Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering?

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Wed 8 May 2019 02:51
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - eustace

Would this car be a good buy?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201904046631952

Positives

Full service history

Clean MOT history without any serious advisories ever

Break pads have been recently replaced with good quality brembo brake pads

Good brand tyres all around

Spare tyre in boot. One of the previous owners had purchased this as an extra.

Negatives

7 owners

Current owner has only owned it from August 2019

I spoke to the owner and went and saw the car, 2 weeks ago.

He is a Hungarian gentleman, who is leaving UK, hence selling the car.

Issues with the car at that time:-

1) Air Con was not cooling

2) Only 1 key

3) A little uneven panel gaps around the front grille and bonnet

I was concerned about the AC not cooling, wondering whether it could be a condenser leak / failure

I have been informed by the seller that the AC fault was with the clutch on the compressor, that has now been fixed.

He has also made a spare key through Timpsons and done the transponder coding. It doesn't remotely unlock the cars, but can start the engine.

The seller also informed me that the panel gaps are likely because the radiator has been previously replaced, and that it looks like some bumper clips were broken, when the bumper was taken off, to replace the radiator.

The seller also sent me a copy of the service history.

I called most of the garages on the service record, who have confirmed that they have done an oil change service, at the service date specified.

However I was not able to verify the last service (Aug 2018), as the name of the servicing garage is not clear (some kind of mobile maintenance company).

Seller says that he bought the car from a person who used to work for AJ Autos branch in Ashford,Kent, but their main branch is in Deal, Kent.

Car was previously registered in the name of AJ Autos, though it was owned by the employee.

I asked the current owner for the previous owner's phone number. That was provided to me. I wanted to check with the previous owner how long they had the car, and why it was serviced at a mobile maintennance company, if the owner worked for a garage, and the car was registered in the name of the garage.

But the person I spoke to refused to provide any information and told me that I've got the wrong number.

Current seller says that it was because the previous seller and he parted on bad terms, When the current owner discovered after the sale that the brakes were worn, he requested previous seller to repair it at his garage at a discounted price. But the previous owner refused to take any calls or answer texts.

I then tried to call the main branch of AJ Autos in Deal, to confirm previous ownership of the car. But their number no longer seems to be in service.

The car seems keenly priced for it's age and mileage. Price has dropped by £500 over the last month.

On balance, is it worth taking a punt on this car? Or are the above points serious causes of concern?

The 7 owners in my mind is the main cause of concern. Not sure how serious the other issues are....

Thoughts / advice welcome... :-)

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Wed 8 May 2019 06:54
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - elekie&a/c doctor
I think I would be swerving this one . Too many owners and stories. Poor panel gaps, a/c not working and a rad change . Probably had front end damage. Plenty others out there.
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Wed 8 May 2019 06:57
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - Wee Willie Winkie

I think if you were buying a much more expensive and complex motor, then all your detective work would be worthwhile. However, for a nearly 10 year old £2.5k Civic? I'd be judging on how it runs and drives now. The MOT history is promising but 7 keepers might put me off a little, although that could be for any number of reason . The possible front end damage would put me off more though.

You sound like you have more than a small amount of doubt in your mind . If that's the case then move on and find another Civic . If you buy it your doubts will always be in your mind.

Edited by DieselBoy on 08/05/2019 at 06:59

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Wed 8 May 2019 07:49
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - SLO76
Leave well alone. Never buy a car that’s been owned short term. If he’s only had it a matter of months then there’s an issue he’s not telling you about. Highly likely a duff car with so many owners. Look for one that’s been owned by the last/current owner for several years.
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Wed 8 May 2019 08:01
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - eustace

Thanks all, for your feedback.

One thing I forgot to mention is that as far as I could tell, the owner seems a decent and truthful person.; Though I admit i'm not always the best judge of character.

The reason for selling it seems to be genuine. The v5 document is in his name, and is registered to the address that I viewed the car at.

I had initially decided to let this car go, but when he called me recently and told me that he had taken care of my concerns (the AC, and only 1 key), I thought I would give it a closer look.

The panel gaps I was referring to is actually the gaps around the headlights. Between the headlights and the bonnet, and between the headlights and the bumper...

The other side also is that a Honda Civic with a Pano roof is my first choice of car. The fallback option is a Mazda 6. Honda Civics with full service history being sold by private sellers at a reasonable price are very rare, and get snapped up quickly.

Those at the dealers are over priced, or in poor condition and frequently both. This is the only Honda Civic on auto trader, I am considering now.

If I let this pass, I may have to fallback to the Mazda 6 option.....

But my primary objective is to by as trouble free a car as possible.... :-)

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Wed 8 May 2019 08:11
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - eustace

The thing that concerns me most is the immediate provenance of the car.

Why would a car owner register the car to a business, of which he is not the owner. (The current seller says that there were probably some tax reasons). Why would he not service it at the garage he works at? And the garage seems to have gone out of business now,,,

Those are some of the additional red (or is it amber?) flags i my mind...

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Wed 8 May 2019 10:32
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - Andrew-T

You don't say whether you have taken a serious test drive. A mid-European leaving the country is an iffy tale too. But he may just like owning nice cheap cars for a few months at a time. If you can't find any faults other than a thin rigmarole, and the car drives OK, and it's the one you are looking for, go for it.

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Wed 8 May 2019 11:10
Honda Civic - Is this car worth considering? - eustace

Thanks, that helps me make up my mind.

The leaving UK explanation is a bit iffy. Why buy or change a car, couple of months before leaving for good?

The owner did mention that though they did have the long term plan of leaving sometime, the decision to leave soon, was a recent decision.

But based on the balance of probabilities and on a few imponderables, perhaps the right decision is to pass it by...

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