Buying a used car in Ireland guide

L-M

You should be able to get good bang for your buck in a Mazda 6, that 03 one you linked looks ideal.

The Accord is very dated at this stage IMO, and the phrasing of that advert would put me off. Probably the more reliable of the two, but given the choice I would pick a 6 ten times over.

bazz26

The main thing to watch with the Mazda 6 is rust, make sure to get the car up on a lift and have a good poke around for rust.

CR 7

Is there any particular reason not to buy off a mechanic? Other than the obvious one of not falling for the old; "I'm a mechanic, sure there's no need to get your own mechanic to check it out."

As far as I can tell it's not a dealer, and he told me straight out, and didn't avoid any questions. I'm going to see the car tomorrow.

rayz

Thoughts on Passat CC's anyone. I'm in the process of buying a 2011 version. Seems nice, anyone know of any pitfalls within the breed. It's VW I know but the ordinary Passat has had issues over the years.

L-M

rayz wrote: »

Thoughts on Passat CC's anyone. I'm in the process of buying a 2011 version. Seems nice, anyone know of any pitfalls within the breed. It's VW I know but the ordinary Passat has had issues over the years.

Would you not try and stretch to a 12 and get the new model?

Bazz26 on here has one, I'm sure he has his research done.

bazz26

rayz wrote: »

Thoughts on Passat CC's anyone. I'm in the process of buying a 2011 version. Seems nice, anyone know of any pitfalls within the breed. It's VW I know but the ordinary Passat has had issues over the years.

Mine is 2011 too and I've had it since July, have put nearly 8k miles up on it since and no issues so far. A lot of the problems with the early Passat were ironed out from about 2008 onwards and didn't transition to the CC. The CC also got a lot new stuff that the regular Passat didn't get until the facelift in 2010. The CC was also first to get the CR TDi engines in the Passat, early ones had reports of some problems but generally they are a solid engine, Bluemotion models are decent on fuel too given the weight of the car.

Is the one you are looking at a UK import? Imports are generally higher spec, the GT with the Tech pack is the one to go for. That comes with full leather heated seats, touchscreen stereo, Sat Nav, Bluetooth and some come with dynamic chassis control. Also make sure it has a verified service history as the interiors are hard wearing and hide mileage very well. From 2010 the CC got 3 seats in the back due to customer complaints but the centre seat is small and sits taller than the other two so is not ideal for adults especially on long trips. Boot space is very big and despite it's coupe design and sloping roof, rear headroom is impressive.

rayz

bazz26 wrote: »

Mine is 2011 too and I've had it since July, have put nearly 8k miles up on it since and no issues so far. A lot of the problems with the early Passat were ironed out from about 2008 onwards and didn't transition to the CC. The CC also got a lot new stuff that the regular Passat didn't get until the facelift in 2010. The CC was also first to get the CR TDi engines in the Passat, early ones had reports of some problems but generally they are a solid engine, Bluemotion models are decent on fuel too given the weight of the car.

Is the one you are looking at a UK import? Imports are generally higher spec, the GT with the Tech pack is the one to go for. That comes with full leather heated seats, touchscreen stereo, Sat Nav, Bluetooth and some come with dynamic chassis control. Also make sure it has a verified service history as the interiors are hard wearing and hide mileage very well. From 2010 the CC got 3 seats in the back due to customer complaints but the centre seat is small and sits taller than the other two so is not ideal for adults especially on long trips. Boot space is very big and despite it's coupe design and sloping roof, rear headroom is impressive.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Passat-CC/2.0-TDi-/37013795219064940/advert?channel=CARS

This is the one I'm looking at. Gonna give the dealer a ring on Monday to organise a test drive and to check it out thoroughly. The mileage is suspiciously low for a 3 year old car so I'm wondering if it's worth getting an independent inspection by a local garage. (Are dealers happy enough to have that done?). Its a long way to Dublin for me to find out the car is a pup.

Thanks a million for the replies lads. Much appreciated.

L-M

Pretty sure that's a twin of Bazz's car

bazz26

Tis indeed. That is very strong money for one though even given the low mileage. Mine had 30k miles on it and was retailing at a few grand less than what they have on that one back in July.

Here is a 2012 from a VW dealer for only €1k more:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Cc/2.0-TDI/37313850391208530/

rayz

bazz26 wrote: »

Tis indeed. That is very strong money for one though even given the low mileage. Mine had 30k miles on it and was retailing at a few grand less than what they have on that one back in July.

