Ever been put off a car for a wholly illogical reason?
I have.
I took a test drive in a new Seat Ibiza which had the radio missing.
The gaping hole in the dash and all those loose wires really put me off.
If I bought one, it would have a nice radio, I kept telling myself, but the missing radio still nagged at me.
More recently, I had a look at an X-type Jag.
The boot carpet was ill-fitting and looked like it had been thrown down in the dark.
And underneath you could see part of the wiring loom, which was held to the boot floor with bodge tape.
Lovely car in other respects, and I might still buy one, but the boot trim really lets it down in my view.
Stupid really, when you consider how much time you spend looking in the boot.
Any other examples of irrational car rejection?
|
|
20 or so yrs ago, went to see what appeared to be nice Cavalier, but took fairly fast dislike to seller (not trade) and his style completely put me off - probably a daft decision but human, I guess
|
I think you were both entirely rational. The little alarm bells were set off. If a seller thinks it's ok to have wires hanging out of the dashboard or crudely taped down wires, what else will you find? Maybe nothing but then again... There's plenty more fish in the sea. Well there used to be.
JH
Edited by JH on 01/02/2009 at 11:47
|
|
an open sack of cement in the boot that had been there for long enough to completely corrode the floor of a sturdy Volvo saloon so that a fist sized hole had opened up to reveal the road beneath. The vendor was called Seamus ...
|
|
|
Go with your gut: 'If there's any doubt, then there is no doubt' (to quote what De Niro says is the first thing the CIA taught him - in a line from the film Ronin.)
AA
|
|
|
|
|
I've got a few things that cross a vehicle from my list before getting to the little things.
Electric power steering pump.
Electric handbrake.
Automated manual gearbox.
Push start/stop button instead of key in ignition.
Non start/turnover the instant you turn the key, but goes through system check first.
FWD...(i will at some point have to amend this if i live long enough, lack of choice)
A pillar too low, causing limboing to get in/out.
Acres of black plastic/gloomy interior.
Auto lights that seem unable to be turned to manual.
Cheap rubbish tyres fitted (a clue to previous care).
Cheap rubbish oil filter fitted..as above.
Digital heating/ventilation controls/auto climate control.
Any front door or bootlid not fitted with keyhole.
Bulbs not easy to get at.
Radio that comes on by default.
Rear wheelarch lip full of hard baked mud/salt.
I could go on and will if required,..;)
|
...If a seller thinks it's ok to have wires hanging out of the dashboard or crudely taped down wires...
Should have pointed out both cars were brand new, so in the case of the Jag, I'm afraid they are all like it.
|
I have rejected a few cars with full service history and no receipts. Receipts are a little harder to fake, service stamps are very easy to fake.
Another reason I will walk away is if I ask a trader if the car has any warranty and they so no, well if they are not even complying with the law when they sell the car what would they be like when once they have sold it. I actually walked away from what seemed to be a mechanicaly perfect Corsa because of the traders attitude. He actualy told me he won't stand any messing from the customers! I still wonder if its worth contacting trading standards about that place.
|
If the tyres have been painted I don't even break stride as I pass. It reminds me of 1970's east London dealers flogging clocked cars with cheap resprays from a portacabin on a bombsite.
|
|
Just like seemingly half the second hand car dealers in Manchester then! I know its wrong but I think I would rather buy a car privately than a trader operating from some waste land.
|
|
|
|
|
Are your cars allowed to have heaters and starter motors, gordonbennet? ;-)
|
In the seventies I turned down a free early-thirties Austin Seven Ruby once merely because it had no brakes whatsoever. On the test drive the owner burst out laughing as we dawdled over the white line into Flood Street with me standing on the pedal and swearing. Fortunately no one was gunning a Jag or Bentley past at that moment.
Was I mad? It wasn't really my sort of car, granted, but it was quite cute in its horrid way with more or less intact body and leather. I didn't have a place to do it up though, and it was simply terrifying in London the way it was.
|
Believe it or not, I once test drove a 2500 Triumph with no starter motor. The dealers mechanic and my mate gave us a push start to get us going and we did a few laps of the block with the car handling rather strangely, the guy telling me I was getting it at a bargain price because it lacked a motor and I could easily get one from a breakers for a few quid.
When we got back my mate was nearly wetting himself laughing as the car was crabbing so badly it was almost driving sideways. When I wasn't interested the dealer first put on the "hurt and surprised" act and then became agressive and accused us of being a pair of messers.
Those were the days! No fancy showrooms and plastic pot plants, just good (dis)honest traders.
|
|
1981 - a twelve month old 325 - lovely looking motor, when I arrived it had a flat tyre. It was pumped up by the sales chap but couldn't take to it afterwards. Shame really it was perfectly nice car (monster mood swings from the rear apart) and looked very nice in a gunmetal grey with a typically Teutonic austere interior.
|
|
|
|
Are your cars allowed to have heaters and starter motors
Oh yes, but in the simplest forms possible.
