is this car dodgy? P Reg VW Golf.

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Tue 26 Oct 2004 12:53
is this car dodgy? P Reg VW Golf. - luke
Hello,

I went to view a car last night and was wondering if it is on the level. Full details are:

RED VW golf 1.4 P-reg (1996) 3-door
PAS, MOT june 2005, tax end 2004, 75,000 miles
Dad is selling on behalf of daughter who got a company car 6 months ago. bought from dealer about 3 years ago.
asking price is £1700

unfortunately I could only get there after work so the light was fading on me. when i arrived it was immediately noticable that the offside rear panel was a faded red as opposed to the rest of the vehicle which was a bright red. The seller said that it was like that since they bought it and suggested it was sun damage. he denied that it was ever replaced.

So, my concerns are:

has this vehicle been in an accident? it it was just a scrape would the panel have been replaced? could it be worse?

if it has been replaced why come up with a flimsey reason for the faded colour? why not hide it with cutting compound for faded red cars?

why was this the only faded panel? it it was a respray i would have expected one bright red panel and a faded car..not this way round which doesn't seem to make sense...

is it possible for only 1 panel to get faded by the sun?? never had a red car so i don't know.. wouldn't the sun damage extend over that side of the vehicle?

finally is this a lemon? I've considered doing a vehicle check but they only tell you if it's been written off and re-registered not if it's been in a more minor accident. The seller lives in a small mansion and seemed like a nice bloke but I know this isn't a good guide.

opinions anyone?

many thanks, luke
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Tue 26 Oct 2004 13:15
is this car dodgey? - Number_Cruncher
Hi Luke,

Solid red paint is a pain in the posterior for fading. The fact that some paint has faded and some hasn't makes you right to be suspicious.

At least the sellers haven't covered it up by cutting and polishing, which is what a dealer would do. This suggests that the seller may be being honest with you. The dealer who sold it to him may not have told him everything at the time.

I think that a vehicle check may tell you more about it. A good look at panel gaps, shut lines, spot welds, etc should help you decide how much bodywork has been done.

Armed with this knowledge and information, you may choose to go no further, and walk away, or use your evidence to negotiate a hefty price reduction. Without seeing the car, and without being in your shoes, I don't know which choice I would make.

number_cruncher
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