For the past 1 weeks ive been looking for a mk2 focus for the mrs. We went to see 2 on Monday and 2 yesterday.

All 4 said in the ad good condition. All 4 of them have beem sheds. I expect the odd chip and scratch here and there but i don't expect rusty arches and dents in the panels.

I phoned up about one in preston yesterday and said to the seller whats it like. He said to me i would be driving it home. Went to look at it and the osr quarter is full of bodge and the osr sill had been painted.

I sold my ST17O on mondeo and i had it on ebay. I described the bodywork has been tatty and i took pics of the bad bits. I think im just too honest.

Anyway rant over...... carry on.

 

It's full of bull shitters out there to be honest mate, I buy a few cars as I change mine quite often, the amount of dogs Iv been to and all of them where "mint" Iv also never bought a good car from Birmingham bought a few good ones from Sheffield way and all been good cars.

 

I just cant see why people can't be honest.

Im going to see 2 more this afternoon which are local.

 

I bought something off a bloke on here and I made it clear that the part needed to be un blemished and all he would do is give vague answers...when it arrived I did not fit the part as it was sub standard.

 

tbh I just think it's people not bothered about wasting your time but hoping that they may get a sale from it with someone that's not clued up, annoying really and just goes to show how many sheds are out there, the people that now coverer the cars plate up in the advert because of MOT checking are also a big no for me.

 

Always been disappointed travelling down south for cars tbh

 

You don't expect rusty arches when looking at fords?? Seriously!!




Joking aside I know what you mean, saves a lot of hassle being honest!

 

Thats a good idea if your a dodgey sales person about covering up the number plate.

 

Im still waiting for a part from someone on here that said i could have it for free as long as i pay the postage. I would of give them a bit extra as well. This was about 4 months ago now lpl.

 

This is the one in Carlisle.

It says in excellent condition lol.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Focus...8AAOSwSv1Xk577

 

We have got the wife a good focus now. Its a 10 plate and its really tidy. Its a bit more than we wanted to pay but we were sick of looking at donkeys.

 

Other tricks I see on a regular basis are having the steering wheel turned so you can't see the mileage of the dash or even hiding warning lights, having the belt covering the wear on the drivers bolster or even leaving it out of the photo so you can't see half the foam hanging out.

If these are present on a car add I'll usually just not bother enquiring.

I once went to look at an a4 in Birmingham that was advertised at having 100k miles, and obviously good condition, upon viewing the car it had been used as a pool car by a small company, so been ragged about and had a dump valve fitted on a TDI, interior was really rough as well as engine bay, the dash odometer had failed and the previous MOT's had mileage recordings of 190k miles on it, to say I was annoyed was an understatement, he even said the mileage over the phone, his excuse was "it drives like it's done 100k miles" needless to say I walked from that one.

 

Hi Glenn, I have had the same lying time wasters when I was looking for a 4 door Fiesta for my wife. Saw what looked like a nice red one, reasonable price, mileage etc. It was a fair distance from Southampton but after talking to the owner and asking straight out did it have any rust problems and being told "none at all, it is in really good condition" I went to view it.
When I got there the first thing I saw was that the way the photos had been taken showed the "good side" not the other side which looked like someone had painted it with a broom, was 3 different colours and had rust marks all over it! I did stay long enough to let the owner open it and there was a rust hole as big as your fist in the drivers door cill!! I was well pissed off asked the owner why she had lied to me about its condition. She didnt think there was anything wrong with it!!!
Luckily found the mrs a 1 elderly lady owner Renault Clio which was a time warp 2003 model with just 12500 miles from new with a full main dealer service history and it is still like a new car.
Wish you luck with your new Focus.

 

A lot of time waster out there Glenn in afraid

 

when I sold my vRS I advertised paintwork as bad, didnt get much interest but the guy that did come and view it asked why I had put my car down as bad, to me it was far from perfect, I showed him round it, and he said he would class it as mint, I might of undersold my car, but I dont like unhappy buyers,

 

I said the same about my st. To me the bodywork qas tatty.

