buying privately

[d_tyler]

im after a bit of advice guys, im going to a view a clio tonight, 04 182. im crapping myself though that il buy it and when ive got it realise its a shed as im not an expert with cars. Ive had it HPi checked and its all clear but still got this on the back of my mind. It has a years warranty left so am i right in thinking any problems with it can be sorted under the warranty? Id never be able to afford a 182 yet if i bought from a dealer. Sorry for this crap thread, im just really unsure what to do as ive never spent this kind of money before and crapping lol

 

[Daniel]

any probs the dealer will sort, but just have a drive, if its all ok, and its just a standard car with no body imperfections, go for it!!

 

[Rich]

As said above any niggles should be sortable by the remaining warrenty. Spend some time checking over the bodywork etc.

 

[Justin]

If you are really worried mate, i would go with your gut instinct, sometimes the seller can seem really dodgy which might put folk off!?

 

[Toypop]

Normally I wouldn't touch a used car privately unless it was less than £1000 but if it has a years warranty left then ok. I got my Vectra SRi privately at 2 years old and never had any trouble.

You can look for specific things on the car but also its the non specific things that count. You can kind of tell how a car has been treated without pin pointing one specific thing you are looking at.

I got my used car off a couple in their mid fifties and when I went in his house I saw no photos of children so I knew he hadn't had his 17 year old kid screwing it around with his mates in it etc.

Getting a 182 would be more of a nightmare as you know the owner is probably young, male and driven it hard. You can probably tell how hard from examining the wear pattern on the tyres etc. Look at the owner, talk to him, look at the condition of the car inside and out and if you have doubts walk away.

 

[TheCake]

If you are unsure then I'd always advise of taking a mate with you who might be slightly more clued up.

 

[DaveLiquid182]

As Darth just said if you are not clued up on cars take someone who is. If you dont just give it a real thorough look over. And vary the test drive.

 

[Steve]

Go PRIVATE i always do, check car carefully if in dought walk away there are loads of good cars out there............
Buy at the right price, you will not look back...........never bought from a STEALER as i would rather keep the extra cash for insurance & mods etc.
Also if you land lucky you can drive your motor for a year & get back what you paid for it................no one buying from a STEALER can do this.
Why pay a premium for what is maybe the same car..................Do IT, you will never buy from a garage again................i've had loads of cars & never really lost out.

 

[d_tyler]

ok thanks for that guys, im feeling a bit better now and not as worked up. im going to take my stepdad with me who knows a little bit about cars. Il thoroughly check it over though, the bodywork etc. The thing that was worrying me is that he is the second owner and has only had it since feb this year. Gave me a fair reason about wanting rid of it though, he has two kids and its too small and the wife doesnt like it. It only has 11000 miles on the clock tho, and says it was serviced at renault when he bought the car. Also said that the service light keeps coming on when it doesnt need a service, thats nothing to worry about though is it?

 

[Steve]

The service light might not of been reset, check paperwork to see service.
Get full chassis number from dash & drivers side door, phone renault customer services & enquire about car, they should be able to tell of warranty left on car, warranty claims etc etc.
When checking car use your 'hands' as well as your eyes, areas like door shuts, around boot, along wings where bonnet closes etc. Feel for masking lines, rough finishes etc all give aways...........

As for car been 'driven hard' you can damage a car far easier by driving it slow, labouring the engine in high gears etc, atfer all it's a 16v motor they LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BIG D]

U'll find the 182 doesnt have a resetable serv light. The SERV light he is seeing is more than likely a stored injection fault, maybe he's knocked the brakelight switch accidentally. Very common.

Just wants booking in at your local dealer when you get it and a CLIP test will bring up any faults.

Free if still under warrenty.

 

[Ad]

The service light will be a warranty issue. 182s dont have service counters to my knowledge.

Tbh, dont worry to much about the 'private' issue. Trying to extract money out of dealer after a sale because of faults is like trying to get blood out of a stone!!!

 

[d_tyler]

thanks guys, what im going to do is view the car tonight, if i like it i wont buy tonight but will go through tommorrow to get it. will get the chassis number and phone renault and find out about the warranty, any past claims, and how long is left. Will also give me a chance to get the money sorted as my bank is telling me I need to give them 24 hours notice to get my money. Thanks again, if all goes well I should be on the forum tommorrow telling you's lot that im a proud owner of a clio sport.

 

[makavelli]

wat sort of price is he asking?

 

[Ads_172]

telling you's lot that im a proud owner of a clio sport.

That'll cause controversy...

But, yeah, as above, take your general gut feeling and then delve a little deeper. Don't rush into anything, as there are plenty about and because it's still relatively new, there will also be a lot of minters for sale.

And any little niggle you can find, spent a while looking over it and bargain the price down.

Good luck!

 

[m14rk]

You will be ok I have always brought my cars private you just need to make sure there is no visable damage that hasnt been repaired and has long has the HPI check has been done you will be fine. Take it for a drive and give it a bit of power and listen for any noises. Let me know how you get on

 

[AliasOmega]

Best bet would be to take a 182 owner with you, they know where to look etc on the car, and know what things should be like..

Where are you, plenty of 182 owners about the uk.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Best bet would be to take a 182 owner with you, they know where to look etc on the car, and know what things should be like..

Where are you, plenty of 182 owners about the uk.

^^^^ Top idea

 

[shaun_cliosport]

very good idea taking a 182 owner with you,when i go to view a 182 im taking me mate but he has a 172 but still shouldnt be no difference just the odd couple of bits

 

[d_tyler]

Cheers guys, i couldnt get down to view the car last night as my stepdad had a bit of a accident and spent most of the night in the hospital, but all is fine and ive arranged to go down tonight to view it. He is wanting £8950 for it and gana try to get him down to £8600-700. I would like to take another owner down with me who knows what to look for but i dont know anyone who owns one. I live south east northumberland and the car is at middlesborough.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Hope your stepdads alright mate . If he's not fit enough to go with ya take a mate , even if he's not that clued up , 4 eyes are better than 2 , he might spot something that you don't . Knock him down a bit , tell him you've seen a couple of others for less in just as good a condition , people always over price so they can be knocked down a bit .

 

[d_tyler]

hi guys,

on friday i went to see the car, and ive bought it. its in immaculate condition, not a spot of dirt or a mark anywhere. not even any scrapes on the wheels. Can tell that he has really looked after this car and it drove perfectly too. I couldnt see any faults with it apart from the servicing light coming on. I dont get the car until thursday night as its booked into renault in the morning to get that problem fixed. By the guy who im buying it off. Managed to get him down to £8750, 11k miles on clock. Thanks for all your help guys as i wouldnt have had a clue what to look out for. Hopefully when i get it il get some pics put up on here. I just need to sell my RT now, just need to find a buyer.

 

[DaveLiquid182]

Well done. Look forward to the piccies.