I fancy swapping our current car for something like a used Golf GTI or Octavia VRS.  Main advantage of the VRS is that I can get something a lot newer with fewer miles for the same money (some obvious compromises, but happy to trade these off for the extra space in the Octavia).

I’ve had an extended test drive of a VRS and really like it….but!  I’ve been over the car quite carefully, opened the doors, bonnet, boot looking for overspray, new panels, parts etc., and it looks OK.  Only thing I spotted was that there’s some very slight rippling in the skin of the NSR door – all the shut lines are OK, so I wondered if it’d had a parking ding pushed massaged out (the rest of the panels are absolutely like new).  The glass half full side of me is thinking it’s had a hard NSF collision, wing and NSF door replaced, and rear door skin is the evidence of this – but I really don’t think the wing has been replaced.

I’m a little bit uneasy about its history. It’s a Dec ’16 car with two previous private owners; first had it for about 14 months, second only 3 months! The salesman reckons this is not that unusual, as a lot of people lie on the finance forms and end up having to give the car back when they can’t afford the payments. He said I’d be surprised at the number of cars that end up being repossessed. However, my wife (who is somewhat resistant to my car buying scheme;) ) reckons the car is a probably a pup, and that the last owner got rid because it’s unreliable/full of electrical gremlins/stuffed it in a hedge etc etc etc.

So, what do you reckon? Is the salesman talking bo**ox when he says about repossessed cars? 2 owners in the space of 18 months? ……and what about the rippled panel? (it’s not the paint BTW – definitely the underlying metal)

My heart is screaming ‘yeah…buy it!’, but head is saying walk away and keep looking.  Oh crikey, first world problems eh?!

Somewhere, on the internet, Kryton57 is reading this thread and thinking …….”Just make up your mind, mate” 😉

I’d say if you are unsure, just look for another one. They are not exactly that rare, are they?

You’ll never find out the real reason that panel has been repaired & if it was me, it would bug me.

What did the salesman say when you mentioned the door?

I suspect even if it has had a knock it’ll not make any difference. We have a Cat C Skoda Fabia that the original owner only had for 3,000 miles and it’s completely fine. Just check everything carefully.

If you’re not keen on it and want a decent value proposition then try and hunt out a Peugeot 308 GTI. It’s meant to be very good, and I’ve earmarked one as a possible replacement for our 208 GTI (which is an excellent little hot hatch) if we ever need a bigger car. There are plenty of ones with low mileage, around 20,000 miles, for quite a bit less than the equivalent Golf. Around £15k last time I looked.

Evo rates it as being better than the Golf GTI too. Only downside I can see is the depreciation and it’s as ugly as sin. The inside is really nice.

https://www.evo.co.uk/features/17391/best-hot-hatches-2018-serious-performance-in-practical-packages

Could be fine, could be a pup.  Hard to judge on the Internet.  There are always other cars.

Considered leasing?  https://www.simpsonsskoda.co.uk/pch-offers/new-vrs-pch/

Yep, if you’re that fussy then maybe worth buying/leasing a new one if you have time on your side. Get some quotes from carwow, drivethedeal, etc – I often find you can get a brand new one for less than dealers are asking for lightly used – the latter seems to attract a premium these days as it’s available now not in 4-6 months.

Used cars around that 18 month age are an odd market because there’s not many good reasons for a car to be for sale then. Dealer staff/demo cars tend to be moved on after 6 months, private and fleet buyers tend to have them for 2 years minimum. Hire firms will shift cars after a year or so make up a good proportion of the nearly-new stock. Then some that fall back into the market – maybe in some cases that’s because someone bought the wrong car for their needs and swapped early but often IME because there’s something wrong with it.

If it’s niggling you now you’ll be a 3rd owner on the paper work with both the 2nd and 3rd owners holding it for a short period.

Each issue on its own wouldn’t worry me. All of them compound to alarm bells to me to look else where.

Are people who buy that type of car and only keep it for a short period particularly mechanically sympathetic or bothered about how it’s driven?  Especially if it was leased/financed – you are paying the same barring body work damage.

id suggest that this is likely even more true for those people who “lie on the paperwork” and get the car repossessed.

If you have a bad feeling I would just walk, there are plenty of other cars out there.

It would need to be cheap to be worth buying an 18 month old car with issues.

If you have a bad feeling I would just walk, there are plenty of other cars out there.

This

There are always other cars

Also consider a Leon Cupra if you are looking for something similar to a Golf GTI that’s better value

If you are unsure walk away, plenty of VRS’s out there, would not drop to the Leon as I drove one back to back with a VRS and the Leon is much more plasticky inside and tinny, the VRS felt more up market and sounded nicer when pushed hard too.

 very slight rippling in the skin of the NSR door

Car manufacturers do not put ripples in their body panels

I’m a little bit uneasy about its history

Uneasy is putting in mildly imo

The salesman reckons this is not that unusual

Yessir they’re all like that

my wife reckons the car is a probably a pup

mrs bowglie speaks the truth

Nearly new is a minefield. Every car you look at will be ex-hire, demo or fleet and guaranteed ragged to death because whoever’s driven it knows they’ll have another one in 6 months. Some cars shake it off but others…

I would have thought that if it’s been in an accident and had some panels replaced then you wouldn’t see any rippling .

