Edited by SLO76 on 21/02/2018 at 23:32

hi everyone

any thoughts on this one please?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-CIVIC-1-8i-VTEC-SPORT-2006-56-REG-SILVER/253226419231?hash=item3af578841f:g:UJoAAOSwc2FZ8Ooc

I sat down and compared all the cars we linked,and this sounds like the best price for the milage.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-56-HONDA-JAZZ-1-2-DSI-S-5D-76-BHP/162899231999?hash=item25ed8d04ff:g:DqsAAOSwwNBakLlP

But again,I am being shallow and i love the look of the CIvic

Hi Busdriver

Wouw I cant believe you noticed all these detaisl,my god this scares me even more as I think I will definitely get ripped off. :( 2 of the cars SLO linked are gone and the others havent got back to me yet,I have found more on ebay but now BUSDRIVER`s attention made me realise there is a lot more to keep an eye out rather than just milage and year etc :( :( NOW I am depressed lol

Thank you very much all for the replies and I am sorry if I am being a pain. I wouldnt have noticed any of those things you mentioned at all,and I was actually planing to go and get the Red Jazz sometime this week :( I will stop looking at trades from now on. There is a volvo came up localy,are they any good ? it is

For sale Volvo S40 2008 1.6 petrol. Good condition . Water pump and cambelt done, rear and front brake done. Clutch sliding. Long MOT no advices. Cheep incurance. 1.6 petrol .£1700 ono or best offer. YB08EOJ is the number plate.

The Civic to go for is the one people DON'T like the look of - more car for your money! In particular the 2003-2005 5 door type S. This has the torquey CR-V tune engine - not the peaky Type R tune, which means it's a great real world engine, plenty fast enough and reasonable economy - the Type S 5 door is also fairly softly spring so it rides well - the relatively high insurance group kept it away from the hounds and the monied boy racers all bought the type R. A comfy, quick, reliable practical hatch - £1,500 will buy you a well looked after 2005.

Those are both nice looking cars BBD. The older one looks very clean inside too and well cared for.

Don't see anything concerning in the MOT history for either car.

The only thing I notice is that the MOT for the older car is due on 14th July when the advert states it's 12th September.

The MOT history website also shows an outstanding recall for the older car, but doesn't say what it's for or when it dates from (so not very helpful). OP, perhaps a phone call to your local Honda dealer with the reg number would clarify this.

Great family cars. Had one for several years from about 30K to 110K with no problems apart from an Oxygen Sensor failing. SE is a nice spec as you get Air Con + 4 electric windows. I had an X reg which came with the electric sun roof as well (dropped in later versions). You need to make sure the Air Con works as it mists up very easily.

Great shape if you have children in car seats. Enough space to put them in the car seat. Also it is easy to climb from the back seat to the front seat (my wife could do this) or within the car, so the child can get into or out of the car using the safest door. I now have the next generation Civic, but I think this generation is better for space in the back. Four sx foot passangers are no problem.

Performance in these cars is good. I used to get 40+ mpg. It can be nippy as well if you use the rev range. I used to get mine serviced at a local independent - no need to go to a main dealer.

I still miss my old Civic.. I suspect I would still be driving it now had it not been written off.

Both look good to my non expert eye. I would anticipate that with both cars something will need replacing sooner rather than later e.g. tyres etc so may be wise to have some money in reserve.

hi sorry for the quicky and short reply,this has just come up,what do you think please?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-57-Honda-Jazz-1-4-SE-5DR-1-4-PETROL-ONE-OWNER-FROM-NEW-AND-FSH/253439861904?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Hi sorry I ws going to work and i couldnt write my usual thank yous,and I am at work now,bu tI will thank everyone tonite.

The cars reg is PF57VUN

I don't agree. The tester certainly gave it a good working over 5 years ago, but the rest of the record seems pretty normal. Of course the one lady owner may have found a friendly tester afterwards who turned a blind eye, but if you keep telling Sarah to walk away without ever looking in the first place, how will she find out ?

Don't be so negative, Skidpan. It's just possible the car is OK. The poor girl has to start somewhere, and she can always walk away, as you say. The thing that bothered me was that although the contact is 'Katie' it may in fact be a back street trader.

<< So its a dealer selling it pretending to be private. Needs reporting to e-bay and trading standards. >>

Another unjustified throwaway snide remark - I see no pretence here. There is no indication of Private or Trade (unfortunately) but the details given don't look like anything a normal private seller would provide. The 'one lady owner' may have tried to sell privately earlier, but I doubt it - she probably part-ex'd the car, grumbling about the poor trade-in value.