I don't even mind aircon so long as its a push button on/off design independent of the heater which of course has the good old 3 controls (direction, temp,fan speed) that i have managed with for what seems like a lifetime..;)
A starter is useful, but a starting handle as back up would be very welcome.
kiss..;)
|
Oh dear, I'm going to admit that colour might be enough to put me off. I couldn't bring myself to buy a pale blue anything and gold or beige would also be difficult.
It is though, a bit model specific and some cars carry colours better than others. I mean if someone gave me a pale blue or gold 911 I suppose I would just have to learn to live with it.
Now I know that is daft, particularly when buying second hand but we all have our foibles I suppose.
|
It hasn't got a smiley face.
The salesman spoke to my other half the whole time and not me.
It's got plastic wood inside (yes I know I can spec mine without it but the fact I know there would be some around with plastic wood put me off)
...all me while trying to decide what to have to replace Polo.
|
|
|
Oh dear I'm going to admit that colour might be enough to put me off. Now I know that is daft. . . .
Not at all! My brother bought a Triumph 2000 in the dreaded yellow, because the AA man said it was a better buy than a nice dark blue one with tan upholstery. I wonder why? Not sure if my bro himself winced every time he looked at it for the next 7 years, but everyone else certainly did.
|
|
|
|
|
What you need then is a late 1970's Lada, complete with an starting handle and a manual fuel pump. I think they knew their electrics were so poor.
|
Rattle,
I think that GB is well into Moggy 1000 territory :-)
JH
Edited by JH on 01/02/2009 at 18:42
|
well into Moggy 1000 territory :-)
Hah! the unbelievers are ganging up..;) not much wrong with a little Moggy apart from where they put the brake master cylinder, i've actually never owned one (yet) but my Dad had a couple which i worked on a few times, i prefer substantial cars.
I've usually pre selected what car i want to buy, but i've walked away from many due to the attitude of sellers, pro's and private, daft reason?..maybe but its my lolly and i earned the right to give it to whom i want.
The magic words take it or leave it always means the second option.
|
Same as GB - with the addition of aircon, alloy wheels, central locking, electric windows, metallic paint and a lack of HMP grease on sump and waterproof grease on brake lines and subframes.
Also cambelts, shimmed tappets, difficult to get at serpentine belts, no fine mesh grill over front grill, other than full size spare, not galvanised, unable to replace heater resisters with taking dash out, petrol engine, diesel with duel mass flywheel, DPF, painted bumpers and co-axial clutch slave cylinder.
I won`t buy a vehicle with any of those...
Edited by oilrag on 01/02/2009 at 21:07
|
... won`t buy a vehicle with any of those...
Think my car's got most of them. :)
|
|
1) If the tyres are blacked up. 2) If the car has dealer advertising plastered all over it (one dealer I know has their name on the window stickers, the tax disc, the number plates, floor mats, the mud flaps and the key ring) 3) If the salesman has a SE England or Scouse accent (my Mum - a Liverpudlian tought me that!) and 4) if the salesman makes a derogatory comment about my current car (backed off a deal for a brand new Toyota when the dealer asked "why on earth" was I driving a Volvo) and 5) if the car's Italian
|
Last year I went to Blackbushe auction and a Jaguar came through the hall that I was quite tempted by, even though I'm not really old enough to drive one, and my wife had sent me out to buy a Citroen.
Anyway, as I was about to bid on this thing, I noticed it had cheap Chinese tyres on the front. That put me off. I know I could have put a pair of decent tyres on there for £300, but I thought if the previous owner had economised on tyres, what other corners had they cut whilst maintaining the car?
|
|
the colour white, for me - no offence to anyone who has a white car but i just dont like white in car
|
|
|
|
> Digital heating/ventilation controls/auto climate control.
I wouldn't buy a vehicle unless it had climate control, I guess we will never be fighting over the same car!
|
|
|
|
I took a test drive in a new Seat Ibiza which had the radio missing. The gaping hole in the dash and all those loose wires really put me off. If I bought one it would have a nice radio I kept telling myself but the missing radio still nagged at me.
Some cars come like that from the manufacturer, with the radio supplied loose. It helps to prevent the car being broken into and the radio stolen whilst it's on the dealers premises. The radio is fitted at the last minute by the dealer as part of the pre-delivery inspection.
|
|
And not everyone wants the standard radio;I upgraded one of my cars and downgraded the other.
|
|
Auto lights, wipers and dipping mirrors.
|
|
|
|
