buying from a naas road area garage.. advice needed

pog it

Finally picked the car that I want, a Honda Jazz, and had it looked at by Car Check which was a thorough 'visual and aural inspection', not as extensive as the AA anyway, but the report that I got back from them said the car is in sound condition but will need a service-- oil, coolant condition,.. some small enough things. So I was given the go ahead to buy it, and I'm planning to head back to the garage in the morning with the money and to collect it.

Now, I obviously trust Boards a lot for help on things and I've been given great help here on several occasions, and it has all helped overall. But I also did a search on the name of the garage that i am buying from. Apart from their own website and car listings nothing was written specifically about them but it is one of the garages in naas road area and some of the garages there have a bad reputation, and there have been previous threads on Boards about how they change garage names really regularly around there so they have no legal liability if anything goes wrong with the car down the line.. and so for all I know the garage I am buying from could be one of them. I am 90% sure they are trustworthy, but you never know.

I just want to be sure as c.5k is a lot of money to me, and I really can't afford to lose this. So with this inspection which was visual and aural based, can I be sure that there aren't any hidden problems? I am getting a warranty for 3 months on the engine and gearbox as part of the deal, so would this be enough time to test the car sufficiently?

I'm guessing all is okay but would just like to be sure.

Nonoperational

Id say it would be fine.

Nonoperational

If its a good price, drives well and was checked out and found to be OK it's a bit drastic to say not to buy any car from the Naas road. Especially when it's a Honda! But thats only my opinion.

Which dealer is it?

Drummerboy08

Have you checked the service history and rang the garages that carried out the work? its the only way of checking the mileage.

Just be very careful with the warranty too - these garages tend to close up and sprout again with a different name, but your warranty would be void.

pog it

Regards the service history, I found the number for the garage that carried out the services and it keeps ringing out and going to voicemail.

The dealer/garage that carried out the services was 'Con Brennan Motors' in Athy, Kildare.

Anyone know did they close down??? Will be calling them first thing in the morning and holding off til I get confirmation from them.. if I can!

See the one weird thing about the service history is that I noticed the handwriting was identical for all four services it had carried out there.. is this not strange? Time period was 2005-2008 for the services. Can't rem exactly, but looked like same pen ink. Possibly being over paranoid here.. I will need to see it again.

But yeah the car seemed good to me when I first went to see it, and so I had the inspection done afterwards, and it does seem to drive and sound fine.. but I'm wondering is there anything that could be inherently wrong with the vehicle that this visual and aural test wouldn't pick up maybe?

Nonoperational

There could of course be something wrong but it's unlikely. What garage is it?

pog it

Went onto Brennanmotors.ie which is the website supplied by CBG profile of sellers. It was profile for Con Brennan Motors in Athy. They now have an address in Carlow, so it seems they have moved base.. rang the two mobiles on homepage of this site and one isn't accessible, the other is off, the main number dials out.. and give a fax tone!!!

CarMan2010

VolvoMan you dont no anything. some garages around the naas road area are very experienced and are there 20+ years... go ahead and buy the car if you feel like its a good deal....:D

UnderWater

OP your warranty is'nt worth much..if they decide not to honour it, by the time any legal action can be taken the garage will be closed down and re-opened under a new name...also ya can buy a service history 4 50-100 quid easy enough now...

pog it

Yeah ... the fact that this Con Brennan has moved garages, had 2 different landline numbers, is independent, is now 'Brennan Motors' in Carlow is worrying me. I mean why change the name of your business?
Even if I get talking to them in this Brennan Motors, what's to say that they aren't friends with the guy I'm buying the car from?

Really should have checked this but I thought getting the car inspection done and paying 150 euro for it would have me covered.

What do you think the chances are of this going wrong? Considering I have had the car looked at it and they said it was a genuine good vehicle, just in need of a service?

Nonoperational

I give up.

pog it

gpf101 wrote: »

I give up.

I genuinely appreciate your help but I wouldn't feel right about posting up the name of the garage as I wouldn't like to have a question mark going alongside their name here.. Like I'm saying, I trust them 90% but the fact that they are in the Naas road area is what makes me second guess them, and the dubious service history which I'll be taking a second look at again tomorrow definitely. I'm just wondering what the chances are of something going wrong, given that I had the car inspected and amn't going blindly into it ya know?

kildarelad

VolvoMan you dont no anything. some garages around the naas road area are very experienced and are there 20+ years... go ahead and buy the car if you feel like its a good deal....

If its one garage that its in owned by a fella lets say for example called Bill !!
Stay well away

pog it

<snip>

Despite paying 150 for car to be looked at, doing a motor check.ie on history, etc.

Clutch. After 30 minutes driving (let's face it no test drive is that long) it started to creak, and it's constant and going to cost me now to have it looked at. Also veering a little on straight stretches, will need to get the tracking or alignment looked at now as well.

This after one day of buying.. rang this morning and told another guy who is there for him today what is going on and he said he'd ring yer man and get him to call me back. So no call back. Told him I would like it looked at asap and that would need to know when I can drop it in.

Would almost just love to bring it to Honda dealer and pay to get it looked at but why should I when I have their measly 3 month warranty.

Ahh..... the older you get the wiser you get eh.

Absurdum

CarMan2010 wrote: »

you dont no anything

lol

Gary ITR

pog it wrote: »

<snip>
Despite paying 150 for car to be looked at, doing a motor check.ie on history, etc.

Clutch. After 30 minutes driving (let's face it no test drive is that long) it started to creak, and it's constant and going to cost me now to have it looked at. Also veering a little on straight stretches, will need to get the tracking or alignment looked at now as well.

This after one day of buying.. rang this morning and told another guy who is there for him today what is going on and he said he'd ring yer man and get him to call me back. So no call back. Told him I would like it looked at asap and that would need to know when I can drop it in.

Would almost just love to bring it to Honda dealer and pay to get it looked at but why should I when I have their measly 3 month warranty.

Ahh..... the older you get the wiser you get eh.

I'm not being funny but I wouldn't be too happy with whoever you gave the €150 to check the car if it's developing problems already.


I've snipped the name of the garage from here as I feel you need to give them a little more time to respond