Afternoon all.
I have seen a 2003 Vectra 2.2Sri Automatic at a garage local to me. It is up for £1990 and has done 91k. I spoke to the salesman earlier and asked some questions and he has said that it is an Ex-Motability car (is this a good or bad thing?) with last owner for approx 7 years. It has some history with it - serviced at 30k, 50k, 72k, 78k.
Now when I spoke with the salesman he said that all theres cars under £3k are treated as trade sales.
This does not bother me to much as the price is quite good and it wouldn't really be any different from me buying private (I would check over it the same way)
Anyway can any of you give me some advice and what to look for on this car?
Adam
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>> Now when I spoke with the salesman he said that all theres cars under £3k
>> are treated as trade sales.
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Run away from this dealer.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights
"Trade Sales that aren’t
... dealers attempting to get around these regulations by calling a sale that obviously is not, a "trade sale". A "trade sale" implies that the customer is a trader with some knowledge of the car trade who is buying the car to re-sell. In reality this phrase is meaningless. It is not possible for two contracting parties to agree to avoid the effects of the consumer protection legislation (even if they wanted to). ...... contact Lucy Bonham Carter, email: asklucy@honestjohn.co.uk "
www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/before_you_buy/thinking_about/cars/dealer
www.motortrader.com/industry-news/car-dealer-news/oft-to-crack-down-on-illegal-used-car-practices/
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>Now when I spoke with the salesman he said that all theres cars under £3k are treated as trade ?>sales.
Thats sales speak for "this car is a shed dont come whining to us if it has a problem because we will set the yard dog on you"
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You might get a better response here. www.vectra-c.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8
The vectra is a good car this been the old shape so long as the auto box has had a fluid change and filter all should be good.
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It's not your average Motability car... and did they ever keep them 7yrs?
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2 owners so yes ex motability for the first 3 years then the second owner bought it, so it's not ex motability from new.
Still if well maintained all should be fine but crap on fuel and a diesel would be much better.
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I will have a look at it tonight and see how it looks and drives etc.
Now if he is saying this is a trade sale then shouldn't it be sold at a trade price? I have looked on the vauxhall valuation website and it says for this car the Part ex price would be in the region of £1350 - £1400. Would that be the trade price too?
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Yes thats the price he bought it for about 1400 but they stick £500.00 on top as profit, as he won't sell it at cost as he's running a buisness.
You can haggle of course but don't expect much.
With Vectras there's plenty of choice so be prepared to walk away and tell him so.!
Do you need an Auto? Manual lots more choice.
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Well i'll try and haggle a bit, even if I get the price of 6 months tax I suppose it will be a bonus. I can drive both Auto and Manual but just fancy an Auto for a change. there is also some nice looking vectra's within 20miles of me so i'll keep my options open.
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apols if i have missed it - but have you checked out the Road Tax band/rate on this - got a suspicion it might be quite high.
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Its Tax Band K so £245 per year.
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I can't see any point in buying a mainstream car from a dealer who is basically saying up front that there is no comeback if anything goes wrong. Find one at a more honest dealer. IIRC these engines are the ones where lack of lubrication leads to timing chain snapping,make sure any you look at have had the oil feed modification.
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Surprisingly shiny steering wheel for the stated mileage and no shot of driver's seat to check bolster wear.
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Agree with that, the steering wheel has done starship mileage.
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I noticed the shot of the drivers seat was conspicuous by its absence, and agree on the wheel. Haircut, perhaps?
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Ill look closely at the wear on the parts mentioned tomorrow. The steering wheel looks over polished to me rather then worn. I'll get the details from the log book and check it online with the MOT history top see if it tallys up.
I have had a look at there cheaper end of the cars they are selling and no others state "Trade Sale" which makes me feel a little suspicious as to what they may be hiding but they look like a reputable dealer.The Vectra was part ex'd against a car they were selling so maybe they will have some contact details for the previous owner. I'll have a good look but I will follow my gut instinct if i think something is not right.
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>> but they look like a reputable dealer.
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A reputable dealer doesn't try and evade SOGA obligations by claiming a 'trade sale' to a private individual.
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Run away now. Buying from a dealer that adheres to their legal responsibilities is all that has kept my sanity in the last 3 months. Wishing that away for the sake of saving a few quid will be the perfect example of false economy.
Vectra isnt exactly uncommon, id find another based just on that 'Trade Sales' rubbish - he is already trying to mislead you, he is hoping your a sucker - are you?? Thats what you need to ask yourself.
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The Autotrader site allows you to search for close matches - I found a few near me for that sort of price with lower mileage, although of course in reality they might not be any better.
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Well after a little thought I am not going to bother wasting my time, if they are not even confident of providing a 3 month parts and labour warranty (as stated on numerous of their other adverts) then it doesn't fill me with great confidence.
As mentioned there are plenty more out there!
Many thanks for taking the time to respond to my post.
Adam
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Not read all of these - the Achilles heel here is the auto box - maybe that's why there's no implied warranty.
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>> the Achilles heel here is the auto box
Vauxhall gearboxes (ok, Aisin Warner) are generally pretty reliable.
It can however get damaged by coolant leaking into the oil cooler.
Also at this mileage, it will probably soon require a new camchain kit. You're looking at £500 to £600 at a main dealer to have it changed. Front springs are another issue, but these days that also applies to a whole load of other car makes as well.
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Adamf - there's a 70k mile 02 plate Vectra 2.2i auto Elegance 6 miles from that dealer for £1495 bit.ly/gBnXgA with more toys. Gives you £500 contingency money over the price of the SRi too.
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Vauxhall - 2003 2.2SRi Vectra - Focusless
