New option for used car search Partner has always been keen on this car as an option for us. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts? It’s high mileage and know they can be used as taxis… www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411076050949?s...a
Previous MOTs have a couple of advisories for there being a child seat in there, so unlikely it was a taxi. The 1.4tsi is a good engine.
|
|
Thanks I thought that was a good sign. Glad to hear positive thoughts on the engine too.. think I will try and look at it tomorrow
|
|
|
|
I like these, and the 1.4 petrol is unlikely to have ever been a taxi. This engine has a good reputation and the timing belt interval has been dramatically increased from every 5yrs regardless of mileage to 150k or 15yrs according to the last Seat dealer I spoke to, though I’d personally want it done along with the tensioner and water pump well before that. I still don’t trust a rubber belt to last the life of any car.
As with many dealers these days the description in the advert is utter garbage, no mention of service history etc so you’ll need to call and ask. If it doesn’t have a full or very nearly full record then I’d leave it be. It might be a good engine, but any turbocharged motor needs fresh oil every 12mths or 10,000 miles.
The petrol avoids all the hassle with emissions control equipment that blight modern diesels. I looked at these before buying our Merc estate, but the bulk seemed to be diesel autos using the fragile and hideously expensive to fix DSG box when I was looking. A manual car with sensible miles was hard to find as most owners keep them until they’re done so you’ll need to check it carefully.
They’re highly practical and very comfortable.
Edited by SLO76 on 06/03/2025 at 20:42
|
Thank you, this is really helpful. On their own website they say it has a full service history and one owner but they also say the MOT expires in October which is a fiction as I can see it’s expired… I’ve also been told about a good service history before and it’s quite a different story when I get there and look at the paperwork.
As you say, I’ve struggled to find a petrol manual version of the Alhambra but particularly one that isn’t really expensive. Interestingly quite a few that have come up have been ex-motability with low mileage and correspondingly very high prices.
The mileage on this is a little higher than I’d like but it matches the average yearly mileage we do as a family so dont think I should be put off just because of that.
I’ll call them tomorrow and enquire more and see if they will let me do a pre purchase inspection- if they say no I’ll leave it! And definitely will heed your advice on the service history - thank you
|
On their own website they say it has a full service history and one owner but they also say the MOT expires in October which is a fiction as I can see it’s expired
You may be misreading this, it could mean that the car has been in stock for some time. If so, why?
|
|
Road tax expired last October 24 , so presumably hasn’t been on the road since then. Or maybe motorbility with zero ved ?
|
Road tax expired last October 24 , so presumably hasn’t been on the road since then. Or maybe motorbility with zero ved ?
Vehicles which qualify for zero VED still have to renew annually, albeit at zero cost
|
|
|
|
|
According to Total Car Check it’s been on sale since November 24. The price has steadily fallen from £12.5k and the advertised mileage hasn’t changed. This is not conclusive evidence that it’s a bad car but something has put people off.
|
Thank you, that’s very interesting. I’ve been looking since December so not sure why it’s only come up on auto trader more recently.
Maybe it’s the service history which has put people off? Or that it’s quite high mileage for the age of car?
|
|
|
|
Hi, I’ve called and spoken to the dealer today. MOT is definitely expired and will need re doing. Not sure why they had October on the ad- maybe cut and paste job from a different car I guess.
He said car has had 5 x services - could only tell me the mileages when the car was serviced-
20000, 25600, 53400, 63100, 82300
Last service was with them
I’m a bit concerned that the first one wasn’t until 20,000 miles? And another big gap from 63-82K.
|
|
|
|
|
I’ve put the service history in terms of mileage below- quite a few gaps and definitely not every 10K
20000, 25600, 53400, 63100, 82300
Do you think it’s worth a 4hr return trip to go and see it (with kids in tow)??!
The service history seems abit odd to me but difficult to get any more details without the paperwork.
|
|
The majority of these for sale are mainly diesel, so to find a petrol model is quite rare . Don’t think the service history would put me off . It looks a pretty decent motor from the photos . The fuel consumption displayed on the dash is not very good , but that may be because it’s not been driven around much.
|
|
The service history might in part be due to long-life services, although some of the gaps are even longer than that. The last time I looked at buying a car of this age it was rare to find one with a full annual history. It’s just another factor to bear in mind rather than a definite “no no”.
|
|
I overlooked that this car is a four hour round trip away. It’s not too much of an issue as a one- off if you really want the car. The problem comes if there is a post-sale issue. Given that any third party warranty is very limited in a car of this age it’s down to you to return the car to the dealer in the event of a problem. This could get very onerous.
|
|
Thanks. I decided to go for it - the car looked good and the servicing paperwork seemed fine, although granted had gaps as mentioned above. I have paid a deposit and just booking a pre purchase inspection. Hoping this is the end of the searching…
|
|
|
|
|
