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Hi all,
Looking to buy my first car and have found a 2015 Up! (Move) for £5,300. The only problem I can see is that it has done 29k miles. Am I wrong to be worried by this? Or is that a lot considering it is a 1 litre engine. The car itself seems fine on first viewing.
Thanks.
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VW's 3cyl 1.0 is still quite a new engine but there's little on it to cause concern and It's barely run in at that mileage. Assuming it has a full main dealer service history it will also have a manufacturer warranty until 2018 so there's little risk.
The UP is a great wee car, well made, cheap to run and pleasant to drive but only buy it if it has a full dealer service history and watch out for poorly repaired crash damage, particularly on cars at smaller non-franchised dealers who buy solely from auction.
Though personally I'd recommend a cheap older car as a first motor. You only really start learning to drive after you've passed your test so it's likely you'll make a few wee misjudgements in the first few months and years which will leave a few battle scars on a nice shiny nearly new car.
Post a link to the advert if you can.
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www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20161119990...1 Thanks, I thought it was an OK price for the age of the car. I would be looking to run it for maybe 3-4 years & just in around town (maybe 20 miles per day).
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Looks fine, it's at a VW main dealer too so it's likely to have been an ex lease car or a trade in for another VW, neither is a negative and much better than an auction sourced car. Looks fresh in the pics but as usual with Arnold Clark adverts there's no mention of service history so you'll need to check it. Don't buy anything that hasn't got proof of annual servicing.
They're not the best for presenting a car well. Check the paintwork carefully and ask them to repair anything more than a minor scuff or scrape. I've see them with some really scruffy stock on their forecourts including the Seat Ibiza FR I was asked to look at in Kilmarnock by a friend recently which was to be honest a mess.
I also spotted this 5dr model in red near you with around half the miles. Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20161111965...5
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Looks fine, it's at a VW main dealer too so it's likely to have been an ex lease car or a trade in for another VW, neither is a negative and much better than an auction sourced car.
Virtually all VW ex-lease and VWFS cars are sold to VW main dealers at auction. Usually BCA but some Manheim.
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Virtually all VW ex-lease and VWFS cars are sold to VW main dealers at auction. Usually BCA but some Manheim.
Bulk of their manufacturer stock comes from closed sales and direct from VW themselves but yes some dealers do purchase cars at general auctions. I don't believe Arnold Clark do however, I've certainly never identified any of their staff at sales aside from special Arnold Clark trade in disposal sales where there's always someone from the firm there to decide on offers. The bulk of cars going through general sales excluding late plate fleet stock is usually in need of paint and tidying.
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There's also a private sale in Glasgow area with full history you might be able to get for a cheeky offer, say £3,500 but don't do it unless you have someone that knows what they're doing to take with you and remember there's absolutely no comeback on a private sale but £2,000 saving for a car with the same mileage isn't to be sniffed at. Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20161113972...9
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I will check into the service history and have look at the other cars mentioned. Do you think there would be any value in waiting until just before Xmas to see if I could get a better discount? Are there any big signs to look out for that would show that the car hasn't been well looked after? Thanks again.
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Looks too expensive to me.Plenty of these available with miles around 10-12k for about the same or slightly more money.Can't help thinking that a Fiesta would be a much better buy.
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Arnold Clark don't tend to offer much in the way of discounts, often sale managers will refuse to offer a penny off but if pushed you can expect £100-£200 discount with no trade in unless it's a particularly rare model which this is not. They always have a New Year sale though so there might be merit in waiting til January.
The warranty they offer on used cars is garbage too. 28 days if I remember right, then they hard sell you an upgrade but then this isn't a concern here if that dealer service history is intact. Their cars are usually slightly cheaper than rivals but factoring in the cost of a warranty others include, poor to no discount and rock bottom trade in values and they're not always the best deal on the table.
This is however the going rate for a good UP this age and spec but yes you'll find cheaper ones in backstreet dealers that are missing service stamps or have had paint and the identical but more basic Skoda Citygo and Seat Mii are generally cheaper too and well worth a look. There are lower mileage cars available around the £6-£6.5k mark that might be worth the extra outlay but 29k isn't a worry if it's been looked after.
Fiesta is a good alternative but it's dearer to buy and run and it's bigger. Brilliant things to drive though but there's nothing bad to say about the UP in my eyes and as a cheap to run, low tax, low insurance small car it'll always fetch money when it's time to sell or trade in.
First thing is to ask for that service history. If it's an Online history as many cars are now then insist they produce a book and stamp it up for you or print it off so you've proof for when you want to sell it on. Don't let the salesman put you off, this is important and it's easy for him to do at a VW dealer.
Then spend time looking for signs of paintwork. Look for overspray on rubbers and along panel gaps and in wheelarches. It's not the end of the world if it's had a minor parking knock that's been repaired as long as it's been done properly, any poorly applied paint will flake and fade faster than the rest of the car thus damaging it's look and value. Look for obvious colour differences on panels and bumpers and watch for uneven panel gaps, these are well made little cars and should have tight shut lines and panel gaps.
Mechanically there's not much to worry about as long as it's been serviced every year but they do attract a lot of elderly and young inexperienced drivers (no offence) who tend to be hard on clutches so check there's no noises as the clutch engages and disengages and feel the biting point, it shouldn't be too high. On the test drive select a high gear, say 4th at 20mph and put your foot to the floor (accelerator) and watch and listen to see if the revs suddenly race away while the car doesn't accelerate in accordance, this would indicate a slipping clutch. Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20161105947...9
Edited by SLO76 on 23/11/2016 at 17:53
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Like for like spec they have a 64 plate at £5795 but has much lower mileage on it. Would be worth looking at if it was local and has a full dealer history. The more basic models start at £5295 but would do the job fine and have less to go wrong.
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no difference between a VW up and a Seas Mi or Skoda Citigo excpet the badge and a higher insurance group.
go with the Seat or Skoda and save yourself some money.
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Also found a Skoda Citigo for 5299 at motorpoint:- www.motorpoint.co.uk/vehicleadvert/skoda/citigo%20...7
I assumed the Volkswagen would be the better brand to buy? Think it also looks a bit nicer, but maybe that doesn't matter. The reason for looking at a city car is I assumed it would be easier to drive than a Fiesta or Corsa etc. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
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Also found a Skoda Citigo for 5299 at motorpoint:- www.motorpoint.co.uk/vehicleadvert/skoda/citigo%20...7
I assumed the Volkswagen would be the better brand to buy? Think it also looks a bit nicer, but maybe that doesn't matter. The reason for looking at a city car is I assumed it would be easier to drive than a Fiesta or Corsa etc. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
They're basically the same car with minor differences in trim and interior spec. The VW is slightly nicer inside with the body colour dash but they drive the same and are built in the same factory by the same people using the same engines, gearboxes etc etc. I'd buy based on condition, mileage and history rather than the badge.
Skoda gets the best results in customer satisfaction surveys but this is more down to expectation than any superiority in service.
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Asked Arnold Clark guy about the Up! and was told
'The car is available, it is under warranty until the 18 th of January 2018
1 prev owner
Full service history, 20000 miles service was done by us in April
It was not a lease car it came into us as a part exchange the cust bought a brand new one.'
Seems ok?
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All sounds good. You don't trade a car in for another of the same brand if you didn't like it. I would however ask them to service it as part of the deal since it's done around 9,000 miles since the last one.
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How much would a service normally cost £150?. Instead of trying to get money off car just ask that they do a full service instead? Thanks.
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Be cheeky and ask for £200 and that service. It'll cost them buttons to do and you don't get if you don't ask.
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