OK, so I’ve been looking for an estate car for a while. Narrowed down my search and finally found one locally and agreed to meet up.

Genuine reason for sale, seller has bought a van for growing business which arrives on Tuesday and webuyanycar tried to knock nearly a grand off the Internet price.

It’s a kia cee’d, below budget, only 70000 miles on a 59 plate. Everything was going so well, I was ready to pay a deposit to secure it (want to do a hpi check and arrange a mechanic to look at it)

On the last mile, I’d not been able to put my foot down due to the snow, finally got on a main road, 1st, into 2nd and then the power went, pulled over and car cut out. Started it again and it was fine.

The seller says he just does 10 miles a day so could possibly be a fuel filter etc or something sinister.

He was very embarrassed, said he would take it to his mechanic and get it looked at and come back to me.

Question is do I walk away, is it a sign or do I keep on with it?

Any help and advice much appreciated. Thanks

Personally I wouldn’t touch a Kia with a barge pole! We have one at work as a pool car; it’s horrible to drive! A number of my work colleagues have them an all bar one have had electrical issues, as has the work car!

Diesel or petrol?

My parents just had diesel freeze in the lines for the first time in 20 years, coincidentally just after filling up with some really (111p/l) cheap supermarket petrol. I reckon they’ve got a cheap batch of summer diesel and selling it off cheap nowhere else is that low at the moment!

If it was me, I’d walk away.

Kia cee’d diesel. The model is 1.6 CRDi LS model.

I couldn’t bring myself to buy a car that did that on a test drive.

Plenty more fish in the sea mate.

10 miles a day in a diesel? Sodded DPF?

The diesel froze in the lines when they filled up with petrol ……

My parents just had diesel freeze in the lines for the first time in 20 years, coincidentally just after filling up with some really (111p/l) cheap supermarket petrol

I think more than unlikely either way.

I’ve bought cars with faults that come out in test drives . Unlike some on here that believe I overpay for my cars I don’t haggle unless it was over priced or has faults non disclosed in the ad. Had some good bargains that way. My first van didn’t start when we test drove it. Got 700 quid off….

Hmmmm…

Sellers first choice was to offload it on WBAC….then it breaks down on test drive, prompting the admission that its been used in a completely unsuitable manner for the engine type….

Run like the wind!

They’re not exactly hens teeth, are they?

Sounds like it could be a fuel related problem, perhaps injectors, common on common rail diesels .. I’d walk away.

How ever if I had no idea what the fault was and was going in blind I’d run a mile as above.

Walk away and find another. Why buy a faulty car? Asking for trouble IMO.

defo walk, there will be others

Craig David !!!!!

Yep, walk away

Thing is, it could have done the same thing the day before or the day after and you’d never have known. But if you get it, and it’s a real problem, you’ll feel like a total knob. I wouldn’t, even though it’s probably mostly superstition.

Odd at just let the guy her back to you and see what he says.

Then go from there.

If not convinced then leave it I reckon.

Depends on what the guy says really.

That’s just me though.

If it’s a REALLY nice car, and there are

1) no others for sale like it

or

2) That particular car has some spec that isn’t on any others

then you could buy it, but after:

1) a proper extended test drive (> 1hr) after a cold start
and
2) Get it inspected by the AA / RAC etc
and
3) Make sure you have, in writing, the terms under which you could return the car and get you money back.

Frankly, for a Kia, i think that’s a bit too much hassle!

But if you get it, and it’s a real problem, you’ll feel like a total knob. I wouldn’t, even though it’s probably mostly superstition.

This!

I’ve asked him to take it to his garage, see if they can diagnose it or fix it and come back to me.

10 miles a day in a diesel, EGF valve coked up and stuck open is my guess.
Easy and fairly cheap fix but only if you know it’s that.
On a test drive? I’d walk away.

18 years ago, I test drove a VW Vento TDi from a main dealer. They’d had it months, and I needed that car (cheap, unloved, great engine) for a long distance commute (120 miles/day). It broke down five times on my test drive – every time it was the ignition key! Asked them to replace it and I bought the car. In 145K miles, it never once went wrong again.

For the OP, I’d walk away, plenty of other cars.

10 miles a day in a diesel, EGF valve coked up and stuck open is my guess.
Easy and fairly cheap fix but only if you know it’s that.

£450 for mine, assuming £250 for a new EGR and the total sod of a job to get at the back of the engine. Depends entirely on the car whether it’s a cheap fix or not.

Walk away. Why buy something that definitely has a problem? Surely that would spoil the surprise of buying a 9 year old car?

Don’t even think about it unless the problem is addressed to your satisfaction before purchase.

Buy such a car on its condition and owners, not specific model.

Don’t be fixed on a Kia, be fixed on any good car.

Buy such a car on its condition and owners, not specific model.

Don’t be fixed on a Kia, be fixed on any good car.

That is a good point. I started by searching autotrader upto 50 miles for a specific size, age, price and mileage range. Then went from their

We got an old Kia from my mum. I’s buy another 1 based on owning 1

Oops the same happened when we sold Mrs Gti’s Ibiza; the buyer came all the way from Leeds to test-drive with his wife and a new baby and the bleedin’ PAS broke. Luckily he is a mechanic so he took a pragmatic attitude, asked us to get it fixed then let him know because the car was otherwise perfect. We did and they bought it. Embarrassing though.

Don’t be fixed on a Kia, be fixed on any good car.

I had a Kia. It almost literally disintegrated on me, hydraulic leak, petrol tank leak, various electrical issues. Fortunately, it had a write off accident and I got more from the insurance than I thought it was worth.

I have a ceed estate, 1.6 as well on a 2011 place. It was cheap as 4 years old and low mileage so I presume ex PCP. Reliable as anything for me, I would definitely buy another. Had VW’s before which just break and are expensive to fix in my experience, maybe I’ve just been unlucky.

Ask Ling to lease you a car instead 😀

Just no!

Private sale with no come back, leave well alone!