More likely as you say it’s has a car park debt knocked out .

Mine is rippled because of having a car park debt knocked out.

It would be pretty obvious if it’s had panels. Check the glass for one. It should be the same make all the way round the car.

Somewhere, on the internet, Kryton57 is reading this thread and thinking …….”Just make up your mind, mate” 

Goddamit, am I that predictable?

Op, I recently bought the car I sat on to decide whether to buy the car I just driven.  Same deliberation over a scratch in the passenger side centre console.

A rarity for me to go by instinct but I’m lovingy current car .  You’ll likely have it a long time so take your time and get the one you’ll look back at after you’ve parked .

Thanks for the replies.

Given my OH’s previous experience of working for a company that used to fund car financing and leasing schemes, we prefer to buy our cars cash, so leasing is not an option.

The particluar car I’ve been looking at is expensive enough to be fussy about, if you know what I mean (we are into having to sell bikes to fund it!:))

Used cars around that 18 month age are an odd market because there’s not many good reasons for a car to be for sale then. Dealer staff/demo cars tend to be moved on after 6 months, private and fleet buyers tend to have them for 2 years minimum. Hire firms will shift cars after a year or so make up a good proportion of the nearly-new stock. Then some that fall back into the market – maybe in some cases that’s because someone bought the wrong car for their needs and swapped early but often IME because there’s something wrong with it.

The above is pretty much what I suspected, but wasn’t 100% sure about the usual changeover schedules.

Anyway, thanks again for the replies – it’s put my mind at rest, and I am definitely going to keep looking.  (something like 2 to 3 year old one owner car)

18mths is too new. 4 years is a better option on the depreciation vs bork curve. Have a look at what you can get for the same money at that age. Find something nice private and buy the owner not the car.

Plenty for sale. Move on is my advice.

Given my OH’s previous experience of working for a company that used to fund car financing and leasing schemes, we prefer to buy our cars cash, so leasing is not an option.

Of course it’s an option.  It’s just one you’re being told not to look at.

The 14 month one is probably not so much of a worry but how do you manage to get a car repossessed in 3 months? They would still be at the nasty letter stage, no? Unless this is some kind of scam where you take on a car use it for something illicit then give it back… although there would be a strong paper trail…

What has your OH working or has worked at a finance company got to do with anything?

Do they murder people?

Or does a finance company make money after they’ve lent some money to someone to buy a car? Shock horror.

It’s not a bad thing, it’s an option you choose not to take as you don’t want to pay for that service. Which is fine but so is people who choose to take the option, it’s not bad or morally wrong.

It’s not a bad thing, it’s an option you choose not to take as you don’t want to pay for that service. Which is fine but so is people who choose to take the option, it’s not bad or morally wrong.

I don’t think I said it was bad or morally wrong, but we know that it is definitely not the most cost effective way to buy a new or used car.  We’d rather save the money to spend on bike related stuff.

Plenty of others. I’d not buy it because of the door panel ripple – simple as. You can afford to be fussy and if it’s not how you ant it to be, walk away. That ripple will bug you if you buy it.

We picked up a top of the range Qashqai a couple of years back that was a motorbility car. Full dealer history including all parts replaced noted (front tyres and pads).  The car was absolutely mint for a 3 year old car and 23k on the clock.  Thing is, there are loads of nearly new cars about, so you can be picky.

I once bought a nearly new car from a main dealer – it was immaculate – dealer said no bumps etc, and I even queried how ‘new’ the radiator looked – ‘we steam clean them’.  Anyway, got the car home and gave it a good polish and noticed that the headlamps were dated as made within the last couple of months, rather than the car age. Hot footed it back and pointed out this and other issues I’d discovered – ‘oh’ – swapped it for a different car (same model).

Three months? I doubt it’s a repossession.

The agreement has to get into arrears, the debt needs chasing in case it’s a genuine cock up (treating customers fairly and all that) and then various bits of paperwork need doing before the guy turns up and takes it away.

Allowing for the fact that most of the defaulters will probably manage at least one or two payments by taking cash on a credit card if they have to I don’t buy it and imo nor should you…

Someone commented on the 18 month return / age above.

Some PCP deals hit equity at odd (and unexpected) points. These are very much marque and model dependent and the switched on dealers will know where they can upgrade you mid term.

I don’t think I said it was bad or morally wrong

You don’t have to work for a company to work out the financial costs involved they are and have to be clearly articulated, so what exactly were you implying then.

That’s a lot of cash to spend second hand.

Wait and save for a new one or deposit on a cheap house/flat to let out.