If bought privately, would this car have been any better or worse, other than cheaper?

I would agree that, given the instances of multiple item MOT failures, and particularly the safety-related items such as worryingly bald tyres, it seems at first glance that, rather than the owner(s) monitoring the car for signs of trouble, they use the MOT as a way of determining what needs to be looked at when the car is (hopefully) serviced each year, perhaps around the same time.

I personally don't like doing that, as it suggests that previous owners rarely, if ever, checked the car over themselves between services/MOTs and did not have much, if any, appreciation of keeping an eye on their car as regards condition and maintenance, even basic things like regularly checking tyre pressures/tread depths/condition, the windscreen washer fluid level and the effectiveness of the washer jets and wipers. I also don't like it when advisories crop up more than once in a row and become fails for the same reason.

What I would find out is whether this car has had more than one owner, and when. I suspect it has only has had one owner, given the similar annual mileages and the cropping up of not monitoring the tyre tread depth. One thing in its favour though is the most recent MOT pass, without any corresponding previous MOT failure that year or any advisories.

I would, however, treat this car with caution, given my earlier observations.

Without wishing to appear sexist, I would also suggest that if this car (as advertised) has had just one lady owner, it would not be surprising if she never lifted the bonnet or did much more than put petrol in the right place (SWMBO does pretty much that). She expects the MoT to anticipate any problems.

Seller has about half a dozen other cars for sale.

If the seller really has 6 cars for sale on e-bay they will not be the orignal "one owner".

The trade seller could also have a mate who does MOT's for them which may possibly explain why it passed the last MOT first time and with no advisories for the first time in may years.

Just remeber the 3 rules of car buying:

1) all dealers are liars

2) all dealers are liars

3) refer to rules 1 and 2

“Just remeber the 3 rules of car buying: 1) all dealers are liars 2) all dealers are liars 3) refer to rules 1 and 2” Not all... merely 99.9%.

75% of statistics are made up..

I treat dealers with the same respect I do politicians.

You are undoubtably getting a bit deflated by now Sarah, that is understandable. As has been mentioned before, buying a car at this price point will most likely be a gamble!. You will have to be patient and accept the fact that more than half (possibly way more!) of what you look at will not be that great. But i have been looking at some more cars and their MOT histories, came upon this hyundai getz which may suit. Being in Keighley it is outside your 50 mile radius but only by 5 miles. The MOT history shows it has passed the last 4 MOT's with no advisories, and the last fail (2014) was for a corroded brake pipe. The only other fail was 2012 for an ineffective wiper (new wiper blade). Only problem is the short current MOT (8th May) so if you decide to go and see it, be sure to let them know that you will only be taking it with a new MOT!.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20180208351...1

<< If the seller really has 6 cars for sale on e-bay they will not be the orignal "one owner". The trade seller could also have a mate who does MOT's for them which may possibly explain why it passed the last MOT first time and with no advisories for the first time in may years. >>

As this seller is clearly a modest-size trader, one conclusion may be that similar cars should appear from private sellers for less than a grand. Presumably it was a cheap part-ex picked up at auction. But the car might still prove useful, given a thorough check by someone knowledgeable.

Possibly - I would say that there's a chance if, and only if (as SLO would presumably do), the trader made it clear that they were one to the OP (or any prospective buyer) and was open and honest about the whole process on meeting them. Nothing wrong with a small-scale trader (again, as SLO shows one can be) if you do it right and are honest.

Rare, possibly, but....I agree that 'doing your homework' and using more experienced people to help (especially when viewing [older] second-hand cars) is the way to go, but it it is very useful to be reasonably self-reliant in future situations - it's very satisfying when you personally make a good purchase choice mainly from your own work.

I've certainly learned a LOT over the many years I've been a member here from interacting with others, and I hope the OP takes something positive out of her experience, even if at first glance it looks to be somewhat frustrating and daunting. I didn't have much of a clue when buying my first car, especially with the internet back then [1996] being nowhere near as useful as it is today as a source of information - I relied on friends, family and work colleages for help.

One thing I've found most useful when looking to buy a car, is, wherever at all possible, take your time - rushing into a car purchase is never a good idea, more so the less you know about them and the 'wonderful' world of car sales, especially for older second-hand ones.

Best of luck to the OP - with a bit of help from the backroomers and people you know, you'll likely do OK.

