Looking for a mechanic to check out a second hand car

Amnesiac_ie

Quick question about mechanics in Waterford city.
I'm looking for a second hand car and a friend of a friend is selling something suitable at what seems like a very good price. The car is not currently NCTed however. The seller seems completely genuine and is offering me the number and contact details of his mechanic who has serviced the car since 2003 and is a reputable guy who works for insurance assessors.

I've a good gut feeling but some friends are saying it would be foolish to buy without getting an independent mechanic to look at the car and make sure it's road worthy. Would anyone have any suggestions of suitable city based mechanics? How much should I expect to be charged for this? Would you as a seller be insulted if I asked an "independent" mechanic to check the car out?

christophicus

I think AA offer the service, for about €50.

Typhoon.

If they're offended then walk away....

I think it'll cost a bit more that 50 for the AA to do it...and they usually dont do a full mechanical check....more of a does the car have working indicators...yes...locks...yes...lights...yes...etc etc

Theres a mechanic in railway square called davy duggan and he's an absolute gent...you could give him a ring and see will he have a look over it for ya

I'm sure theres plenty will have a look for ya

remember ...its a buyers market at the moment and if your not happy walk away...theres literally thousands of cars on sale at the moment ....you could even drive a hard bargain with the car dealers and you'd have a warranty with the car

again....dont be afraid to walk away...bargain hard...you'l make a killing if your smart

That no NCT cert would bother me too.

best of luck with it

Not The Real Scarecrow

Agree with above poster, if the guy really wants to sell the car and is guaranteeing its in good nick, tell him you'll buy it if he gets the nct for it, after all he'll be getting his money back if you buy the car.
Think you could be letting yourself open to a possible nightmare otherwise.Not sure but think without the nct you'll have a hard time getting it taxed and insured and then if it fails the nct you'll be stuck with the bill.
Be wary with your money, there's a tonne of people selling 2nd hand cars at the moment for next to nothing.Picked up one myself last week for half nothing and its in brilliant condition.If it was the same car a year ago,reckon it would have cost me a few grand more(taking depreciation into account).Shop around dude, nver know what ya might find.

daftdave

great advice in the above two posts, getting that nct done yourself might cost a few hundred extra in the long run fixing issues that you cant see, i.e exhaust emissions, the shocks might be outside their tolerance allowance , silly things that cost money to fix, have a good look around and buy one with an nct cert , try carzone.ie autotrader , im sure the motor section might have another few websites to look at,

best of luck.