To buy or not buy? Help!

K

keejoonc

Member
 Aberdeen, Scotland
Hi guys,

I'm looking at buying the car in the link below:

http://www.randwmotorcompany.co.uk/used-cars/bmw-z4-23i-sdrive-2dr-iver-heath-201230479915386

It was previously damaged, but the dealer tells me that it was just cosmetic damage and rear quarter panels were replaced.

I asked why it was written off if the accident was only minor and I've been told that the insurance company would have written it off as the cost of fixing would have been more than insurance contribution by the owner?

I'm new to the UK so bit unfamilar with buying used car here. Any tips on what I should check or ask? Should I completely stay away from it altogether? All I have seen from the dealer is a copy of the VIC certificate.

The car is still under warranty till September 2013.

I would appreciate if I could get some tips and advice.

Thanks.
 
More than the insurance contribution by the owner?

I dont get this. The point of insurance is that you pay several hundred pounds and if your car is worth £20k and written off, the insurance pays out.

They wouldn't write a car off if it was just cosmetic damage, cos they would have to pay the owner the market value of the car.

Maybe I got it wrong, but it doesnt make sense to me. I'm sure others can advice. I think you can do a check on the vehicle to see what category write off it was.

edit: seeing the other cars they have for sale makes me think they aren't the typical back street Arthur Daley dodgy character car salesman that I initially thought!
 
Who told you it was written off?
If it was just the rear quarter panel it was probably nothing to worry about!
It's not that cheap so if you are worried look for something else.
 
Welcome :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I would walk away if your unsure. plenty of cars out there and the price off the e89 is coming down to that level so you should be able to get one for that price and probably from a BM dealer.
 
Ask to see the HPI report,that will tell you exactly what you need to know.If it was a category c it's ludicrously over priced.Good luck
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I've since found out that it's category C and I've asked to see the HPI report.

micz4,

What would you expect to pay for this car then? I thought it was well under what it normally costs. Parkers valuation puts it at between £22-25k with an average mileage of 20,000 miles. Considering it only has 9000 miles on it, I would have thought it's fairly priced if I haggled and paid around 19k?

On autotrader, the cheapest m sport I can find at the moment costs at least £22k, which is older and has more mileage on it.

Any thoughts?
 
That isn't an M Sport anyway, it's a standard model with M Sport bumpers and wheels.

Would leave it well alone.
 
not worth the hassle for when it comes to selling on time... expect to take a big loss with a cat c repair,,,,, cat d would be just a few panels.. this sounds more like suspension etc
 
Sounds like I should stay away.
Where can I find an M sport model for under £20k though?
I don't see any on autotrader.

Wondermike,

E89 doesn't have M model as such as far as I know.
M sport spec models do come with more than bumpers and wheels though including M adaptable suspension.
 
keejoonc, that particular Z4 is a standard model, if it was an M Sport it would have different trim, seats, steering wheel, gear knob.

When it was repaired they have used M Sport bumpers and wheels, but the interior is standard spec.
 
Wondermike,

I could be wrong, but I have checked out other M sports models and they don't look any different to this car in terms of interior or seats.
I don't think it's a standard spec model.
 
Yepp Wondermike is correct standard spec Zed thats been tarted up during repair,

It should look like this if correct M Sport spec, the seats are different on the one your looking at :wink:





I would pass and try BMW AUC for an older model thats straight. If you must go for this one then spend a bit and get an engineers report, Its tempting to jump in at a cheap price,

Tim.
 
Walk away... just think of the hassle you will have when the time comes for you to sell
 
Category C: Vehicle extensively damaged and insurer has decided not to repair. The vehicle should have an independent inspection before being allowed back onto the road.

This is not just cosmetic damage - leave well alone unless it's cheap, really cheap and, even then, get it professionally inspected before buying. The absolute maximum you should be paying for this type of repaired car is two-thirds 'normal' forecourt price.
 
I have taken the liberty of checking it with DVLA's database and as has been said it's not an M Sport.It has also had 3 owners in it's less than two years of life.Also,just for future reference a category C is an insurance write-off mainly due to the cost of repair being in excess of 60% of the value of the car. It is suitable to repair to make it roadworthy and can be sold for repair but must now have VIC inspection.Some insurance companies won't insure a repaired Cat C car.
Either way the person at the "dealership" is either very badly trained or borderline dishonest.A lucky escape !!!!
 
Yep I will pass on it.
The dealer was saying it's cateogry C because the owner chose not to repair the damage the car through the repairer chosen by the insurance company?
I have no idea whether there is any truth to that.

On a sidenote, is the M sport model worth the premium over the standard spec? I know M sport comes with different wheels and suspension, but what else is different exactly?
Even looking at the picture another forum posted above, I can't tell what difference he is referring to?
 
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201233481975017/sort/default/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_2_years_old/price-from/17000/transmission/manual/model/z4/make/bmw/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/pl51ua/page/1/radius/1501?logcode=p
 
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