UKSaabs

Right - 1st things 1st - this is not intended as a personal attack on any individual forum member, no-one will be named and shamed by me. More as a guide for what to look for, especially for private buyers.

A bit of background:
A UKSaaber put his c900 convertible up for sale on this site. And I agreed to buy it.
As a trade buyer, I will buy 'warts and all' , but do expect at least the advert description to bear a similarity to the actual car, and more importantly for the seller to reveal if the car is a write off! especially from a UKSaaber selling on this site.



I did an HPI check yesterday before travelling over 250 miles to collect, and it did show the car to be a write off:



At the price I decided to still get it as it could either be repaired and sold, with full disclosure, or at worst case i'd still make money by breaking it.

I also decided not to let the seller know that I knew it was a write off and see what was disclosed when I collected.

Suprise surprise - no mention of a write off, or indeed any repair
Guess how much paperwork was with the car? - nothing except a log book in his previous address and alarm instructions. Nothing else.
I did get a written receipt for the car though.

Now, a private buyer should now start to worry - why no history and why is the log book in the wrong address? - The DVLA will not issue a replacement log-book until a written-off car has passed a Vehicle Identity Check (V.I.C.).
The Hpi check revealed the car has not had a vic check.
OK - so next thing is to check the chassis number on the car against the log book -

No vin plate !!! hence wont pass a VIC check, hence not able to be taxed either.



Luckily the c900 also has this stamped into the rear chassis cross member in the boot - there it was. phew!

Now to look for the 'repaired' damage. Dead easy to spot this one: the offside front corner has been replaced, very badly - the swage line along the car should be level, as it is on the nearside. compare the offside!!





Also look at the joint along the inner wing: the filler just came away in my hand.



Now for a look at any corrosion, again not stated in the ad.

I'll not bore you with descriptions of all the bits, suffice it to say this car is rotten to the core. most people know to check the driveshaft tunnels and wheel arches, but do you check suspension mounting areas...?







Rest assured, this car will not be driven again - I'tll be scrapped once i've removed anything saleable.

Dan.

<wipes brow> phew! Bad luck dan, You can't win them all.

I'm not worried or upset - it's business. It was my choice to buy and my choice to conclude the deal quickly.
Overall my sucess rate is fairly good, and the seats and wheels will cover my costs.

Just pointing out the signs to private buyers.

Dan.

"Caveat emptor"....Is that "buyer beware" in Latin by any chance?

I am intrigued here Dan. You knew it was a write off, yet still travelled a fair way to buy it.

I applaud your tips for the unwise! You will make more than you paid. I hope!

I will say that the tyre on view looks pretty good.

You've answered my question! I should learn to think/type quicker!!

Write-offs can be a good source of spares
Very occassionally I'll even sell one - there's one in the classifieds at the moment, but it will be clearly described as such.

Dan.

It's an old car and rotten. Big surprise How many sheds get bought and sold in the old car market?

Yes, "buyer beware" ... pay what you are prepared to lose. Simple as that. Without a HPi check you're risking money as a private buyer and that's that. If it's cheap, fine. You risk your money and your life in a crash. That's the buyers' risk. Some horrible accidents are simply covered up and never go through insurance, so check over the car yourself, have a mechanic you trust check over the car and go the usual checks. Again, risk what you can afford to lose, including the car if it is a proper lemon.

So, scrap it Dan - I'm sure cherished convertible owners could do with replacement rams. If the rubbers on those sprung clips that sit in the hinges of the roof are any good, I'll have them

The seller has made contact with me by PM.

This thread was always intended as a pointer to the pitfalls of buying from a private seller.
People often get so excited by the thought of a new car that they notice the shiny bits and dont look at the 'hidden' areas of a car, nor do they check paperwork, vin numbers etc etc...


That's what this thread is about so please keep it as such.
No witch hunting and no drifting off topic if possible.


Dan.e

I am going to go through this thread and delete a few posts (my own included ) to keep it on topic as was meant as Dan has pointed out.

Hopefully no one will be too upset at my doing this - if you are you have my pm details to tell me what you think - not that it will reinstate the posts of course!

Mmmm ... prunes You can prune that

Damn it!! Too late to see all the bitchin!!

there wasn't much at all......either that or it just passed over my head

What's new?

My very helpful post survived the first stroke of TFatc's blue pencil but not his stricter revisionist move. Ah well, Nick can we have a whatsit another day?

or the Mods were super fast.....

I must admit I would have just turned around and made the 250 miles journey home again sans vehicle.

Did that a couple of years ago, having paid a £100 deposit to a dealer (120 miles away) over the phone, for a low mileage c900 5 door T16 that was advertised as mint (and with a price to match), when I got there every panel was damaged in some way, front and rear doors rusty, 5th was difficult to select and the seats had seen better days. What is more the service book had been hand completed for the previous 3 services by said dealer based on anecdotal evidence from the previous owner. Cost me £100 deposit, £60 for the return train ticket and £5 in consoling beer at the station pub.

Bought my current T16 on ebay without seeing it - it was not physically possible to make a return journey in a day it was so far away (7 hours of trains to get there) so it was a good job that it turned out to be a good'un.

Cetainly. Currently 3 days notice required for a full blown whatsit!

i guess thats the chance we take buying old cars, particulalry on the description of the seler, who, more than probaby has rose tinted glasses on.....narrow escape for a few of us on here though!!...as you say, you wont be out of pocket once you salvage and sell the good bits, but im sure you can think of betetr things to be doing....

Cetainly. Currently 3 days notice required for a full blown whatsit!


Cetainly. Currently 3 days notice required for a full blown whatsit!

Ok...How is everyone fixed for a full blown whatsit on Friday night then?

Better make it after 9pm when all the little ones are in bed!!

How much for the wheels Dan.

Rob

Remember - this isn't an advert.

the wheels are not available, sorry.

DOH! that was my next question.

if it's not an advert I'm sure a PM would cause less grief/issues