[acerboo]

having been in the car trade ever since i left school i examine cars in minute detail. i was looking at cars on a dealers forecourt the other day, all top price late cars and tbh i wouldnt have bought one of them warranted or not, looking at the paintwork scratches small dents stone chips etc. clearly none have been that well cared for apart from the odd visit to a KCW. 2 weeks ago went to a merc dealer to look at an ml, late car £20000, the whole car had been resprayed and badly at that, the spare wheel was covered in mud and the inside dirty, obviously had never seen a valeter in its life!

[jjbirch530d]

main thing is checking if it is clocked i know a few people that have clocked the new E class and traded them back for new ones every 2 years,

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by jjbirch530d

main thing is checking if it is clocked i know a few people that have clocked the new E class and traded them back for new ones every 2 years,

Easy done.
And with a young car, there is often no supporting documentation.

£250 or so on the street for a odometer 'correction' I believe.
A lot less to trade

Personally Acer- I look at the seller first, the car second

[acerboo]

Originally Posted by m1bjr

Easy done.
And with a young car, there is often no supporting documentation.

£250 or so on the street for a odometer 'correction' I believe.
A lot less to trade

Personally Acer- I look at the seller first, the car second

agreed you can tell a lot about the car just by speaking to the owner on the phone!

[kaishang]

Originally Posted by acerboo

i was looking at cars on a dealers forecourt the other day, all top price late cars and tbh i wouldnt have bought one of them warranted or not, looking at the paintwork scratches small dents stone chips etc.

This sounds like reasonable wear and tear. Cars get driven, they get stone chips. The price should reflect the wear and tear, that's why secondhand cars are cheaper .If you don't want stone chips, then you need to buy a new car.

If a dealer is trying to flog off a damaged car for full book value, then that's a different story.

[bmwak]

Things I check for:

- Stone chips
- Dents
- Panel gaps - To ensure all aligns correctly. I also check the screw tops for the wings and all accessible panel fittings for signs of being disturbed / undone. This is usually a give away of a panel being replaced or removed for repair/re-spraying.
- Signs of re-spray / bodywork - looking for any inconsistencies. When I bought my E92, I requested the dealer to drive it into their showroom so I can see it under artificial light. They were more than happy to do so. If they want to shift they'll bend over backwards
- Wheel curbing
- Oil cap
- Usual mileage / paperwork check - to ensure it all tallys up. You can also usually call the dealer to check warranty history if the car is new. If any claims are made this will show up any discrepancies.
- Tyres
- Engine number and chassis numbers stamped in the correct place and tally up to paperwork.
- Number of previous owners