Buying car: has changed hands a lot in recent history?

The_Nipper_One

I'm looking at a 2004 IS200, and the current owner has admitted to only having the car for the last 4 months, but cites needing a work vehicle as the reason for change. I did a cartell report on it, and checked the motor tax website for change of ownership also. The Cartell information seems to line up closer with the story of having the car for 4-3 months, but am I to understand from the motor tax website information that the current owner has only had the car for less than a month?

Opinions?

Motor Tax website information:

Transferred to an Individual on : 28/04/2014
Notified on : 15/05/2014
Most recent Vehicle Registration Certificate issued on : 20/05/2014

Cartell information:

DATES OF SALE

26-Mar-2014

7-Mar-2014

27-Apr-2006

22-Dec-2004

kildarelad

May have been to get around back taxing it by changing owners and then transferring back into same name again

The_Nipper_One

The car is taxed to the end of this month.

visual

Its unlikely suddenly discovering you need to move on lux car for a commercial.

there is something amiss most likely an expensive repair on the horizon

if your buying it will need a mechanical inspection.

bazz26

Current owner may only have bought it to sell it on or worse found something wrong with it shortly after buying and now wants rid.

The_Nipper_One

visual wrote: »

Its unlikely suddenly discovering you need to move on lux car for a commercial.

there is something amiss most likely an expensive repair on the horizon

if your buying it will need a mechanical inspection.

Asked the buyer if he would let us bring it to a mechanic before we buy; he agreed. The mechanic we will bring it to is also about an hours drive away, and will require going on a motorway. Will this travel time be enough to show up any problems? And, will any decent mechanic be able to spot a lemon fairly quickly, even if problems have been covered up?

I don't know if it means anything, but the car was advertised for 3.5, and the seller is willing to come down to 3.2k, tax it for 6 months, and get the bonnet refurbished before I buy (There are a lot of scratches on the bonnet).

Alanstrainor

Go with your gut, no point entertaining it if you're already suspicious of the car to be honest. My car has plenty of owners over the years, and the guy I bought it off had only had it 6 months or so. I would say petrol costs kick people after the first month on something like an IS200, and my yoke as well. Which may explain it. I've had mine for 2 years without much issue.

OP, go with your gut, there are plenty of IS200's out there (well at least i thought there was!)

visual

Sounds like he is a wheeler dealer type taxing car for 6 months and repairing scraches.
Might explain why it changed hands recently.

Good inspections up on ramps and long test drive should uncover any faults.
Look out for crash repaired damage.

I have no problem buying from a part time dealer if car good and at right price. They often buy cheap at auction and sell on for small profit
but unlikely to know anything about history of car.

fmcg_scribe

You do need to push the seller for the reason why the car is for sale so soon again. The seller may have a legitimate reason, such as a change of financial circumstances or a change of job that requires a longer commute.

I expect that your mechanic will be fairly forensic. Between the mechanic's inspection of the car and your review of the car's service history and other paperwork, you should be able to discern if the car has been well maintained by previous owners.

If the car is manual, chances are that the gear box will feel notchy. The automatic gearbox is the better choice for the IS 200 and IS 300.

Depending on the age and condition of the tyres, your mechanic will probably notice wear on the inside of the front tyres. This is a known issue with the IS 200 and IS 300. It can be corrected by getting a wheel alignment check that uses settings developed by a UK tyre fitter called Wheels in Motion (there's a lot of information about this on the internet and the settings worked a treat on my IS 300).

For the test drive, it's a good idea to drive a mixture of roads - dual carriageway or motorway if possible, trunk roads, and side roads. Try to include a few roundabouts and tight corners to test the steering and chassis and at least one set of speed bumps to test shock absorbers.

If the car has sport trim, it will have a factory fitted rear spoiler and a mechanical limited slip differential. If the differential is on the way out, you'll likely hear a whining noise when it's under pressure - a road with lots of tight bends should be sufficient to test that.

The electrics are generally sound in the IS 200 and IS 300 but it's a good idea to test the radio and CD changer because they the head unit can be a weak spot and difficult and costly to replace.

Finally, the cambelt on the IS 200 and IS 300 needs to be replaced every 60,000 miles. Essentially, the work should be done at the same time as a scheduled major service (service intervals are every 10,000 miles). Replacing the water pump and changing the coolant at the same time as the cambelt are also recommended. Depending on the car's current mileage and service history, the current may have discovered that a cambelt change is required and doesn't want to spend the money.

ei9go

Check the front shocks.

If they have not been replaced they are probably leaking or will be soon.

About a 700 Euro job if you replace with genuine parts/