Buying a used car

[Steviemac03]

Hi guys, This is my first post here. Looking for advice on any checks I should do on a used car we have reserved for check and test drive this friday.

The car is a Mercedes A class AMG premium A180D Automatic registered in sept 2019 and has been a staff car for eastern western mercedes in edinburgh with 12000 miles on it.

Any guidance would be appreciated, they have already confirmed it will come with the AMG floormats.

The car is for my wife I don't actually drive yet and will learn later in the year. I can provide more info if required although the ads on autotrader and their website have been removed after we reserved.


Thanks for any assistance

[clockworks]

There shouldn't be anything to worry about on an 18 month old car from a main dealer. You'll get the remainder of the manufacturer's warranty, and the dealer should cover pretty much everything themselves as well, for at least 6 months.

Just worry about the things that the warranty won't cover - bodywork, interior trim, scraped wheels, etc.

Make sure that the asking price is fair (check adverts for similar cars), that the car was serviced on time (to avoid any wriggle room on potential future warranty claims), and get your partner to take it for a decent test drive to make sure she's happy with it.

[Objective Alpha]

yeah its still in warranty and you know if it was driven by people employed by Mercedes you cant go wrong, anything that'll go wrong is going to be down to bad luck but you have the warranty.
Just look to see if there are any teething problems with them, other than that should be like new

[av185]

Staff cars often used as loan cars so could well have had 100s of different drivers if that bothers you.

[anonymous-user]

Pay the couple of hundred quid for an AA or good specialist inspection.

[Wagonwheel555]

As others have said, I wouldn't be too concerned about an 18 month old car from a dealer.

Check the service history and see if any services have been done, at 18M/12k miles I suspect the first service may not have even been carried out yet so I would try to get them to do this as its likely going to be due in 6 months time and you might find they are happy to do this for you.

Other than that just check the tyres and anything bodywork related. My experience is that dealers tend to be more helpful at getting stuff sorted than others. We bought a 5 year old car from BMW and they replaced two tyres which were near the limit (but not over it), polished out a few scratches we found and even refurbed two alloys that we hadn't even noticed were marked but they did it anyway.

[Objective Alpha]

youre probably in the best hand with a main dealer, I bought a 2013 GT86 from a Honda garage at the start of this month and without asking they put all new tires, dics and pads all round, refurbed the alloys, touched up the paint work, serviced it and MOT'd it. just check tyre wear on the front, may give an indication hows its been driven and try to get them to service it

[HTP99]

tommy1973s said:

Pay the couple of hundred quid for an AA or good specialist inspection.

Don't waste your money, it's only 18m old.

[Steviemac03]

Thanks alot guys a lot of good information there, the cost of the car is 22,500 which seems about normal in this area (edinburgh), They seem cheaper down in england but we cannot get down there to pick up.

[lorenburton]

Buying a used car can seem overwhelming; with so many things to consider, where do you even start? We'll show you how to find a used car that not only fits you perfectly, but one that you'll feel safe behind the wheel in. Here are the steps to take when buying a used car:

Decide what type of vehicle you want
Start searching
Find out what the vehicle is worth
Take a test drive
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Get a VIN Check
Get the history
Questions you should ask
Negotiate the price
Get car insurance
Finalize the sale

[Bemmer]

lorenburton said:

Buying a used car can seem overwhelming; with so many things to consider, where do you even start? We'll show you how to find a used car that not only fits you perfectly, but one that you'll feel safe behind the wheel in. Here are the steps to take when buying a used car:

Decide what type of vehicle you want
Start searching
Find out what the vehicle is worth
Take a test drive
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Get a VIN Check
Get the history
Questions you should ask
Negotiate the price
Get car insurance
Finalize the sale

So you do all the first bits spending time and money and then you want to start TRYING to NEGOTIATE the PRICE....? let's hope the cars still for sale but that's when they tell you all the prices are fixed anyway.....

[Steviemac03]

Ye a few we wanted were sold in a day or so after being listed. That's why we reserved this one.

