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Car inspection

  • 13-04-2019 1:56pm
    #1
    SD7792
    Registered Users Posts: 131 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    Thinking of buying a BMW in the range of €15-20k which will be my first foray into that sort of price range and I have a few questions around car inspections. Hoping the wealth of knowledge here can fill in the gaps for me!

    Firstly I assume at that price range, a car inspection by a mechanic/engineer is a must? Is this the case even if buying of a dealership like Joe Duffy or Frank Keane where there will be a lengthy warranty in place?

    Secondly, wondering if anyone can recommend a good inspection service as my local mechanic is too busy to offer this service?

    Finally, obviously I will do the first round of vetting and then get an inspection on any car worth pursuing. How does one go about buying time with a dealer so that they don't sell to somebody else before you've had time to get the car inspected?

    Thanks in advance for any advice, greatly appreciated!


Comments

  • #2
    Atlantic Dawn
    Registered Users Posts: 81,058 ✭✭✭✭Atlantic Dawn
    M


    What type of BMW?


  • #3
    Rows Grower
    Registered Users Posts: 7,789 ✭✭✭Rows Grower


    SD7792 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Thinking of buying a BMW in the range of €15-20k which will be my first foray into that sort of price range and I have a few questions around car inspections. Hoping the wealth of knowledge here can fill in the gaps for me!

    Firstly I assume at that price range, a car inspection by a mechanic/engineer is a must? Is this the case even if buying of a dealership like Joe Duffy or Frank Keane where there will be a lengthy warranty in place?

    Secondly, wondering if anyone can recommend a good inspection service as my local mechanic is too busy to offer this service?

    Finally, obviously I will do the first round of vetting and then get an inspection on any car worth pursuing. How does one go about buying time with a dealer so that they don't sell to somebody else before you've had time to get the car inspected?

    Thanks in advance for any advice, greatly appreciated!

    Tell the dealer you are 100% buying the car subject to your mechanic verifying everything is as advertised.

    Offer a refundable deposit and get a receipt.

    "Very soon we are going to Mars. You wouldn't have been going to Mars if my opponent won, that I can tell you. You wouldn't even be thinking about it."

    Donald Trump, March 13th 2018.



  • #4
    James Bond Junior
    Registered Users Posts: 5,127 ✭✭✭James Bond Junior


    What model are you looking for?

    While there are a lot of rubbish cars and dealers out there, there are many good places too. Buying a 15/20k BMW in a dealer may not offer fantastic value. My mother recently bought a 6 month old BMW from a very reliable and trustworthy UK import dealer and they beat BMW by 15% or so compared with the year old car with double the mileage the BMW dealer had in stock. Same colour and spec just half the mileage and 6 months newer eg 181 v 182.


  • #5
    SD7792
    Registered Users Posts: 131 ✭✭SD7792


    James Bond Junior wrote: »
    What model are you looking for?

    While there are a lot of rubbish cars and dealers out there, there are many good places too. Buying a 15/20k BMW in a dealer may not offer fantastic value. My mother recently bought a 6 month old BMW from a very reliable and trustworthy UK import dealer and they beat BMW by 15% or so compared with the year old car with double the mileage the BMW dealer had in stock. Same colour and spec just half the mileage and 6 months newer eg 181 v 182.

    Take the following car for example which is pretty much what I'm after in terms of model, colour, etc. : https://www.joeduffy.ie/bmw/used-cars/9939841-bmw-3-series-320d-m-sport-saloon/

    I get that its probably somewhat overpriced (might get it for ~€20k at a private dealer) but the BMW dealers seem to have much more plentiful and, on average, better stock. If the same was available in a private dealer I would go for it but it seems you might need to wait for a while for the right deal to come round.

    The 2 year warranty also provides additional piece of mind and might eliminate the need to get an independent mechanic/engineer to look at it or am I way off the mark on this?


  • #6
    bazz26
    Registered Users Posts: 51,103 ✭✭✭✭bazz26


    Do yourself a favor and go automatic 3 Series over a manual one.


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  • #7
    James Bond Junior
    Registered Users Posts: 5,127 ✭✭✭James Bond Junior


    SD7792 wrote: »
    Take the following car for example which is pretty much what I'm after in terms of model, colour, etc. : https://www.joeduffy.ie/bmw/used-cars/9939841-bmw-3-series-320d-m-sport-saloon/

    I get that its probably somewhat overpriced (might get it for ~€20k at a private dealer) but the BMW dealers seem to have much more plentiful and, on average, better stock. If the same was available in a private dealer I would go for it but it seems you might need to wait for a while for the right deal to come round.

    The 2 year warranty also provides additional piece of mind and might eliminate the need to get an independent mechanic/engineer to look at it or am I way off the mark on this?

    Echoing what Master Bazz says below and go auto. We are on our 2nd one, a 420d this time and it is the bees knees. My mother is on her 2nd 1 series and 2nd auto, she wouldn't dream of going back.

    Give Alan in M6 motors, Galway a shout, he sourced a 1 series for my Mam in the exact spec and year she wanted and killed the BMW main dealer on price. I bought a 320d off him years ago and was happy out with the car and price. I've no affiliation other than he is very well regarded and having gone through the buying process twice, it was flawless.


  • #8
    Moanin
    Registered Users Posts: 2,132 ✭✭✭Moanin


    James Bond Junior wrote: »
    Echoing what Master Bazz says below and go auto. We are on our 2nd one, a 420d this time and it is the bees knees. My mother is on her 2nd 1 series and 2nd auto, she wouldn't dream of going back.

    Give Alan in M6 motors, Galway a shout, he sourced a 1 series for my Mam in the exact spec and year she wanted and killed the BMW main dealer on price. I bought a 320d off him years ago and was happy out with the car and price. I've no affiliation other than he is very well regarded and having gone through the buying process twice, it was flawless.

    +1 for M6 Motors. They sourced a 3 old A4 for me a while back


  • #9
    In the wind
    Registered Users Posts: 237 ✭✭In the wind


    Similar to the original poster, I am looking for recommendations for Car Inspectors to inspect an old toyota pick up.

    There are obviously quite a few when you google but this car is from the early 1990's & not a modern car so I want to make sure the inspector know what to look for in such a dinosaur.

    Turbo condition.

    Head Gasket.

    Auto transmission condition.

    Body & Chassis rust.

    Cracked engine head due to overheating.


    Thanks All.



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