buying car advise needed.

Ishindar

im going to have a look at this tomorrow http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/520/i-SE/1126885/

im wondering what people think of the price? is it overpriced? can i get it cheaper elsewhere? what price would they sell it for, 10% less that advertised or?
should i get it checked out before buying or is it ok to buy then get it checked out and bring it back for repairs etc? not sure the best approach to buying as ive had company cars for years. any input appreciated!

L-M

Seems to be the cheapest of it's year, and looks well.
The leather of the drivers seat looks very worn, could be a costly fix and would normally point to high use, ie. high mileage. For that reason only would i get the mileage checked on it, although i could be completly wrong.

Check tyre's, service history, timing belt etc. Make sure everything looks in order for the mileage on the car. Check under the oil filler cap on the engine for any gunk etc. which would indicate to it not being serviced regulary. Make sure all the lines match up.

As for price, with the market that's currently there i'd go in at 9500 and he how insulted/happy he is, don't go any more then ten. If it doesn't have tax let that be ur bargainin point. Don't say too much wrong about it or u'll just piss him off.

Best of luck

Eoin

It looks well enough priced. The colour combo is a little too conservative for my taste, but that's all personal.

No mention of service history which would be something to look into.

You may only get the standard 3 month engine and gearbox warranty, which means that any other problems are your own to sort out afterwards. So ask what warranty they give.

If you want a good BMW specialist to check it out, I would recommend contacting AC Cars.

It's a buyer's market at the moment, so don't restrict yourself when you're searching. I have no idea what kind of % you could expect - I'm not very good at haggling

colm_mcm

nice reg, and classy colour combo. just make sure you get a written warranty.

Ishindar

thanks for the good advise!

CharlieCroker

They have a timing chain so i wouldnt be too worried about that, the leather on the seat isn't too bad, just needs a small bit of leather restorer. you can buy it in halfords for a tenner. e9500 would be a good price to start at. I wouldn't want to pay over 10250 for it, max 10500. Looks good though. I'd be doing a history check before i ever make the journey though!!!!

Tipsy Mac

If it's nice I'd start at 9 and haggle, go no further than 10, the garage will pull the arm off you if you offer 10. The garage would have factored in a cash sale price and will take 10 easily, make them work for your money and start at 9. There's little market for these cars.

GB15

I've been thinking about a 5 series myself recently. This car looks well priced assuming the mileage is genuine. Then again there's a lot of facelifted e39s for sale at the moment so its probably priced according to the current market.

For me the positives would be
- Sports steering wheel (as opposed to the ocean liner wheel on most Irish spec SE models)
- Nice alloys
- Manual. (The majority of UK models seem to be Auto)

Negatives
- Wood interior as opposed to aluminium.
- Climate control isn't digital.
- Not the best colour.

Anan1

There's a nice 2001 525i auto on ebay.co.uk at the moment, 30k miles, one owner, around €12,000 landed.

Ishindar

how would i get the car cheacked out? he obviously wouldnt let me take it away without paying full price 1st? everone in the business slane will know him etc. how is this normally done? obviously i will get a backround check online done before i go to see it but i dont wana take it unless its checked properly!

-Chris-

Mike Armstrong is an absolute gent, I'd have no qualms buying cars off him. Ask him directly about getting the car checked out if you want to do it.

Also, you shouldn't need to take the car away to get it checked out, you don't need a workshop ramp to tell if a car is straight - repainted panels, refit carpet, filler in the metalwork, inconsistent panel gaps, inconsistent interior wear vs mileage etc, etc - all those things that would make you suspicious of a car can be checked by the side of the road. Get a mechanic mate to go with you and look for this stuff for you.
If you find none, you can pretty much assume the car's straight, if you do find some you walk away!

You have the reg so you can do a cartell.ie check immediately, and when you're checking the service history call one of the garages who stamped the book and confirm it's genuine.

Beyond all that, there's not much else to do imho!

Ishindar

saw the car today and had to buy it (10,450), it is in stunning condition
thanks for all the help!

Eoin

Congrats, and best of luck with it. Seems well priced for a 2002 model.

Moanin

Nice Reg also.....

L-M

Best of luck with the new motor...

CharlieCroker

well done and best of luck with the car. looks like a very nice one