Ive been messed about loads so i wouldnt mess other people about.

 

Good on you , but i think unfortunately you are an exception to the normal sellers.

 

I like to treat people how I expect to be treated, granted I know it doesn't always go both ways, but I wouldn't have the face to lie to someone bare faced.

 

if its a car off ebay the way I look at it is for what i'm paying for it be prepared to lose that money very quickly. I had quite a few cars over the years off ebay and it was rare that they was as described.

 

Same thing when i was looking for a car for the daughter.

Went to look at an Audi A3 Sportback.
Described as spot on and never been in an accident or repainted.

Turned up and every panel either had a scratch or had been sprayed.
When I told the bloke it was a munter he couldn't understand why I wasn't going to buy it.

Not the first time and won't be the last.

We did buy a lot cheaper car off Retro Rides and it was as described including the bad bits.
Faith resurrected in a seller

 

i buy a lot of old classics in america to bring to the UK, and before i go and look at a car/truck i look for a pic of the engine bay, and the interior, the body isn't so important, if a vehicle has a clean well kept interior and engine bay, you can bet the rest of the car is clean and looked after, its a good guide i have found,

 

Top tip there matey.

 

That old pictures taken in the rain trick...

 

Another one i don't get is pictures taken just after they have washed their car for sale and not bothered to clear the hose etc away.

Pics usually taken with car still wet as well

 

It wasas rough as fook. They hadnt even bothered to hoover the car out. It was bogging inside. They knew we were coming too.

 

Sooo much crap out there! Biggest warning sign is the word 'mint' used in any advert. Also avoid eBay ads in capitals and/or large font. You may also look out for the word 'brought' being used by the seller to describe when the menace purchased said vehicle. Another one is 'no knocks or bangs' guaranteed to signify the exact opposite.

THIS CAR IS MINT COND!!! (run)
BROUGHT 3 MONTHS AGO AND ŁŁŁ SPENT (was actually even more fucked than it is now, bought from a mate that was scrapping)
FULL SERVICE HISTORY UP TO 36k (car will be on 99k now)
JUST FITTED A NEW ENGINE BROUGHT FROM A LOW MILER (98k &
not quite as fucked as the old one)
BODYWORK IS MINT APART FROM A FEW SMALL SCRATCHES (20kg of filler applied with a cricket bat, sanded with 40grit and sprayed by stevie wonder)
NO KNOCKS OR BANGS (suspension fucked)
RECENT NEW TYRES ALL ROUND (mixed set of part worn wanglings/wangdongs all with puncture repairs)
WHEELS ALL MINT (curbed to fuck & buckled)
INTERIOR MINT (fag burns, weird water marks on seats, buttons all worn away)
ENGINE RUNS MINT JUST SERVICED (wiped the Mayo off the oil cap, put some water in the washers and added a litre of asda smart price oil to bring the level up to min before sale)
VERY FAST NOT FOR FEINT HEARTED!!

 

just to add

ONE LADY OWNER FROM NEW completely fucked in everyway possible, servicing? whats that, i put petrol in it and it goes, what more is there?

 

one lady owner isn't a selling point, that just means every panels dented from shopping trolley and car park dings.

 

Yeah I always thought this. Most women I know never have their car serviced and don't know they have to! A lot we get in at work think the mot is including a service and moan that we didn't change the oil lol

 

I went to a non start (she'd left interior light on and flattened battery) and when I'm under the bonnet I have a quick look round.. No water in header tank, oil cap had huge build up of crusty oil clinging on & oil just touching bottom of the dipstick. Then she starts moaning about hating cars and it's been fine but now it's now letting her down.

I asked when she last had it serviced, she just looked at me blankly and said..
"well, I've never serviced it since I've had it".
"Ok, and how long have you had it?" I ask..
"Eight years" she replies!