[Camelot1971]

Bemmer said:

lorenburton said:

Buying a used car can seem overwhelming; with so many things to consider, where do you even start? We'll show you how to find a used car that not only fits you perfectly, but one that you'll feel safe behind the wheel in. Here are the steps to take when buying a used car:

Decide what type of vehicle you want
Start searching
Find out what the vehicle is worth
Take a test drive
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Get a VIN Check
Get the history
Questions you should ask
Negotiate the price
Get car insurance
Finalize the sale

So you do all the first bits spending time and money and then you want to start TRYING to NEGOTIATE the PRICE....? let's hope the cars still for sale but that's when they tell you all the prices are fixed anyway.....

Do you walk onto a forecourt and start negotiating on the price of a random car before you have done your homework? How weird.

[Cascade360]

tommy1973s said:

Pay the couple of hundred quid for an AA or good specialist inspection.

On a two year old Mercedes from a main dealer? What a waste of money. I suspect a main dealer would laugh at the suggestion.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Cascade360 said:

tommy1973s said:

Pay the couple of hundred quid for an AA or good specialist inspection.

On a two year old Mercedes from a main dealer? What a waste of money. I suspect a main dealer would laugh at the suggestion.

my first rs3 was 3 months old with 1k miles on it and had been smashed up quite badly, after inspection the thrust line was out 8 degress ...

main dealers are not your friends, they are out to make money

you do have quite a lot of legal protection with them thou

Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Tuesday 13th April 14:27

[av185]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Cascade360 said:

tommy1973s said:

Pay the couple of hundred quid for an AA or good specialist inspection.

On a two year old Mercedes from a main dealer? What a waste of money. I suspect a main dealer would laugh at the suggestion.

my first rs3 was 3 months old with 1k miles on it and had been smashed up quite badly, after inspection the thrust line was out 8 degress ...

main dealers are not your friends, they are out to make money

you do have quite a lot of legal protection with them thou

Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Tuesday 13th April 14:27

Main dealers buy much of their stock from auctions many of which have had short term and iffy smart repairs to bodywork and wheels etc although these defects could be the least of your problems.

[Bemmer]

Camelot1971 said:

Bemmer said:

lorenburton said:

Buying a used car can seem overwhelming; with so many things to consider, where do you even start? We'll show you how to find a used car that not only fits you perfectly, but one that you'll feel safe behind the wheel in. Here are the steps to take when buying a used car:

Decide what type of vehicle you want
Start searching
Find out what the vehicle is worth
Take a test drive
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Get a VIN Check
Get the history
Questions you should ask
Negotiate the price
Get car insurance
Finalize the sale

So you do all the first bits spending time and money and then you want to start TRYING to NEGOTIATE the PRICE....? let's hope the cars still for sale but that's when they tell you all the prices are fixed anyway.....

Do you walk onto a forecourt and start negotiating on the price of a random car before you have done your homework? How weird.

Who mentioned random? I never said random? OP said "decide what type of vehicle you want,start searching and find out what it is worth" that's not random..! But I wouldn't be having pe-purchase inspections,history and vin checks and even a test drive to then start negotiations which could then be a waste of the OP's time and money.... when the dealer says our prices are all fixed which seem to be more the norm now anyway....! Nothing weird to me.?

[BlackStang5point0]

In my recent experiences buying used from main dealers I wouldn't worry too much about the oily bits as that'll be covered by warranty.

However, check bodywork condition carefully. If its been a staff car it's probably not been particularly cared for in that dept. Check interior for damage and any signs of cig smoke.

Also make sure it comes with all manuals and sets of keys - its amazing how many times I've heard the 'previous keeper is due to drop them off' line.

For added peace of mind you could perform a VCheck (only about a tenner) - its more thorough than HPI and checks for salvage title.

ETA: also check wheels for damage and if its fitted with premium tyres thats a good sign.

Edited by BlackStang5point0 on Tuesday 13th April 16:22

[Trevor555]

BlackStang5point0 said:

ETA: also check wheels for damage and if its fitted with premium tyres thats a good sign.

Edited by BlackStang5point0 on Tuesday 13th April 16:22

This is one thing I do nowadays when buying a car with expensive wheels and tyres.

On picking the car up I go straight to my local tyre people and the check the wheels/tyres up on the ramp. They charge me £20

Cracked alloys, bent alloys, damaged tyres, can cost a small fortune on some modern cars.

It's amazing what some of these "dealer checks" miss.

[Steviemac03]

Picking up the car tomorrow, thanks for the advice guys.