Hello everyone! AM new to posting but this discussn board seems like it may be exactly what i am looking for.
I have seen a car that i want to buy to replace my old K reg Peugeot 106. I commute 100 miles per day to work so i decided i would treat myself to a new car.
I have seen a silver V reg (1999) Polo 1.4 CL for sale at £5,500 ish (open to negotiation yet). I have had a test drive and all went well but to be honest i don't really know what i am looking for. Needless to say this is the first time i have bought a car on my own.
Any ideas/tips? What questions should i ask and what would be a dodgy reply? I have had a look at the section on this site re how to buy cars and the physical inspection that i should do which seemed quite helpful.The car is for sale at a dealership which is offering a 12 month warranty. I thought this may reduce the chances of me neing sold a deathtrap.
the only other thing i know is that it is a petrol engine and has done 29K miles. Is this too low/high for a car of that age? I am going to have a proper look at it tomorrow (logbook,pads that sort of thing) as i was a bit wowwed over last time i saw it because it had 5 gears (mine only has 4!)
ALso got a quote this morning from the Pru as my current car is insured with them. They offered 1 yrs NCD which made the insurance £670 ish fully comp. I thought this sounded reasonable - what do you think?
Thanks
Siba
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Siba
A lot of the questions you are asking are covered on site links from the Home page. Look at the 'Car by Car Breakdown' and also the 'How to Buy and Sell Cars' sections of the site.
Having said that let the Polo experts reply....
HTH
Charles
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Is it through a main dealer or not? 29K is pretty much average for the type of car - roughly £10K per year. Obviously you need to glance at the service history but don't place too much emphasis on it if its not all there. The obvious things to look at are the body - any scrapes or dints, the wheels - any obvious sign of kerb damage?
Mechanically - not my area, so I'll leave that to others.
Chances are it will have been well scrubbed up by the dealer, so its a case of trying to look behind the obvious to see if there are any traces of 'dodgy' things!
It may be worth contacting the previous owner to ask them about the car. As they sold it to a dealer thay may be more inclined to say that it was a dog, or it was brilliant!
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HPI is essential.. dealer or not. Seller to pay. Any reluctance? Walk away.
If in doubt get a friend to help.. much cheaper and better than finding all faults afterwards..
madf
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If you're doing 100 miles a day, get a diesel. It'll save you money on fuel, last longer, and be more reliable. A lot of people, me included, think they are more pleasant to drive, too.
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May be better looking at one of the Polos' siblings, eg Seat Ibiza or Skoda Fabia for a value for money diesel?
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I run a 97 Polo diesel. Had it for 3 years and 60k miles and now coming up to 100000 miles total.
I thought the diesel was marginally better to drive than the 1.4, but the 1.4 is perfectly OK. It certaily uses less fuel - about 50 mpg if driven relatively sensibly, down to 45 if thrashed and run at 90mph.
Neither 1.4 or 1.9D are very quick, you need a 1.6 for something near fast. I think 1.4's are a lot easier to find than D's
Problems with mine?
1 - Water pump failed at 73k miles. With hindsight should have changed with cambelt and tensioner at 60k.
2- Dashboard failure at 70k miles. All oil pressure warnings came on. Scared the s*** out of me!
3 - One rear wheel beaaring noisy and changed about 80k miles
4 - Bonnet quite stone chipped now, and paint laquer on bonnet starting to fail. That's because of the mileage and lack of polishing I suppose.
5- Corrosion starting on seams at rear ends of sills. I think this is rubbish, but unfortunately is not warrantied.
The car still feels very solid at the mileage and has only needed a set of discs in addition to routine servicing and the above. Not bad I reckon.
Get an HPI check (as madf has already said)
Keep it serviced and do double the recommneded number of oil changes and it should be fine.
hth
Andy
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Sounds good, but Ibiza TDI very hard to find, I think?
Fabia is based on later platform and much better to drive. Will be much more expensive I think.
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With a Fabia TDi, you're looking at £7k+. £5500 certainly sounds okay for one of the last of the old shape Polos, not a bad second hand purchase at all, as long as it's not a 1.0. If it's a main dealer, it's an excellent price. Of course, at 100 miles a day, it'll only take 2 years to make up the difference in fuel (at 60 vs 45mpg, not unreasonable for small cars on the motorway).
I'd expect service history to be all there at this age/mileage. If not, why not? HPI is also a must. Go to www.hpicheck.com If it passes the HPI check, comes with a good warranty, is in good condition overall (no mayonnaise on the filler cap, runs smoothly, has had a recent service, new MoT, and generally doesn't look like anything has been covered up) then this car could be a good buy.
29k is absolutely fine for mileage, what you'd expect on this age of car.
£670 may or may not be cheap for your insurance. It depends on so many variables (age, experience, no claims, etc.) that no one here can answer you. Go to www.confused.com and put your details in; they'll give you a series of quotes from a variety of companies.
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Look up the link for The Great Trade Centre in HJ's FAQ1 and then compare Polo prices there for different years and mileages.