It's not just women though, I'd say the majority of people neglect their cars. They tend to fix rather than maintain. But it does annoy me when people rant about how unreliable their car is because it's let them down when it's due to their negligence.

My ex is just as bad, moans about consumables like tyres and brakes as if the car is trying to purposely bankrupt her lol

 

My ex is just as bad, moans about consumables like tyres and brakes as if the car is trying to purposely bankrupt her lol[/QUOTE]

My Mrs is the same. I've had my ST for 4 1/2 years now and apart from the usual servicing, tyres etc, in the last 18 months I've had to replace a drive shaft, hub and bearing (only had to do the hub and bearing as the shaft was sized in the hub), alternator and a rear caliper. The drive shaft and bearing were brand new. The hub, and alternator came from a breaker, the caliper was free from a member on the ST owners club, and all the work was carried out by my mechanic friend round the corner for a few quid and some beer.
Yet to my Mrs, my car is nothing but a money pit!!!!!
She said the other day after I had the caliper done "I suppose it's gonna need bloody tyres soon, so more money!" I said "no but I do need to get the timing belt and water pump done soon" (again, this will be done by my mate for a fraction of what a garage would charge). This was the trigger for quite a heated argument! Women just don't get it. I tried to explain that the things that have needed to be replaced are just run of the mill and inexpensive, and at the end of the day it's a car and from time to time cars go wrong. I said if you want I won't bother with the timing belt but don't moan when it goes and ends up costing thousands to put right! I also tried to tell her that in the 4 1/2 years of ownership, a drive shaft, alternator and caliper is absolutely nothing and that there are plenty of people out there who have nothing but grief from their cars. I said that we could go across the road and spend 30k on a brand new BMW and it could turn out to be a right dog and end up costing a fortune. Just cos it's new it doesn't mean it's gonna be bullet proof reliable. I may as well of been talking to myself cos she still didn't get it!
Bearing in mind that I don't smoke, I rarely drink, I'm not out blowing money on clothes and shit, and I don't have any real hobbies to blow money on. In fact one of my hobbies I actually get paid for - I enjoy lorry driving and work as a casual driver for a local firm, just working when I feel like it.
On the other hand my Mrs absolutely smokes like a train and drinks like a fish, but that's ok though even though it costs us probably Ł160+ a month

 

Just stick the same amount of money she spends on fags and drink in a jar each month. You will be able to buy something nice with it in a very short time and rub her nose in how much she has wasted on nothing.


Steve

 

 

My mrs is ok when it comes to spending money on cars for parts.

At least with buying fords the parts are cheap.

We got her new car on Monday and its a nice looking thing. It just needs a good polish and wax now.

 

Reminds me of of the shed of a Porsche 911 (just a 996) I went to look at before I decided to buy the saff. But, when I got there, the owner was frantically trying to van the sh1t out of it, car wet from a quick hose off and I could see what an absolute rotter it was. I only bothered to get out the car as it had been a longish drive and fancied stretching the legs. Was so angry that folk dared to call their cars mint or excellent when they were anything but..

 

ÂŁ160+ on fags and booze a month! I'd kick her straight out the door if I were you.

 

oh my! i take you have seperate funds when it comes to the cozzy. and there cosworth tax. Or does she realise tip/top cozzy is making money daily

 

Yeh she knows how much cossie part prices are like cause i tell her all the time.

She said she wouldnt let me sell the cossie cause its like part of the family now. There are her words and not mine.

 

That's what my missus says about mine. My 3 year old loves it and says go faster daddy lol

 

Hi Glenn, you do need to have a wife that understands what your Saff means to you and they are not cheap to look after. The way I look at it is, I dont spend loads at the pub and I dont smoke or waste money on the latest tech gadgets etc so when it comes to the Saff it always gets the right bits and jobs done properly end of. Thats why its gone through 21 MOTs with no failures!