Buying a used car

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Fri 10 Sep 2004 14:39
Buying a used car - Nicole17
Hi,

i have seen a car on a vw dealer website site which i am very interested in buying. problem is i am in london and car is in scotland. is it a good idea to buy it without test driving and seeing the car?

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Fri 10 Sep 2004 14:42
Buying a used car - Mike H
"No" is the short answer - it is a very very bad idea!

The best plan is to get someone you can trust in the area to look at it for you, but under no circumstances commit before seeing & driving it. If you are really keen, you may feel it is worth the risk of paying a holding deposit which you may lose if the car is rubbish.
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Fri 10 Sep 2004 15:15
Buying a used car - Robert J.
If it is VW dealer it might be a bit safer. I bought my seat from a London dealer (I live in Nottingham) and it was delivered to me and was in excellent condition ( just as described in the advert). I seem to remember they do a 60 day exchange plan if you are not happy, probably the same with VW.
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Fri 10 Sep 2004 15:32
Buying a used car - Mike H
...and it may be possible for them to get the car to you to have a look at in your local dealer before committing yourself - it may depend on how much profit they've built into it. It it really such a rare find that the only one around is so far away?
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Fri 10 Sep 2004 17:28
Buying a used car - topaktas
I have bought 4 Passats via VW dealers' websites (in Bridgnorth, Maidenhead, Norwich and Milton Keynes - I live in Suffolk), all sight unseen, and all without problems, or where there were problems, they were rectified under warranty. In every case, too, they gave me a fair p-ex price on my existing VW, also sight unseen.
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Fri 10 Sep 2004 17:43
Buying a used car - BobbyG
Nicole, what kind of car is it? Surely its not that unique? Let the backroom know and we can all do a search of our local garages and probably find one closer to you.

(Apart from me that is - I am in Scotland!)
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Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

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