Unsavoury Car buying experience from ‘wheeler dealers’.
Buying a car is a very special but at the same time a very stressful event. For many in this world they save up for many years to buy one and others change the car regularly. However one thing they can all agree on is what they look for in a car: reliability!
Whether it is a Lamborghini or Ford Fiesta – we all need a motor vehicle that will not leave us stranded in the middle of nowhere.
We once had a client who told us he brought a brand new BMW 5 series from the BMW main dealership and the car would not start again once he reached home. BMW then had to take it in and offer him another replacement. Sometimes these things happen to newer cars but more often than not – it is more likely to happen with older used cars that have not been well kept and not had regular maintenance and service.
It is understandable in the current climate to want to save money and get the cheapest car around – however the old saying ‘if it is too good to be true’ then it probably is — rings true in this case.
We get customers from all over the world who trust our expertise to inspect cars on their behalf as they do not possess the technical ‘know how’ of automobiles or what to look out for.
Take one of our trusted clients in London who is a die-hard Mercedes enthusiast (and old-school!). He loves the older 80s and 90s Mercedes cars which we now call modern classics. We helped him source a beautiful w126 Mercedes 300SE 1989 model which he got wrapped in midnight blue. Mechanically sound and exterior in decent condition for its age. Our client was very pleased with his purchase and started to set his eyes on a newer racier model.
The coveted R129 Mercedes SL roadster. The car that was driven by both the late Princess Diana and Tupac Shakur – it was a favourite amongst the rich and famous and an icon ever since it stopped production.
Our client had decided that now was the time to buy the R129 as prices are slowly on the rise – however he made a crucial mistake – he quite possibly brought the cheapest (and worst) R129 in the UK and without doing a proper inspection. It probably did not help that the garage he brought the car from seemed like unsavoury characters from a Guy Ritchie movie.
Everything was wrong with the car – but since it seemingly had a new MOT and the price was too good to miss – my client handed over the cash and drove the car home. There were numerous knocks and rattles that could be heard on the motorway so when the car went for a full service, it was discovered that it needed a new engine mount and gearbox mounts. There was droplets of oil dripping onto his right knee which meant the top right hydraulic lock cylinder needed replacing.
The electric mirrors didn’t work, the car seemed rusty all over as had been parked in a yard for many years. The 2nd hand car salesmen admitted the car needed a little ‘TLC’ but nowhere near as much as was actually required. They simply said – you need to refurbish the seats a little, slap on some paint and away you go good as new! How wrong they were!
The car needs a full replacement of the leather seat covers as they are far beyond cosmetic repair as are the door cards panels. The soft top roof needs replacement along with the rear plastic windscreen (these do not come cheap). The most tiresome items however was the ghastly odour coming from the air vents of the car – basically like wet smelly old socks that was unbearable for anybody that sat in the cabin. The car was professionally valeted but the smell remained. It turned out there was a classic leak from the heater core and the ac evaporator which meant a very labour our job to strip out the entire car dashboard and replace these two parts.
These are just a few of the many items that were wrong with the car which is why we always advise our customers to check and inspect each and every aspect of the vehicle before buying. Take your time and do not rush.
When we inspect cars on behalf of our customers we make live videos and recordings so that the customer sitting miles away feels part of the inspection. Our team have decades of motoring experience so can tell whether a car has been well maintained or not and can also tell if a seller is not being entirely honest about the condition.
The London client has now spent the same amount of money on restoring the car as for how much he paid for it in the first place – so we helped him with sourcing car parts and with servicing.
It is very common for people to be fooled by sellers and pressurised into buying a car that looks flashy and appealing – however it is better to be safe than sorry – and give us a call! You will be pleasantly surprised on how easy and reliable our car buying experience is so you do not fall into traps.
Good luck!!