Taxi!
That's what I would return home in, becuase that's what that car probably was...!
I'd NEVER buy from a dealer who operates without premises, neither would I buy without history.
Ask the seller to show you the V5 - it will have the last owner's name and address on it.
If he won't show you it, or it "isn't available", leave immediately and phone trading standards - the "dealer" is obviously a crook...
Simply give the last owner a call - "oh yes, that Bora...not bad nick for 204,500 miles on it really"...
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JohnX I've done a demolition job on this on another forum and, if you want some different advice, good luck but you're highly unlikely to be told that this is a bargain.
There are two possiblities. One is that he is lying, and you should run, not walk away.
The second is that he is telling the truth, and you should run, not walk away.
If it has only done 4.5k, this will have been exclusively short journeys in which the car has never been warmed up. Therefore, those 4,500 miles will be equivalent to at least 20,000 (and probably more like 45,000) miles on the motorway. Have you seen the Castrol advert which says that 90% of engine wear happens in the first 2 miles or whatever?
Secondly, services are due over a certain time, as well as distance. Having done all those short journeys, plus had four years in the sump to deteriorate, the oil is probably completely ineffective now, and the engine is potentially knackered. Ideally oil should be changed every 6 months, a year at most.
Other components, like the cat, won't necessarily hold up well, and things like electrics usually fail because of age rather than mileage, and while the car has the mileage of a 4-month old, it is four years old and has potentially never been serviced to pick up on any developing problems.
Plus, he is a home trader and the car has no history - it is possible to fake one and if he can mysteriously 'get' it I would suggest this is what is likely to happen. Value the car as if it had 120k and no history, and if it's cheaper, you might get a bargain. On the other hand, he knows he can sell it to some kind of mileage fetishist for more than that, regardless of its true condition.
LD - There are sometimes genuine cases of cars with real history going through auction without it and it then being obtained from the lease company. The key here is lease company though - private sellers don't have a myriad of departments to lose the paper work in. This deal still smells really bad.
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I agree with everything said so far, except the comments re home dealers.
I bought my wife a BMW 318i Touring from such a dealer last year. He sells from his drive but sources his cars from a handful of local companies. So they come with high mileage, full s/h and low prices (low overheads). I phoned the company who had the owned the beemer just to check, and had the owner's secretary read out the car's computerised service history, checked that it had no accident damage, etc. I was happy with all that, bought, and have had the car for exactly one year now. Had one fault - blown n/s headlight bulb. Now showing 147,000 miles. I took a risk but I got the car at a very good price due to the mileage.
So not all home dealers are to be avoided. Just be wary. This particular chap sounds more than a tad dodgy. And the car is best avoided in any case.
Keep looking.
Pat
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If the car really has only done 4500 miles any professional would be able to spot that and verify it in about 2 mins,if the price is ok,no probs,check with previous owners and if you do buy change oil and filter asap.
If you are not sure what you are looking at pay the AA.
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Inspections are availble here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/redirect.php?www.warrantydire...2
Cheaper than the AA and without the usual exclusion of liability clauses.
Of course, this deal still smells really, really bad.
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I'd say that anyone with an ounce of common sense would be able to tell if the 4,500 is genuine never mind a professional.
Are the tyres all the same make?
Do the seats look like they've done 4,500 miles?
Do the pedals look like they've done 4,500 miles?
Does the steering wheel etc.etc......
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Fair enough, but a 45k car (i.e., average miles or slightly below) that's been polished beyond all reason where all the tyres have been replaced by OE and the bonnet has been resprayed, if necessary, might not obviously look any different to a 4.5k miler.
Of course, once you're told that you're getting an apparently as new Bora for less than half the new price (hopefully!) it's quite easy to lose all common sense if you're not experienced at buying and valuing cars.
In any case, it's not the cosmetics that are the issue but all the components that wear with age and that might not have been serviced with all those short journeys.
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How do we know that the 4500 was lots of small journeys?Could have been a few reasonable long journeys.
I would only only ever use the AA for an inspection.
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