Pistonheads.com - Good for buying UK cars?

henry hill

Hi Folks,

Researching buying a car in the UK and a mate recommended http://www.pistonheads.com/sales has anyone used this to buy a car / or has anyone recently bought from the UK/NI?

Looking at maybe Mk4GTI VW, AUDI A4 1.8T, BMW318CI etc (E15K - 18.5K). Its ridiculous how much nicer the cars are over in the UK (and at reasonable prices) - i'm sick of looking at the baseline spec levels on carzone.ie and priced over the odds!

1. Whats the best way to go about checking the car out - is it possible to get an AA engineer out to have look etc? Is this reliable/expensive - whats the best procedure?
   
2. Paying cash? - Has anyone done this before (ie gone over with E10K-15K) What the best way to go about paying for the car?
   
3. Whats the procedure for bringing the car back?
   
4. Any other advise / things to be aware of other than VRT?

Thanks

vengeance52

well i like the site, and each person selling also can advise if the want to part exchange for a diff car so its pretty handy.

Do the usual. HPI check to make sure the car is sound, and check if there is any finance owing on it.

Not sure about gettin AA report but im sure the RAC may do somethin along the same lines.

vengeance52

http://www.rac.co.uk/web/vehiclechecks/

Eoin

It's only a classifieds site, so the normal caveats apply.

Some may say that it's more of an enthusiasts' site, so the cars may better looked at, but I've seen some awful carbage up there too.

This is pretty much what I plan to do, if I get the opportunity:

If you see a car you like, get the VIN, reg and service history from the seller. I'm sure this holds true for many other brands, but if a BMW is serviced at a main dealer every time, then you can ring BMW UK and get the history, rather than having to contact the dealer directly. Do your HPI check as well.

If the history checks out OK, then agree a price with the seller over email. Some people will do it on the spot, but I'd prefer to know the price before I go over. If it's a dealer, than ask how much if warranty is excluded. I've heard that UK car dealers don't seem as negotiable as over here.

If a sale has been agreed, then you may want to offer the seller £30 or so to remove the advert from all sites etc, and to treat it as sold. You don't want him getting a good offer the day before you fly over. Arrange with the AA or RAC to give the car a once-over. I don't know if you would do this on the day you fly over, or beforehand and get a report from them.

I suppose, then check the logistics - flights / transport to car / ferry back / insurance etc.

henry hill

Cheers for the responses - some good info here and stuff i wouldn't have known to check for (VIN etc). The RAC seem to be good and prob the way to go.

• Anyone know of any good sites with walkthroughs / useful check-lists for buying in UK/NI?
  
• Has anyone recently bought a car over in the UK/NI spending the kind cash were talking about E12K+? Did it pay off - would you recommend it?

There's always that bit of doubt when looking at cars abroad that you'll get srew'd somehow - especially the newbies to it. But suppose thats the risk you take for the better value/ spec levels of cars in the UK.

Eoin

There was a massive thread stickied here about importing, you may find it with a search.

If I wasn't trading in, I would definitely go to the UK. It would mean one day to go over and back again, plus the trip to the VRO. That's a day and a half all told off work, which you could easily take over here because of the often lazy hours car dealers keep. Plus a good road trip to break in the car!

There's not much more risk than if you were to buy privately. Just spend your time and don't rush into any decisions. With the amount of cars for sale over there, you can afford to be picky.

Edit - here's the thread I was referring to:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=176389

Rob987

eoin_s wrote: »

There was a massive thread stickied here about importing, you may find it with a search.

If I wasn't trading in, I would definitely go to the UK. It would mean one day to go over and back again, plus the trip to the VRO. That's a day and a half all told off work, which you could easily take over here because of the often lazy hours car dealers keep. Plus a good road trip to break in the car!

There's not much more risk than if you were to buy privately. Just spend your time and don't rush into any decisions. With the amount of cars for sale over there, you can afford to be picky.

Edit - here's the thread I was referring to:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=176389

I agree...bought a low mileage Porsche Boxster S in the UK last year second hand. Very nice spec and in beautiful nick inside and out. Haven't had any problems with it. There is no doubt that the UK is the best place to go for these cars. I have nothing to add to the points above, except to say that my first drive back through Manchester and North Wales was by far the most enjoyable of my life .

Re website, try out www.topmarques.co.uk which is where I found the dealer originally. Pistonheads is also a useful site with many quality vehicles. Enjoy, Rob.

bucks

Pistonheads is an excellent site but i find that most of the sellers are enthuasists so the cars are advertised higher than similar cars on the likes of autotrader.co.uk

henry hill

Thanks for the advise lads - i kno these are questions that get asked alot.

Although some might consider buying in the UK a little more time consuming / riskier, I think it pays off in the quality of car you can get at a nicer price

Eoin

henry hill wrote: »

Thanks for the advise lads - i kno these are questions that get asked alot.

Although some might consider buying in the UK a little more time consuming / riskier, I think it pays off in the quality of car you can get at a nicer price

As I said, you can probably just take 1.5 days off work in total to get the car in your driveway on Irish plates, as most of the grunt work will be over the phone and on the internet, so it's not even that time consuming.

Dan_B

Had mine back on the drive 14 hours after going to get it.
Spoke to the seller, got full reg and vin number off him.
HPI check online, all came back OK.
Organised viewing and asked for his preffered payment method.
Flew to newcastle for €65
Seller picked me up and drove back to his (Durham).
Inspected car and purchased.
Drove to stranraer, ferry to belfast (€160) and the M1 home.
It's not only about saving money it's better choice.
Got the car I wanted in the color I wanted with the spec I wanted.

bucks is right about pistonhead.

henry hill

Dan_B wrote: »

Had mine back on the drive 14 hours after going to get it.
Spoke to the seller, got full reg and vin number off him.
HPI check online, all came back OK.
Organised viewing and asked for his preffered payment method.
Flew to newcastle for €65
Seller picked me up and drove back to his (Durham).
Inspected car and purchased.
Drove to stranraer, ferry to belfast (€160) and the M1 home.
It's not only about saving money it's better choice.
Got the car I wanted in the color I wanted with the spec I wanted.

bucks is right about pistonhead.

1. Did you bother with RAC/AA engineer to check out car?
2. If you dont mind, what did you get & how much?
3. Did you pay cash?
4. What about tax & insurance for the trip home?

Cheers