Bring a used car from a garage to a mechanic to check out a car before buying

banjobongo

We are looking to buy a used car. Had a car this morning we liked, bought it for a test drive. Our friend is a mechanic and has his own garage. He is happy to check out the car for us before we buy it. So I asked the garage selling the car could we drive the car we are thinking of buying out to our mechanic for him to look at and he said no, insurance wont cover it. I dont know how we were able to go for a test drive this morning and that was fine but now we cant drive the same car to a mechanic?
Is this normal practise for a dealership selling used cars to not allow you to drive their used cars to a mechanic to check out the car?

biko

It's usually fine to have car inspected. However, if you crash the car then whose insurance will cover it?

Your mechanic friend probably have a mech insurance so can drive the car under his mechanic's insurance.

colm_mcm

It's not normal practice. Sounds like they don't want the car being insoected. PM me the name of the dealer if you like as I'm in your neck of the woods.

mgbgt1978

Of course now you know what to do next time you are buying.
Just drive straight to your Mechanic friend on the 1st Test Drive....and see how panicky the Sales Guy gets.

Del2005

biko wrote: »

It's usually fine to have car inspected. However, if you crash the car then whose insurance will cover it?

Your mechanic friend probably have a mech insurance so can drive the car under his mechanic's insurance.

The same insuracnce company that would cover the test drive, your own if you have cover! The last few times I was looking at cars the amount of dealers letting me out without any check for insurance was a joke.

If a garage won't allow an inspection walk away and never darken their door again as there's only one reason why they won't.

mossy50

bring mechanic with you

bmwguy

Are you talking unaccompanied? I don't think if I was a dealer I would let someone take a car away for inspection without being accompanied. And time is money when accompanying someone. Unless i really knew them and trusted them. I would of course allow a mechanic to come to dealership and look it over all they want.
You could do anything to the car away from the dealer. Swap parts, tyres, anything. Commit a crime. Drive the bejaysis out of it. Export it! Insurance or not, I wouldn't personally do it.

banjobongo

thanks to everybody for replying...Im new to the game of buying 2nd hand cars....to clarify, in that particular situation I was looking at a small 2nd hand dealership, not a garage, so a mechanic could not properly inspect the car as there is no facility for lifting the car etc, so I was hoping that I could drive the car to my mechanic, about 5K away. If the dealer wanted to come with me, great, if not, I would be happy to sign any documents/provide proof etc.
If its not possible to drive the car to a mechanic, can a mechanic properly inspect a car in such a situaiton or can they only give it a quick look?
I would be very nervous about buying a used car from a small 2nd hand dealership if I could not get a mechanic to have a good proper examination of the car....how to get around this?

seaniefr

Why not bring the mechanic to the sellers garage with you? In fairness what you are proposing is not something that i would expect any reasonable garage to agree to. If they don't agree to a what i would consider a reasonable request then keep looking elsewhere. Incidentally are you looking for a service history, previous NCT certs stuff that would have previous mileage recorded etc?

Del2005

seaniefr wrote: »

Why not bring the mechanic to the sellers garage with you? In fairness what you are proposing is not something that i would expect any reasonable garage to agree to. If they don't agree to a what i would consider a reasonable request then keep looking elsewhere. Incidentally are you looking for a service history, previous NCT certs stuff that would have previous mileage recorded etc?

Hard to see a lot of underside issues without a ramp.

banjobongo

I can bring a mechanic to look at a car in a dealership but if they dont have a ramp etc the mechanic cant have a proper look and if the dealership wont met me drive the car to some place where a mechanic can have a proper look at the car, Im not going to buy the car from them. So if the dealer dont not have the facilities for a mechanic to properly examine a car onsite and if they wont let me drive the car to the mechanic Im not going to buy their car....
how to get around this? how do other people do it, just take a gamble?

colm_mcm

There are plenty garages including a VTN commercial inspection garage on the doorstep of the garage in question. I'm sure someone could oblige you.

bazz26

Which garage is not letting you take the car to a mechanic?

seaniefr

Well let's look at it another way then, if the dealer in question Does not have that facility at their dealership then how do they carry out any repairs/services etc.? So in other words, go to a decent garage or at least ask around. I don't think that this crowd are worth your time or more importantly, your money😄. Does the dealer in question have a lot of UK imports by any chance?