If the GTC is within commuting siatance, you may even find it worthwhile to visit to see any of the stock that appeals to you.
Give it a try.
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That's www.tradecentre.co.uk
There are no 1.4 manuals from 99 or 2000 in stock there at the moment. If there were, with 29k on the clock, based on their current stock, I'd expect them to be about £5500. Doesn't mean you can't haggle though.
I'd definitely consider a Fabia SDi - nice to drive, spacious, reliable, but the engine's not the most refined or fastest. www.martinpaulmotors.co.uk has one that looks perfect.
(SDi is the non turbo diesel for VWs and Skodas, TDi is the turbo diesel, which is faster and slightly more economical version.)
Make sure that you get a good price for your part exchange. You don't say the car's condition or mileage but aim for £800 or so, meaning the cost to change should be about £4700; this will include some over allowance so don't expect to haggle too much if you get this.
Finally, if you're buying the car on finance, get competitive quotes - I don't know about your income but you should be able to get about 8.9% APR if your credit's any good. Anyway, I must go out now.
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Thanks so much guys - you have all given me brilliant advice. I am thinking of doing an hpi check - got a number for hpi check in preston from the buying cars section on this website.
The car is for sale at a Renault dealership - i think it must be a previous part-xchange. It also comes with a 12 month warranty so i am not going to get an independent inspection done.
I got a quote with the insurance company that my current car is with and they have given me one year's NCD which is 35% off. I thought this was pretty good - the chap said that no one else would give me a quote because i am not yet 25 (will be on Fri thoough!) and have not had insurance in my name before. I am a bit dubuous about this. however he is desperate for the business - he rang me back once i had got the reg no to clarify the quote and is going to call again on MOn once i have had a proper look at the car again. Also the chap from the dealership has also called.....they certainly want my money!!!!!!!! Quite happy to let them do the chasing.
My peugeot cost £1400 when we bought it (33K miles) it now has 110K so i was expecting about £800 for it. The condition is not bad but it has got a dent in the pasenger door from when i scraped a taxi's bumber and a couple of scrathches on the bonnet - not v noticeable, i hope! I am going to try and wangle a further discount - will flutter my eyelashes if i have to- and will let you know how it goes.
Am depserate to get this car - i love it- but common sense makes an impulse purchase too risky.
Thanks again for the tips!!!!!!
Siba
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Just to throw a spanner into the works so to speak, why do a lot of you insist on doing an HPI check when buying from a reputable franchised dealer. This is only my personal opinion and I have bought various cars and bikes from dealers and private sellers but depending on who I am dealing with depends on whether I use HPI or not. Almost all dealers and traders will HPI all of their cars that are selling and most will HPI them before they will accept them in a part exchange. For example when I bought a S/H motor from a reputable dealer a year or so ago, I asked to see the HPI check paperwork for that car and there was no reluctance at all to show me that all was well and good with the car. So I saved myself £35 - £40 fee. If I am buying a motor from a private seller or a dealer/trader that I didn't trust then I would have no hesitation in doing the HPI check.
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Absolutely, Simon - any self-respecting dealer would do an HPI check if asked, or have done one already.
Good idea to buy a 'foreigner' from a franchised dealer - you often get a better deal that way.
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If you are driving so far may I ask why you want a small car? A bigger one (diesel) would represent better value for money and be more comfortable for the long journeys you are doing.
For your budget I would suggest:
Peugeot 306 HDI - with a very economical and refined diesel. 60mpg probably possible on motorways and a light right foot. Late ones (your budget) come loaded down with toys.
VW Passat TDI 110. Another ultra economical and reliable car.
Skoda Octavia TDI. If you can overlook badge snobbery this would suit you well.
Also consider the market won't like a small car with very high miles when you come to sell it. A high mileage diesel repmobile will probably hav plenty of life left in it when you sell it.
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Err, saw the car and liked it. This is a first buy for me and I think the Passat and Octavia are too 'old' for me if there is such a thing. I was considering a 306 as it is a natural upgrade to my own car but the garage I went to did not have at the £5000 mark.
A lot of you have suggested a diesel - but i have not really considered this though i may have a look anyway.
Siba
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Shop around for insurance. My insurance premium is comparable to that, even though I am male, 24, live in London, have no no claims discount and drive a car in group 12. (Okay, it's a stroppy teenage car, but still...) No matter how good the deal is, it'll still be there in a week.
Diesels will save you money. Go to several garages, use www.autotrader.co.uk to find a car that you like, near you, for a price that you like. You said that the dealer you went to didn't have the car you wanted - fine, but there are other dealers you know.
There is no particular need to HPI a car from a franchised dealer, although if you buy from anyone else, you should get one done because, even if a it has been properly repaired, a write off is always worth less than a 'good' car.
Now I've said all that, it doesn't sound as if you're getting a bad deal either, so if you have done your sums and can live with the expense of petrol over diesel, and the car is as good as you say it is, I'd say go ahead and get it.
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