Here is a 2012 from a VW dealer for only €1k more:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Cc/2.0-TDI/37313850391208530/

Ah that's music to my ears. I'll see if they'll come down a bit on that price so. Sligo is a bit far for me but tis a nice lookin motor. It's a good indicator of whats out there which hopefully goes in my favour. Glad to hear you are happy with yours anyway. Badly needed to talk to someone that had one so cheers for the info mate.

holy water

I am looking for the front part, the cabin and the backwheels and the metal frame, so I can put a body(box) on it. I do not know the name of that part like that but second hand cheap.
Who can tell me the name and where to look? When googling cab I get directed to different sites. I prefer a ford one seen that is the one that was carrying the body in the first place. But it might fir others as well.

L-M

Just the Chassis and Cab.

The place my father works for bought a new Transit this year. Nice job. You can get a short and long wheel base AFAIK.

L-M

http://www.ford.ie/CommercialVehicles/TransitChassisCab

holy water

I looked but no sigar. Anyone know of a nice second hand one for a small price? Loooong wheel base needed.

holy water

Looked on a site and got a private answer in my inbox. Not via the site.
I would like your opinion on it, what should I look out for with this one? Is it normal to put it on ebay? That was not the site I looked at and it was in Euro originally.
After 3 times enquiring about it she finally answered with this note:
Hi, I was away to my mother in law and I just got to a pc and saw your email. This van has a full service history and all documentation is present and in my name. It has been stored in undercover storage from new so the exterior is perfect very low miles. The final price is not negotiable: £3000. My husband died 2 months ago and I was left with it but I don`t even have a drivers license. If you agree I can send you the link to my private auction on eBay so you can buy it from there since I all ready had a buyer last week who came up with some fake notes. I don`t really trust someone else to come around my house. Please note that you will be able to check directly on ebay the registration and all the information about it because they did a HPI check(it does not have any outstanding finance). As soon as you will confirm the payment to eBay, I will proceed with the delivery without any additional costs for you. You will receive the van with all the documents. As you know eBay is the best company of online transactions. If you are indeed interested in buying it and have the funds, I will list it on eBay, as I have a 100% positive feedback with them.
Please let me know your decision.

L-M

Scam. The english is very thought rather than fluent.

agfasfos

Seems very dodgy to me too, would stay well away from it.

JaMarcus Hustle

Hey guys, quick question.

Got a MyWheels.ie report on a BMW 3 series I'm looking at. It's a 2006, and MyWheels has raised an amber alert due to the amount of owners - see below:

Date of Sale.................Owner Category...Previous Owners
04 November 2013......GARAGE........................ 3
22 October 2013..........GARAGE....................... 3
04 December 2009.......PRIVATE ........................3
07 March 2008.............PRIVATE......................... 2
22 February 2007........PRIVATE.......................... 0
09 March 2006.............PRIVATE ..........................0

Does this look a bit dodgy? First owner sold after 11 months, secod owner sold after 13 months, third owner sold after 19 months...... Is this a red flag? The car has supposedly passed it's NCT last month, but I'm just wary. Thanks for any info.

Also, one of the concerns flagged on MyWheels is a tax gap of 3 months or more between February 2007 - June 2008. See tax history below:

Motor Tax Expiry Dates
30 November 2013
30 November 2012
30 November 2011
30 November 2010
30 November 2009
31 July 2009
31 March 2009
30 June 2008
28 February 2007

Any idea why that would be? 4 months seems like a long time to have it off the road when it was only a year old....


For what it's worth, it's the same BMW meouldstock posted in post #1490 higher up this page. Small world!

Audreyly

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Hey guys, quick question.

Got a MyWheels.ie report on a BMW 3 series I'm looking at. It's a 2006, and MyWheels has raised an amber alert due to the amount of owners - see below:

Date of Sale.................Owner Category...Previous Owners
04 November 2013......GARAGE........................ 3
22 October 2013..........GARAGE....................... 3
04 December 2009.......PRIVATE ........................3
07 March 2008.............PRIVATE......................... 2
22 February 2007........PRIVATE.......................... 0
09 March 2006.............PRIVATE ..........................0

Does this look a bit dodgy? First owner sold after 11 months, secod owner sold after 13 months, third owner sold after 19 months...... Is this a red flag? The car has supposedly passed it's NCT last month, but I'm just wary. Thanks for any info.

Also, one of the concerns flagged on MyWheels is a tax gap of 3 months or more between February 2007 - June 2008. See tax history below:

Motor Tax Expiry Dates
30 November 2013
30 November 2012
30 November 2011
30 November 2010
30 November 2009
31 July 2009
31 March 2009
30 June 2008
28 February 2007

Any idea why that would be? 4 months seems like a long time to have it off the road when it was only a year old....


For what it's worth, it's the same BMW meouldstock posted in post #1490 higher up this page. Small world!

