Advice needed - about to put down a deposit

K

k3ab

Member
Hi All!

Been shopping around for a 2003 2.5i for quite some time now. Going for that particular model due to not being able to get insured on anything else. I'm a young driver.

With a budget of up to 12,000 I initially found it tricky to get the right combination of colour, low milage and equipment but think I've finally found a few I like.

One stands out in particular but there's only one problem - it's at a dealership 290 miles away. Keeping in mind how quickly they go I am very tempted to put down a 500 pounds deposit subject to the car being in a good condition (as described). Then driving down over the weekend to view it and hopefully complete the transaction.

The car's only got 29,000 miles on it and comes with 6 months warranty. The sales guy mentioned that the car had two owners (checks out with the HPI report) and that there are some minor stone chips which they'll take care for me. Apart from that everything else is apparently in perfect condition (including alloys!).

Am I being stupid? Should I go and see the car before committing a deposit?

Further questions - any obvious traps with getting this particular model? Anything specific to check for? It is a relatively well equiped model with heated seats, 6 cd changer etc.


Cheers!
K
 
I have put down a deposit on a couple of cars both times dealers said they would refund. To be fair the BMW main dealer didnt even take the deposit from my CC.
 
IMHO I woudl not try to buy a car from 300 miles off, unless it was so rare and unusual, which a 2003 2.5 isn't.

When you get there there is bound to be something thta the dealer has not fixed that they will do when you ask for it. You have also weakened you bargaining position as thye know it's a hell of a wasted return journey so you'll compromise and accept less, pay more etc.

Post some details about colour spec. etc. Why is it so special above others? What price?

To give yo a guide a buddy of mine is selling his one owner, 2003 red 2.5 manual, FSH and 39,000 miles for a bit over £8k available July.
 
it's a bright red one with black leather.

The sales guy did say that one of the keys was missing but said they'd order it as a part of the deal. The cost is 10,200 which seems a tiny bit below average compared to others I've seen around the web from dealerships.

Agreed on all the points re. negotiating position.
 
Funny to see a delaer already negotiating something in the dela that shoudl be a part of it... :rofl:

My buddies (that I have no interst whatsoever in the sale of) looks good value then as a bright red with black leather, etc. at £2k less, albeit without a dealer warranty.

If you post where the car is and ask nicely I'm sure a member will drop into the dealers and look for you.
 
Here's the link:

http://towncountry.nissan.co.uk/used-vehicles/search/detail?ve_id=NC03OSL&h=173bc


Its in Cornwall!
 
depends on the spec, does it have the carver hifi, pdc, heated seats, electric mirrors, cruise control, multi function wheel, 6 disc cd changer??? its worth the distance if its a well specced car, but if it doesnt have enough of the spec your after dont waste your petrol, plenty of sellers out there. i know it sounds bad but a lot of people will be dumping cars that are either expensive to run or 2nd cars and they are downsizing or trying to save money in these uncertain times, although most people will try to ask a bit more money now summer is on its way (hopefully)

i bought mine in feb this year and decided what colour and spec i really wanted and stuck to it, luckily the car i bought was one of the first i saw, and other than its mileage everything was right, but in the end for the money i was happy.
 
Put a deposit down subject to the car being in condition as described with no known mechanical faults or structural damage.

Going to test drive over the weekend and fingers crossed will be a proud owner for a Z4.

Combination of things - low milage, the colour I wanted and the fact that the seller sounds genuine. Plus everything seems to add up = service history (serviced 3 times), owner history etc.

I know I may be paying a tiny bit over the odds considering it only has heated leather and 6 disk multichanger but to me the lower milage and re-assurance of buying from a dealer with a warranty is more important than the gadgets.

Any tips of what to check for when I inspect the car (apart from obvious visual inspection and test drive)?
 
I wouldnt put a deposit down on any car unless i hve seen it and test driven it. It takes the bargaining chip away from you completely and u never know what u r getting into. Not to mention there are things like tyres, MOT, tax. keep in mind if they have RFTs whihc i think it would be then it would cost u close to £600-800 to replace for all 4. so dotn get desparate and also if its a BMW dealer u should be getting a year's warranty which always better. Good luck mate. there are lot of them around. So dont get desparate.
 
Hi @ All

thanks for advice.

I went to see the car. Test drove it (wonderful but not as punchy as a 200BHP A3 convertable :thumbsdown: SLine with a DSG gearbox) but in the end asked for the deposit back for the following reasons:

1) Was the first Z4 I got up close and personal with but the interior appeared to have too much wear for my liking (especially considering the fact it only had 30,000 miles). I actually posted separately about that with some pics: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11761&p=178945#p178945

2) The passanger side left rear wheel arch has definately been resprayed - paint texture looked different to the rest of the car. Even the sales guy addmitted. I wasn't too concerned about that as I understand anyone can have a small bump but would prefer to buy a Z4 without that

3) The key didn't seem to lock the car remotely. Locking worked just fine but unlock button was broken

Price of over 10,000 was too high considering all the defects.
 
Well you live and learn. If this had been a car 20 miles down the road you could have asked them to fix all the problems, drop the price and go back in a week. Frankly I think you've had a lucky escape and consider it a nice days drive out.
 
cj10jeeper said:
Well you live and learn. If this had been a car 20 miles down the road you could have asked them to fix all the problems, drop the price and go back in a week. Frankly I think you've had a lucky escape and consider it a nice days drive out.
Click to expand...

Those seats would have cost a fortune to relace ... not sure how they could fix it (maybe patch it :P)
 
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