Vehicle Inspections

[middleman]

I am currently considering buying a used V70 or XC70 as i need something bigger than my current V40. I will have a limited budget so am looking further afield than my native Northern Ireland for a car. I have travelled before to mainland UK and brought cars back but you do take a chance relying on the seller being honest.

This time I am considering getting a vehicle check carried out prior to my purchase to ensure I don't end up wasting time going to look at a lemon. A big mileage car doesn't bother me providing it's been well maintained and isn't hiding any issues.

Has anyone on here had any experience of an independent vehicle inspection service such as RAC, AA or Dekra? How reliable are they? Are they worth the money?

Thanks

[4x4]

Originally Posted by middleman

... but you do take a chance relying on the seller being honest.

Can’t help you with your question about AA, RAC etc. But the problem with relying on owners description is not everyone has the same perception of ‘immaculate’ ‘good condition’ ‘no faults’ etc. You need to ask as many questions, get as many pictures and decide from there

[middleman]

Originally Posted by 4x4

Can’t help you with your question about AA, RAC etc. But the problem with relying on owners description is not everyone has the same perception of ‘immaculate’ ‘good condition’ ‘no faults’ etc. You need to ask as many questions, get as many pictures and decide from there

Yes have done that before and been fortunate enough that I’ve ended up dealing with honest sellers. Only been caught once and it was only minor issues that were easily and cheaply sorted. This time however I’ll be looking at a D5 automatic with big miles, cosmetics I’m not that concerned about but there is potential for big repair bills when it comes to engine and box.

[andrewpain]

Originally Posted by middleman

I am currently considering buying a used V70 or XC70 as i need something bigger than my current V40. I will have a limited budget so am looking further afield than my native Northern Ireland for a car. I have travelled before to mainland UK and brought cars back but you do take a chance relying on the seller being honest.

This time I am considering getting a vehicle check carried out prior to my purchase to ensure I don't end up wasting time going to look at a lemon. A big mileage car doesn't bother me providing it's been well maintained and isn't hiding any issues.

Has anyone on here had any experience of an independent vehicle inspection service such as RAC, AA or Dekra? How reliable are they? Are they worth the money?

Thanks

Had an RAC inspection on a car my daughter was looking to buy, Golf 1.4 TSI (turbo/supercharged), actually, and he found very little wrong, other than couple of tyres that I'd spotted needed replacing and some cosmetic stuff that was obvious. So arguably not worth it - 5 year old 40k miler, but it was a gamble. Those engines can go horribly wrong....
depends on the cost of the car, the potential for something to be wrong, and whether they either put it right, or you walk, and save buying trouble. Going to a garage/dealer or private?

[middleman]

Originally Posted by andrewpain

Had an RAC inspection on a car my daughter was looking to buy, Golf 1.4 TSI (turbo/supercharged), actually, and he found very little wrong, other than couple of tyres that I'd spotted needed replacing and some cosmetic stuff that was obvious. So arguably not worth it - 5 year old 40k miler, but it was a gamble. Those engines can go horribly wrong....
depends on the cost of the car, the potential for something to be wrong, and whether they either put it right, or you walk, and save buying trouble. Going to a garage/dealer or private?

Probably an indy garage/dealer preferably. Was looking at Volvo specialists. Problem is even if they say i'm getting a warranty it's like a tail light warranty by the time I'm on a boat back home or worse stuck on the way to it on the phone to recovery. The car I'll most likely looking at will be 10+ years old and circa 120k+ mileage.

[Considered1]

Had an RAC inspection on my Lads 13yr old BMW, worth the £300 imo even though the car was only c£3k, unless you have a friend in the trade/mechanic who can do the job. Pretty comprehensive but obviously a lot of ‘as you’d expect for an old car’ but reassured us which was the main point we weren’t buying a wreck

[middleman]

Originally Posted by Considered1

Had an RAC inspection on my Lads 13yr old BMW, worth the £300 imo even though the car was only c£3k, unless you have a friend in the trade/mechanic who can do the job. Pretty comprehensive but obviously a lot of ‘as you’d expect for an old car’ but reassured us which was the main point we weren’t buying a wreck

Yes that must be the premium check at £300 as I see they do different levels. I know my way about a car fairly well but I'm no expert and it's not too handy to just nip over for a viewing. Do they offer any sort of guarantee of their inspection? I suppose it would be hard to when there could be an intermittent fault they don't pick up on but I know with the premium they say they'd test drive it for about 20 mins or so.

[ThomasG]

And my gearbox will tell you that in case of Volvo, 20 minutes is just not enough.

[tt82]

You may find a willing knowledgeable member might be willing to give a cursory glance over a car local to them. This may help you decide whether it is worth investing in a further detailed inspection.

[Army]

Distance buying is always a problem. Some you win - some you lose.

For a car I think employing someone like the AA or the RAC would be worth while for the basic things. The thing to remember is that a company that inspects all cars is a company that isn't an expert. There is bound to be something wrong with what you buy - it is - after all - a car!

If who ever says it is a good buy remove 25% from their opinion and try to think how upset you'd be if it was indeed 25% worse than they say. If you can live with that kind of disappointment then we hopefully won't be seeing a "****ing #### inspections are crap" thread...