Am I being fussy? Some faults on new car.

[Prufrock]

If that's your budget then you were looking at the wrong car in the first place.

Jon.

[rippedoffagain]

Originally Posted by Prufrock

If that's your budget then you were looking at the wrong car in the first place.

Jon.

That's hardly fair. Not everyone is an expert in knowing what they're looking at and what things are worth.

If I saw a 13 year old car for 4k, unless it was a Ferrari or something extra special, I'd think it ought to be in good condition for that price. Assuming all the cars on the forecourt were well presented and more than a couple of grand, I'd assume (possibly incorrectly) that I'd found a dealer that only bothers with better quality used cars.

I suspect there are a lot more 'ordinary' people like me than expert buyers, otherwise there'd be far fewer used car dealers around.

It is not ok to justify taking 4k off someone by telling them it's somehow cheap for what it is. What it is is a car, and if it doesn't work reliably, 4k is a lot to ask for a spares or repair regardless of what badge it wears.

[garethXC]

^ yes.... i get the point but..
"long test drive, drove nice, I couldn’t fault it "
OK i know not everyone is mechanically minded but its a 14 yr old car with about 100k miles under its belt. Its not going to be perfect for £4.5k. For that money I personally would have got a £100 AA inspection done? Plus it seems the dealer will repair the major fault, that may or may not have been present at time of sale.

[DaveNP]

From a quick scan of ebay £4.5k for an 04 XC90 seems top of the price range, admittedly it's from a dealer but that then implies a level of 'quality'.

It is a 14 year old 99k car so I would personally apply a sliding scale to the faults-
Dodgy turbo and dodgy steering rack, definitely the dealers problem
Dodgy alarm and rear sensors, if that was the only problem negotiate a reduction on price
Dodgy CD player and key fob, it's a 14 year old car for goodness sake!

As a package at that price you'd probably do best to go for a refund.
Looking to the future, your dad seems to have better mechanical knowledge so why not take him along next time, I've been driving for nearly 40 years and driven and bought quite a few cars but I'm still happy to take my mechanic brother in law along for a second opinion. At the least it should save you buying a dog, and you could even play him off against the dealer to negotiate a price reduction.

[Prufrock]

That car's trade value is less than half retail, do some homework (or have a tame person with knowledge) and buy a car at auction.

Jon.

[andrewpain]

Originally Posted by Prufrock

That car's trade value is less than half retail, do some homework (or have a tame person with knowledge) and buy a car at auction.

Jon.

have to be brave to go the auction route, but there are bargains to be had. Especially on cars that old. Probably where the dealer got the one in question.....made it look good and made some margin.
Unlucky it had faults.

[Prufrock]

Take you point, scary for most but if you know what you're doing it's not (scary).

Jon.

[Waynedance]

Bought my S80 in July and on getting home 100 miles away the radio and and parking sensors packed up.

Told the garage and they agreed I take it to my local Volvo dealer, one week later it was diagnosed and would cost nearly £800. The garage did not want to pay so much and wanted it back to try and fix (dealer part and coding), so I had Volvo dealer fix and I paid as needed transport.

Paid £1000 on my credit card out of the total £5100, did a section 75 and that was rejected so went to the financial ombudsman and finally got a full refund.

Did also have the alarm siren fault but I changed that myself and a few other little niggles.

[Bigjimknickers]

I know my way round a vehicle mechanically, I’m a diesel fitters son & ive been working with him since I was 8 years old, I’m not implying that I’ve Bought a dog, I mean for £100 I can buy an intercooler my main question was am I being picky & as for it being half that at retail, I’m not selling it on & the dealers prices are all over 4K around 99-100k. At the end of the day I’ll buy an extended warranty if there are any more problems as it’s lower miles I can get AA breakdown & repair cover for £100 a year.

DaveNP you hit the nail on the head, thanks.

[volvoid]

Originally Posted by andrewpain

have to be brave to go the auction route, but there are bargains to be had. Especially on cars that old. Probably where the dealer got the one in question.....made it look good and made some margin.
Unlucky it had faults.

I think I'll pop down to the auctions then, I can work a bucket of soapy water and a polisher