a genuine Corrado enthusiast (he drove a VR6 Storm in really good nic) and a really nice bloke but the combination of the above are really the only things that are making me wary of the car.

 

Any opinions would be appreciated

 

Thanks

[Andy665 0]

You've obviously got doubts, I have always go by the principle of "In in doubt walk away" - theres a lot of good Rados for sale, go and buy one from someone that you feel 100% comfortable with, thats what I did and have not regretted it

[Furkz 0]

think about 1 thing...wouldnt he have stored the storm and drove the 16v one...... im not saying dont buy it but just ask yourself commen sense questions and if you have convinced yourself buy it and make sure u do a hpi check

 

FSH isnt really a factor jus make sure its been serviced regularly

[Trig 0]

Andy665, agreed. There are quite few cheap and very good examples to be had at the moment, I wouldn't bother risking it. :)

[DannyBwoy 0]

thanks for that.

 

The 16V was one he bought to sell, he said his gf had a C aswell.

 

The buying and selling of the cars is a sideline to his main job, so thats why he wasnt driving the 16V. He also wasnt the person who stored the car, this was before he owned it but was told about it when he bought it.

 

But thanks for the advice, i am wary of the circumstances slightly and it has annoyed me 'cos the car is exactly what i am looking for (colour, mileage, leather, alloys etc). Like you have said tho, there are plenty out there and i think it might mean travelling a little bit more than i wanted to, oh well!!

 

Cheers

[CazzaVR 0]

Walk away. He *could* be genuine, but like the others have said, it sounds a bit dodge. People like this often seem like a really good guy, and know their stuff, but are really just full of shit. They'll give you little anecdotes about the car etc that will sound convincing, and make them seem genuine, but be completely made up. I've learned this the hard way.

 

As Andy665 said, if there's any doubt (no matter how small), walk away.

 

Always good to take someone with you when you view a car. I'm sure there are some forum members in your area who'd take a look with you.

[Storm77 0]

Yeah, I agree, walk away. 9 years of no history (despite the low miles) is not ideal - with patience you'll find what you're looking for with the all important fully stamped book.

[Bobert healetty 0]

lol walk away i found a spectacular deal after looking for a long time i finally found what i wanted...89,300 orig miles new engine and super charger, the glove box of the car has about 600 receipts/records of previous maintenance, services, and performance parts, the car is immaculate brand new paint interior is mint....the car has been serviced by one european specialty shop its entire life. i got it for $4800 (USD) this is a steal. there are tiny things that i dont like about the car but are very easily changable

 

point is look good and hard for the car you want dont jump on the first one that catches your attention, ive wanted a corrado for a couple years now and just a couple months ago started looking ALOT for a nice one and i found one

[DannyBwoy 0]

Ok, i think you have convinced me now, although like i said, the car is lovely.

 

How common is it to get a full (or near as damn it) service history on a car that old? i know a lot of the C's have been enthusiast owned, but i have seen some on autotrader that have not got the full history. how important is a fully stamped book to everyone?

 

I might be sounding a bit naive here but i am new to all this so i am really grateful for the advice.

 

Cheers

[GIXXERUK 0]

http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic. ... ce+history

 

 

worth a read mate

[h100vw 0]

HPI check it, people do lay cars up for the weirdest reasons. Check the log book is in his name.

 

If he can prove ownership, no reason not to buy it.

 

Gavin

[DannyBwoy 0]

just spoke to the seller, he hasnt got any reciepts/bills etc so its not looking good for getting that car. :(

 

thanks for your help, and let me know if you hear of any 1.8 or 2.0 16v being sold anywhere?!

 

cheers :help:

[h100vw 0]

Have you got the reg number off it? You could check with VW what history they have on it.

 

Without any history it is worth less money but that doesn't mean it's a bad car.

 

Gavin

[scarlett 0]

i'd ask for the reg no/chassis no of the car and find out if VW have any history like h100vw says.... my new c has history from previous owner only who could only provide his reciepts and a duplicate of the services it had done by VW, but the car seemed good enough to take the chance on and so far so good..... some of these cars are just getting too old, reciepts and things do go missing...

 

see if someone with more experience than yourself can go with you to take a look (someone will be happy to - i'm sure!!!)

 

i was always told if it drives right then it is right..... to be fair it hasn't let me down with my choices of car....

 

good luck!!!!

[bristolbaron 10]

TBH, im not overly concerned by history, as long as the car is well kept.

I bought my car from a mate nearly a year ago. Hed had it for a year and done loads of work on it himself [including replacement charger]. Since ive had it, its been to gwerks and now im happy.

Its probably had more love in the 2 years its not been to VAG then it ever did before.

However, when i sell it, i could understand a potential buyer being aware.

[DannyBwoy 0]

Thanks for the advice.

 

Still pretty sure i am writing that one off, too many question marks over it.

 

I am gonna keep on looking, just hope i am not looking for too long.

[double-6s 0]

i don't think service history is everything. a car may have been serviced at all the correct intervals, but had the sh*t ragged out of it for every single mile in between. i think condition of the car and HPI check are the really important things. and of course taking someone with you who knows shed loads about Cs. but i've had quality cars with no history, and dogs with full main dealer history, so it's all about the car as it is now. IMO. :)

saying that, WALK if you aint happy. simple. GOOD LUCK MATE.

[Blair 0]

Without any bills or receipts to even vaguely back up the mileage claim, I'd walk away...

[double-6s 0]

agreed. maybe MOTs and some receipts definately.

[DannyBwoy 0]

yeah, i have come to that decision myself tbh.

 

although i hate to walk away from those lovely leather seats and the colour was gorgeous, i am gonna use my head instead of following my heart.

[steveo29 0]

if the car looks and drives the way you want it to, and the price is right for you why not get it

 

you could search for the one owner 50k mile car and it could still be trouble..take all cars as you find em, if the bodywork is sweet and and it runs and drives right get it.

 

to be fair a car thats been stood years id prob worse in some ways than one thats driven

[crdo16v 0]

My advice would be to ask the seller whether he has a problem with you taking it to a garage you can trust to give it a good checking over & to allow you to have a good long test drive. If it all pans out OK then get an HPI check & establish that he is the genuine owner, see if he can put a new MOT on it too.

If all is OK & the price is very right then maybe you should go for it.

If he & the car are genuine he should accept that your requests are reasonable.

Good luck. :thumb right:

[DannyBwoy 0]

thanks guys

 

I really do appreciate all the advice. its just its my first time buying a C and i dont want to buy a complete shed and it spoil the little fantasy i have had about owning one.

 

The car is fine, drives fine, looks perfect (bodywork, colour, leather trim, 17" alloys etc) and the low miles seem a bonus too. Its just it was the first one i had looked at and i didnt want to fall prey to the "buy the first one you look at" syndrome.

 

it has got a HPI cert that he did, its got 9 months test on it too.

 

Cheers

[CazzaVR 0]

Does his HPI have mileage verification? If not, get it HPI'd again with RAC or someone who verifies the mileage via the DVLA. Most of the cheaper HPIs don't have the mileage verification. Worth spending a tenner more to get it.

[NickVR6 0]

First thing i would have done is checked if it had been taxed for that period!

I may not be full proof, but if hed taxed it 96-99 you'd know he was lyying straight away no?