<< So its a dealer selling it pretending to be private. Needs reporting to e-bay and trading standards. >>

Another unjustified throwaway snide remark - I see no pretence here. There is no indication of Private or Trade (unfortunately) but the details given don't look like anything a normal private seller would provide. The 'one lady owner' may have tried to sell privately earlier, but I doubt it - she probably part-ex'd the car, grumbling about the poor trade-in value.

If bought privately, would this car have been any better or worse, other than cheaper?

Its nothing to do with the car, the law is clear regarding trade sellers pretending they are private and if a trade seller does not make it clear who thay are many would assume its private.

The simple fact is a trade purchase is covered by consumer law, a private sale is not (unless the seller makes a claim about the car that is clearly a lie). By not declaring themselves as a trader they are attempting to avoid their legal responsibilities.

Are you suggesting that a poster who is clearly unsure about buying cars should engage in a purchase with is seller who is without doubt not making it clear what their trading status is. If they are hiding the truth about themselves what are they hiding about the car.

There way too much obession about minute MOT detail from long ago in the past and how many owners it may have had. What matters is the condition of the car right in the here and now - not 3 years ago.

The odd advistory and/or fail really doesn't matter not does 1,2 or 4 owners. 14 owners matters as does the last two having it 2 weeks each as does an advisory for serious corrosion, 4 bald tyres which haven't been replaced or massive oil leaks on the latest MOT. You need to take the whole thing with a pinch of salt.

I've never really bought into the "one owner" idea with cars of the price range either. People who keep a car 10-12 years tend to be "distress" car purchasers. In other words they may maintain the car but only get rid when they are forced to because they've taken it for a service and found £3000 worth of stuff wrong with it. People who sell cars because they are simply bored with them are much better prospects.

Skidpan, I'm not 'suggesting' anything, only saying that ads on Ebay do not state explicitly whether a seller is a trader - as AutoTrader does. So there is no deception, but anyone interested can find out more by clicking or phoning.

A trader should declare the fact regardless of if its on Autrader, the local free paper or E-bay they should declare the fact. If they don't not only are they breaking the law they are clearly avoiding their legal responsibilities and avoiding tax, insurance etc.

Why are you defending what is most definitely a rogue trader?

Don't think this argument is helping Sarah much is it? Time to stop it guys! I can see Avant stepping in!

The argument is not helping the OP but it would not help the OP if they were adived to buy a car that was being offered on e-bay by a trader who has not decplared the fact.

The car may be OK but equally it may not. The fact that a tfader has it and is not declaring it would make me worried.

And if Avant decides to stop posters making other aware of the risks of buying from dealers pretending to be private sellers then I am afraid this forum would not be fit for purpose.

Don't think this argument is helping Sarah much is it? Time to stop it guys! I can see Avant stepping in!

She seems to have lost interest too ..... :-(

“A trader should declare the fact regardless of if its on Autrader, the local free paper or E-bay they should declare the fact. If they don't not only are they breaking the law they are clearly avoiding their legal responsibilities and avoiding tax, insurance etc.” Some don’t declare it in the advert because advertising as a private seller of Gumtree is free but it costs if you’re trade. I advertised sub £1,000 trade-ins this way to save money but was always upfront when anyone contacted me about it. On cheap cars like this (under £1k) I expected buyers to be realistic and any I believed to have overly high expectations of an old car or what a dealer could/would do for them if there was a problem was told to look elsewhere or pay a £500 premium to cover a warranty. Everyone took the cheap option. But yes, many traders do advertise as private sellers to avoid their obligations. It’s easy to fish them out by asking about the car when you call. Ask how long they’ve owned it and if the car is registered to them at their own address. If you get any stories about selling for my dad/uncle/auntie etc etc then you know he’s a fly trader. Car might still be ok but buy only at trade money and be very wary.

Common sense as usual.

Sarah, you could wait a loooong time for your ideal car to appear. Have you enquired about the one in Clitheroe? Assuming it is a one-owner car, that can only be good news because the previous owner saw no reason to get rid earlier. It costs very little to phone this trader and get a feeling.

Most cars are sold through traders of some sort. Private sellers may just try to sell before trading the car in if they are unsuccessful. Try nibbling a bullet or two, it won't commit you to anything.

The first Honda. Possibly a non declared trader with 2 cars for sale. Its the less desirable 1.2, the 1.4 is no bullet, the 1.2 was a slug. MOT history not great and there is a gap from 1 MOT pass in December 2015 to the next in October 2017. Alloys are aftermarket with what are probably non standard sized tyres and would need declaring on insurance.

