francis Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hi there guys In the process of buying a Smart car for the daily commute. Have found a great example, the guy seems trustworthy etc but he is selling the car for a mate who has since left the country. Are there any precautions I should be taking before I hand over my cash? And also where is the best place to get a HPI check these days? Cheers! Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Francis, walk away. Find another one there are plenty of examples out there. He may well be "selling for a mate" but then again he just as likely not. HPI checks can be done via the RAC or AA or via http://www.hpicheck.com/newfrontend/?CMP=KNL-google-rac-hpi&HBX_PK=hpiHBX_OU=01 but imo go find another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartworm Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 My mates selling an MG ZR for a mate whos moved at short notice to South Africa for his work, it can happen :S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francis Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hmm he does seem genuine and I've put down a deposit as they seem to go really quick and this one's a bit of a bargain. He's advertised it on PH and Autotrader.. Is there anything else I can do to put my mind at rest besides an HPI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 pm'd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francis Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 On the topic of history checks... Is http://www.autocheck.co.uk (as advertised on PH) any worse than the AA/HPI? It's just they do 5 for 25 quid as opposed to 25 for 1 (and my friend is also buying a car so 5 might be handy...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattanna Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 hpi check is not the cheapest but is more thorough, also check log book etc, hpi is done via equifax, i have had cheper checks done and they did not contain info re outstanding hp etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 I used the RAC one for my Supe and was very impressed. The ones where you get a few for your money were not very thorough at all. Don't penny pinch on a major purchase!! Could cost you dear in the long run mate!! H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soop Dogg Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 I used the RAC one for my Supe and was very impressed. The ones where you get a few for your money were not very thorough at all. Don't penny pinch on a major purchase!! Could cost you dear in the long run mate!! H. I've gone through the disbelief of having a finance company call me up saying, "You've got our car" and wouldn't want it to happen again. (And this was a car bought from someone I knew and trusted as 'genuine'!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hi there guys In the process of buying a Smart car for the daily commute. Have found a great example, the guy seems trustworthy etc but he is selling the car for a mate who has since left the country. Are there any precautions I should be taking before I hand over my cash? And also where is the best place to get a HPI check these days? Cheers! Francis Francis, Does this mean I won't be able to admire your Supra when I see it parked in the Boltons on my way to work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 I've gone through the disbelief of having a finance company call me up saying, "You've got our car" and wouldn't want it to happen again. (And this was a car bought from someone I knew and trusted as 'genuine'!) This happened to one of my son's, he bought a Calibra (suppose some would say it served him right), and got a call from a finance Co. saying they wanted it back. Luckily he had the advert from Autotrader and proved that he bought it in good faith and not from the guy who owed the money. One of my mates is a lawyer and he told Paul my son what to write and do and he managed to get clear title to the car. But had the guy he bought it from owed the cash he would have been F*.*ed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francis Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hey Shane, Actually I've got myself a parking space at the Cromwell Road Sainsbury's these days so I tend not to park it on the street. I'm not getting rid of the Supra though, the Smart's just for the daily commute Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Hey Shane, Actually I've got myself a parking space at the Cromwell Road Sainsbury's these days so I tend not to park it on the street. I'm not getting rid of the Supra though, the Smart's just for the daily commute Lucky man, wish I could find a space somewhere local. When I drive in nowadays I tend to park it in Kinnerton St underground as that's closest to the office but costs about £34 for the day /vbb/images/smilies/bbcode_shock.gif We have a development going on at tregunter at the moment and when that's finished in Feb/Mar I should have my old space back in the mews for occasional use. So for the time being I am still commuting daily by train and tube. Good luck with the smart. One of our guys has one and really rates it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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