Hi I just sent you a PM about this

tagoona

I've been reading and there's a lot of useful information on this thread.
I'm looking at a 10 Ford Mondeo Titanium.
However it looks to be 2k cheaper than lower spec models with similar mileage
17. Ford Mondeo 2.0L TDCi Zetec 140bhp 8 Photos Dublin 56,000
2010 €13,699
18. Ford Mondeo 2.0L Zetec 140bhp 12 Photos Dublin 56,000
2010 €13,899
19. Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI TITANIUM X HUGE SPEC ... FULLY LOADED ... 12 MTHS WARRANTY ! 11 Photos Dublin 56,000
2009 €11,450

This may be because it doesn't have a FSH. Or because the DMF or clutch or something else is gone. Am I right to be worried? A google of the garage is reassuring.
I'm in Clare so I'd be looking to get an AA check before I bother going up for a look. Sound reasonable?

Other question is, trade in price of my own - 04 Mazda 6 2L Diesel sport with 184k on the clock in ok condition. What should I be looking for?

tinman09

tagoona wrote: »

I've been reading and there's a lot of useful information on this thread.
I'm looking at a 10 Ford Mondeo Titanium.
However it looks to be 2k cheaper than lower spec models with similar mileage
17. Ford Mondeo 2.0L TDCi Zetec 140bhp 8 Photos Dublin 56,000
2010 €13,699
18. Ford Mondeo 2.0L Zetec 140bhp 12 Photos Dublin 56,000
2010 €13,899
19. Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI TITANIUM X HUGE SPEC ... FULLY LOADED ... 12 MTHS WARRANTY ! 11 Photos Dublin 56,000
2009 €11,450

This may be because it doesn't have a FSH. Or because the DMF or clutch or something else is gone. Am I right to be worried? A google of the garage is reassuring.
I'm in Clare so I'd be looking to get an AA check before I bother going up for a look. Sound reasonable?

Other question is, trade in price of my own - 04 Mazda 6 2L Diesel sport with 184k on the clock in ok condition. What should I be looking for?

Pm sent

L-M

I would imagine the Mazda to be worth little enough in resale terms.

freddyboiii

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-focus-car-tdci-zetec-golf-astra/6086358

Thinking about buying this car, price seems a bit low though but I'm not that experienced at looking at this type of car so I'm not sure. Have I missed something? Any ideas/comments?

Thanks

road_high

Limerick man wrote: »

I would imagine the Mazda to be worth little enough in resale terms.

Better off trying to sell that privately I'd think.

bazz26

freddyboiii wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/ford-focus-car-tdci-zetec-golf-astra/6086358

Thinking about buying this car, price seems a bit low though but I'm not that experienced at looking at this type of car so I'm not sure. Have I missed something? Any ideas/comments?

Thanks

It's a UK import, very low mileage for a diesel of that year. No mention of service history, without evidence I wouldn't trust that low mileage.

Also the Focus Zetec normally has dark tinted front headlights and a chrome surround grill on the front. That car has neither so I'd be interested in the story behind that. It does have the Zetec steering wheel though.

freddyboiii

bazz26 wrote: »

It's a UK import, very low mileage for a diesel of that year. No mention of service history, without evidence I wouldn't trust that low mileage.

Also the Focus Zetec normally has dark tinted front headlights and a chrome surround grill on the front. That car has neither so I'd be interested in the story behind that. It does have the Zetec steering wheel though.

To be fair I have rang the owner and they said it was bought from Armagh and that her mechanic had told her that the front bumper had been resprayed but didn't go into too much detail. Mileage is a bit low alright, I didn't have a lot of time when I was making the call and forgot to ask about the service history.

bazz26

freddyboiii wrote: »

To be fair I have rang the owner and they said it was bought from Armagh and that her mechanic had told her that the front bumper had been resprayed but didn't go into too much detail. Mileage is a bit low alright, I didn't have a lot of time when I was making the call and forgot to ask about the service history.

At a guess I'd say the grill and headlights were replaced after it got a smack in the front but could easily have been a fender bender. You definitely need to investigate the service history though with low mileage like that.

freddyboiii

bazz26 wrote: »

At a guess I'd say the grill and headlights were replaced after it got a smack in the front but could easily have been a fender bender. You definitely need to investigate the service history though with low mileage like that.

Thanks. How would I go about that, cartell.ie?

quattro777

Can someone in the biz tell me what this car is worth?
2006 A6 2.7 TDI S Line saloon, manual 46k miles, vgc

JJJJNR

Has anyone ever made a bid on a UK car on Ebay, has there been any positive/negative experiences.

I'd like to bid on some cars I like but not comfortable with all the scams out there, some garages will take your final offer, and do not expect payment until you have done your inspections etc which seems fully above board.

I've seen a few private advertisers putting up their hpi checks reg numbers up also, which seems very transparent. I want to go to the uk and pick a good car but want to bargain hunt for it and ebay looks good.