Having been stung in the past when buying a used vehicle, I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. I have the ideal vehicle in sight, but have a few questions to clear up.
The vehicle is a private sale - an 06 plate Mercedes Vito panel van, 34K on the clock.
1/. The van has a balance of manufacturers warranty still left on it (10 months). I've been told that it is automatically valid to the next owner and that I dont need to do anything. Is this correct?
2/. The owner has not got the complete service history documents from the last year, but has said I can contact the Merc dealership and obtain all the service records from there. I have been told the van has just had a big "2 spanner" service for which he has the documentation for. I dont have a huge problem with this, but is there anything to watch out for? Do main dealers charge for this information and will they have all the records on computer?
3/. I would like to arrange an independant inspaction, or take a mechanic with me! Are the AA/RAC etc or anybody else for that matter able to this at very short notice - ie ring them up tomrrow morning.
Unfortuanatly, thsi is all a bit of a rush, mainly due to work commitments and this vehicle not likely to be around for long.
I'm also a little scared of buying anything with a "common rail" diesel engine in, but I seem to have little shoice of anything else.... Are these things OK to run on proper biodiesel (have a garage locally that sells the stuff)?
Thanks for any help.
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>>I've been told that it is automatically valid to the next owner and that I dont need to do anything.
Can I sell you some snake oil?
Caveat emptor - Don't believe anything you're told unles you can verify it independantly!
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Auto or Manual ?
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Yea thanks - that's why I came here! I will phone the original selling dealer first thing in the morning, but would appreciate some advice here first!
Answer to the other question - Manual.
Edited by DanG on 07/01/2009 at 23:10
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I drove a hired one - odd handbrake arrangement - apparently calls for a certain amount of finesse in clutch control, in the hands of a rough driver can lead to premature clutch failure.
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ow well, will find out tomorrow.
I hate buying vehicles. Always worry to death about every little thing...
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if you can't arrange an inspection for the next day, all is not lost. What you need is a ramp or pit. Just take the van to a nearby garage - maybe where it was previously serviced - explain your situation and ask to view it from below , and maybe with a mechanic present , mention a drink, £20 should suffice - that's a lot cheaper than a fully - fledged inspection that's not much use without a ramp anyway . If all else fails get it through an MOT and tell the inspector your plans - £20 for him will tell you all you need to know for a total of £70. He might give you tips to enable you to adjust the price for any faults that show up. Make sure it has 2 WORKING keys / remotes. No stories of ' posting the 2nd one on later ' .
Get an Hpi check done regardless - look on this website for a link.
Lost service record - you need a main dealer to at least confirm the mileage before buying the van .
Don't be desperate to do a deal, lots of metal out there .
you didn't mention how much this van is going for ?
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Thanks motorprop.
The van is going for just under 6.9K no VAT, which appears to be a good price, given the (described) condition and spec etc, taking the above average mileage for the year into account.
I've done an HPI and spec check - everything tallies up. The DVLA milege check is spot on with the advert also.
Both keys + fobs available.
The chap seems quite honest and "forthcoming" if that makes sense, will see later.... I don't seem to have a lot of luck with vans though....
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My biggest concern - and will hopefully be answered tomorrow, is the warranty situation and records of service...
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you may have trouble getting the service history. I tried to obtain the history on my Jag as the book is fully stamped but there was a large job that the previous owner had done and i was keen to get a copy. The dealer was able to tell me what work was done, but not give me a printout etc as it was against data protection act.
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"The dealer was able to tell me what work was done, but not give me a printout etc as it was against data protection act. "
It isn't an offence to give you detail of what was done, but it's a nice fob off.
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They all say this, but when pressed I got a Merc dealer to give me a copy of the previous service invoice for a car I (had already) bought.
I wonder why the seller can't ask for copies and give them to you?
Edited by boxsterboy on 08/01/2009 at 10:15
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Second that. You are asking for details of work done - data protection act has nothing to do with this. It protects personal information not vehicle info.
The only way it could apply would be if the previous owners personal details were on the invoices gien to you. If the invoices were to a company then it doesnt apply.
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First thing that would pop into my head is why are they selling a perfectly useable van?
I understand with big companies who have a certain way of doing things and updating their fleets, but an individual, well it seems like a real waste selling such a new van unless there is good reason.
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