The second Honda is way over priced but it is being sold at a Honda dealer. I expect that this is a car they have known and serviced and consider to be too good to simply trade out to a back street garage, unfortunately no mention of that service history but worth a phone call to check. You would get the full backing of a main dealer and consumer law. The MOT history looks very good with the only failures being light related. Might be worth making a much lower offer if the car checks out and seeing where it leads.

The photos of the Focus are so bad its hardly worth trying to get any idea of condition. MOT history looks good. Only part service history but what "part".

That's my thoughts.

Edited by SLO76 on 01/03/2018 at 14:22

Sarah, I haven't read all the messages so I am not sure if you are aware of HJ's pricing facility on the home page? Putting in the details of the second Jazz gives a range of £1250 to £2250 so the price advertised is not necessarily excessive if its in top condition.

Just had a look at various price guides. Franchised dealer £1700, PX value £750.

I still think the car is overpriced (SLO agreed) and that Sarah's proposed offer of £1500 is very fair. They will still be making a nice profit but some dealers appear to want top ££££'s and will wait forever.

At the end of the day its a 13 year old car and I cannot see many main dealers wanting one at thier premises very long. If they trade it out or send it to auction they will get nearer £750 than £2000.

Whats the worst than can happen, they will say no and negotiate.

Edited by skidpan on 01/03/2018 at 15:28

hi again

well they got back to me and they can not accept £1500,asking me if i could strect my budget a bit. Last service was done on janury,all servicing were done by honda.It comes with 3 months warranty and mot. I dont know what i want to go up to really.

HI Skid

He asked me a couple of hundred I said to him I wanted to satick to £1500 as much as possible,but i said in the worst case I may be able to go up to £1600.He again said he was going to get back to me so I am waiting. He also said the wheels/rims has some corrosion, is it bad?>

He also said the wheels/rims has some corrosion, is it bad?>

I would be totally stunned if a 13 year old car did not have corrosion on the alloys. It not a serious problem normally but in many cases it causes slow punctures. Only way to sort is to remove tyres, clean rims inside and treat with a special gunge. Its not a permanent cure but it lasts a year or so. Then repeat.

Indeed - my 12yo Mazda3 has some corrosion, though not too much, on the alloys, which may have contributed to one of the four tyres slowly going down when I had them replaced a few years ago.

The tyre place (supposedly reputable) tried to do the clean and re-seat, charging £10 for it (which I thought was a bit much), and eventually got my main dealership to do it again a week later and for free, and, ta-da, it worked and has been fine ever since (5+ years). As you say, it'll probably suffer from the same problem when I get the next set of tyres.

Am I right in thinking that cars with steel wheels (with hubcaps) don't suffer from this problem as much as the steel is less likely to deform as much even if it rusts (surface)? Anyhoo - I suspect that it shouldn't be too much of an issue, even if that means pumping up one or more tyre a bit every few weeks or months. If they can get it 'fixed' as mine was, then as long as the tyres had half or more tread left, then it should be of little/no consequence for a year or two at least, mileage and driving style depending.

If that's the only issue on the car at that age, it sounds like a reasonable punt given SLO's and other backroomers' recommendations, even if it doesn't set the world alight in the performance and handling stakes (you don't buy an old car for that) - good, honest A to B transport.

Well they didnt accept the price,they said it is priced to sell so whatever price is on will be the price :( GUtted,back to square one again!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201802173824541?radius=45&price-to=2000&exclude-writeoff-categories=on&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&advertising-location=at_cars&fuel-type=Petrol&maximum-mileage=90000&sort=year-desc&year-from=2005&postcode=la139jd&page=1

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201801012369910?price-to=2000&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&fuel-type=Petrol&maximum-mileage=90000&year-from=2005&sort=year-desc&advertising-location=at_cars&exclude-writeoff-categories=on&radius=45&postcode=la139jd&page=2

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Jazz-1-2-5-door-70k-miles-Petrol-Silver-with-alloys/362253606027?hash=item5457ff5c8b:g:2GMAAOSw179ahZ5O

hi Thank you for all the replies.and sorry for the late response. Well I couldnt go as high as £2000,few recent bills set me back,but I offered them £1800 and they still didnt accept it,and at the moment even £1800 is pushing it for me. Thanks a lot for all your help,I will not be doing your head in anymore,I will carry on searching quietly ;(

Hi again

SOrry to bother you all,I am planing to go and see the car below,is it any good please? They accapted my offer on the phone.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803104441200