Dodgy dealers in UK

Dopey

I recently enquired about two used 2007 Focus 1.6 TDCIs in two dealers in the UK and discovered that the car sales men were dishonest about the cars.

The first one turned out to be clocked and the second appeared fine until I got a RAC inspection done. It had been crashed and they couldn't produce the full service history as advertised. The first question I asked each dealer was whether it had been crashed.

The full RAC inspection cost £200.

I'd be happy to buy one here but they all appear to be imported pre 2008.

I started looking at Ford dealerships and Ford Direct but 2008 was the oldest and out of my budget.

I have my heart set on this particular make and model. Any tips?

v300

Keep at it, you'll unearth a gem !

Well done on getting your cars professionally pre-purchase inspected.

Name and shame the lying garages too,
so as we can avoid them in the future.

Dopey

v300 wrote: »

Name and shame the lying garages too,
so as we can avoid them in the future.

Cheers V300

Would be happy to name if the Mods are OK with it?

colm_mcm

Dopey wrote: »

I'd be happy to buy one here but they all appear to be imported pre 2008.

You do realize that 07's are taxed on the cc based system as opposed to the lower CO based system regardless of when they're imported?

Dopey

colm_mcm wrote: »

You do realize that 07's are taxed on the cc based system as opposed to the lower CO based system regardless of when they're imported?

I do. The 08 is beyond my budget unfortunately.

colm_mcm

how is the fact that they were impored before 2008 an issue then?

Dopey

colm_mcm wrote: »

how is the fact that they were impored before 2008 an issue then?

All of the 2007 cars in Ireland seem to be imported. Rather than buy an import I might as well import myself. I would rather buy from a garage here that would know the car.

bazz26

These are Irish cars:

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200945195770715

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200904191596423

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200939195325309

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200906191761566

Tipsy Mac

Were they main Ford dealers or just some backyard setup?

-Chris-

Dopey wrote: »

Would be happy to name if the Mods are OK with it?

If you can provide proof at some stage that your assertions are correct, then it's fine. If you can't back up what you say then we're on a slippery slope...

Henry Ford III

As usual as simple HPI check would have provided the answers here. Much cheaper than STG£200 too.

slimjimmc

Henry Ford III wrote: »

As usual as simple HPI check would have provided the answers here. Much cheaper than STG£200 too.

Not really, a HPI check would report if finance was owed or if the car was written of by an insurance company but it can't show if the car had been clocked or damaged in an unreported incident. Only a proper physical inspection could show that.

Dopey

-Chris- wrote: »

If you can provide proof at some stage that your assertions are correct, then it's fine. If you can't back up what you say then we're on a slippery slope...

Thanks Chris. I have the full RAC report for the crashed car. They denied the car was crashed before I requested the inspection.

The company is called Solo Cars or Solo NW Ltd based in Liverpool. The advert had full service history but they were/are unable to produce it. The car can be seen here http://www.solocars.co.uk/car.php?id=567

Anan1

I'd be inclined to buy privately, from someone who bought the car new. As has already been said, the only thing that can't be checked without an inspection is an unreported accident, and it's generally not that hard to gauge the honesty of a private individual over the course of a few phone conversations.

Henry Ford III

slimjimmc wrote: »

Not really, a HPI check would report if finance was owed or if the car was written of by an insurance company but it can't show if the car had been clocked or damaged in an unreported incident. Only a proper physical inspection could show that.

It actually checks mileage against a national register, and provides a warranty if an error is made. So it does provide protection against clocking.

It's a vital initial check imho.