Went along to my local BCA yesterday hoping to find a medium sized Diesel for under 3k. A very nice looking 99 T Vectra CDX DTi (sold as seen unwarranted mileage, large dealership p/x)caught my eye. The mileage was high at 116k but with history to about 85 I wasn't unduly worried. Apart from a couple of tyres the car looked in A1 condition. Being new to auction bidding I was a little nervous so I went to pick a prime spot in the auction hall. I had a budget of £2500 so that was the absolute limit. Along came the car, no smoke or nasty noises although I had failed to check under the bonnet. Bidding stopped at £2100. I was the new owner. Got the car home, all seemed well. Radio was in 'safe' mode, typical. Thought I better give the car a thourough once over. Pulled the bonnet and straight away spotted the gunge on the inside of the expansion tank. Upon inspection the water was more oil than water. Nightmare. Straight to my local garage the prognosis was more than likely a cracked head. Not cheap to sort and I need reliable transport by the 7th june. Just had a phone call off the garage and apparently the head has been off recently which more than likely means they tried to repair the head but for whatever reason its failed so maybe looking at a new head. Got to go and have a chat with the mechanic tomorrw. I dont want to bodge the car and run it through the block simply because I wouldn't wish this on anyone else.
Moral of this story? Just be very careful. I am not a total novice and simply missed some basic checks due to auction nerves. Its all to easy and mistakes are costly, in this case probably the thick end of £1000.
Anyone know the cost of a new ecotec 16v diesel head?
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Can't advise but I just want to say thanks, after reading the title, for not moaning about how "It's not fair wahwahwah," and auctions shouldn't be allowed, etc.
Look at it this way, if it costs you the thick end of £1k, all you've paid is the dealer's profit margin. Good luck with the new car and I hope it lasts you well.
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Exactly DHM. I am a technical cabbage but have bought 3 cars at auction, usually going for ex-lease, full history cars with reasonable mileage. Saving well over £1k, and double that on the Omega, against forecourt prices, I have always had the attitude that if something was wrong, I was not only just having to spend my saving, but that once I'd done that, I could have confidence in the replacement part for a while.
So far, I have been fortunate and the savings are still in the bank (- I wish!!)
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Unlucky, bones. I bet many more experienced buyers have had their fair share of moments like this as well. It's not as if you get the opportunity to check everything anyway. Not sure I'd feel happy about bidding on a vectra with that sort of mileage but that's just me!
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As I read through & got to the bit where you positioned yourself in the hall - I guessed you'd not had chance do do the quick look over, that you might have, before it's in the ring.
You're not the first to come un-stuck!
Heres the good news (maybee) you've not thought of. Once you do get the car fully checked out, you could find that the head problem was 'the last sraw' & the previous owner had spent £$£$ on other things recently.
I've lost count of the number of trade ins that came with a wad of invoices for a new battery, this week, a new exhaust, the week before, a couple tyres last month.... you get the picture??
& don't forget to find out what caused the problem in the first place, when they fix it. Damaged radiator - duff fan - blown hose - or just 'cos it's a Vectra!!
VB
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Normally I wouldn't buy a car without going through a list of checks thats etched in the mind, one of the first of which would be to check the coolant. The only opportunity I would have to do this was when the driver jumps in to join the drive through queue. Alas I was a bit of a nervous wreck by this point and so missed the basics.
Very intimidating atmosphere I find at auctions. Its one of those 'oh no everyone is looking at me' moments when you first bid. It aint put me off although once bitten twice shy etc.
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The only car I have ever bought at auction was the Xantia 2.0 16v VSX.
It was only when it came close to MOT time that I double checked the ABS. It turned out that the ECU had failed and obviously, an ameture attempt at replaceing it had been abandoned.
This had a full MOT at Auction with a reputable garage and a FSH. The MOT had obviously been carried out with the ABS ECU disconnected!
I was only about 100 swquid worse off after repairs. Though I suspect the Auction is one of those places where you'll get 10 goodens, where post purchase repair costs still keep the deal sweet and then you'll get the odd lemon.
I tend to do a risk assessment, ie add another £1500 to the auction price of the car and is it still a good deal? if so bid, if not, fold your arms, there'll be another along in a bit.
H
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You'll have paid a lot more than £3100 for a 99T CDX (Thats the one with full leather, right?) from a dealer, so I wouldn't think you've got a dud deal.
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I've bought a fair number of cars from auction, mostly a few years ago when my father and I were in the trade.
There used to be (and I'm sure still are...) quite a few lemons out there. Many punters think (or are told) that 'main dealer trade ins' are a good bet. Well, sometimes, but not always.
I remember buying a low-mileage Rover 820 auto auctioned straight from the big local franchisee. Went to drive it back and it wouldn't change up out of first gear! (stuck governor on the autobox - probably meant swarf circulating - potential wrecked 'box). We put it back the next week and only lost £50!
Also had fingers burned a couple of times with BMW's - mostly cooling and electrical faults. BMW cooling faults always end up expensive (cracked/porous head) so we put those back too.
If it were me, I would tend to put it back into the auction. You'll probably lose a bit, but less than if you keep it. If a trader gets it they can fix it for a great deal less money than you can - so don't feel too guilty. You don't know the background to this problem - it could end up being very expensive indeed as a retail repair (esp. if you can't DIY). I never like cars where someones had half a dozen goes at fixing a problem. A trader will probably drop a complete replacement engine in.
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How will the trader get the job done cheaper- by taking it to places they use often, who will offer a special price for regular cstomers?
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I wouldn't like to think the car would be bought by an innocent member of the public, I know its a dog eat dog world but thats the way I feel. Also too late to put back through as the garage I use has the head off and showed me what looked like 2 tiny hairline cracks between valves. Hopefully the head is repairable although I won't know till friday at the earliest. Someone has had the head off and replaced it with the same gasket and timing belts. As someone said, finding the root of the problem may be difficult. I would ring the previous keeper but the auction make public buyers fill out the logbook on the spot so till I get it back theres nothing I can do.
Fingers crossed
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How will the trader get the job done cheaper- by taking it to places they use often, who will offer a special price for regular cstomers?
Yes, most traders keep a few mechanics that they use regularly as well as a couple of paint jobs.
They'll put traders cars to the front of the queue, many of them will only work on traders cars and cars owned by mates of the traders, (always useful to have a friend in the trade).
Needed a split CV boot replaced for an MOT on the cavalier earlier in the year, cost me £15.
I hate to think how much it would have cost at a main dealer.
Also saved over £250 on a new clutch in the Imprezza last year.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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Sounds good- what part of the country do you live in, i wouldnt mind some of those prices?! I wondered if some of the big traders had pet mechanics they employed.
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