When Buying A Car

[welshpug 1,657]

are you sure? because it could well be he was no mechanic and did not know at all.

[harryskid 193]

are you sure? because it could well be he was no mechanic and did not know at all.

 

I suppose your right, it could be like saying how longs a piece of straw

[welshpug 1,657]

not as long as a piece of string

[harryskid 193]

[Batfink 201]

Just because someone is on this forum does not make them trustworthy. As a purchaser always be prepared to walk away from a sale if it does not feel right.

[Moby 0]

Anthony, i'm the one to blame for taking this sellers word for being a forum member for a few years and thought he was trustworthy as if there were any issues he would get a comeback. I've not named him for the same reason that I trusted him, if I was buying from eBay or elsewhere I would do a full inspection and most likely walked away.

I was frustrated at my raw deal. If I wanted something back from that guy I wouldve named and shamed him and contacted you to try sort something out but I think it's a dark alley. Just as you have said, burnt my bridges, but I've not mentioned his name. I couldve really slagged him off. But it's my own fault. I learn the hard way and gonna bite the bullet.

The thread was just a rant. No one to blame.

[GLPoomobile 958]

I won't go on about the sale, as I think Anthony has pretty much made the point on that one.

 

But going back to the engine, a few points from me:

 

1) What's actually wrong with the engine? Have the garage actually given a proper diagnosis? Are they any more trust worthy than the seller of the car?

2) Mayo in the cap is normal if you only do short journeys, especially so in this cold (moist) weather

3) All engines use oil, some more than others

4) Is it possible it's just lost a lot of oil from a weeping valve cover gasket (as your description suggests)?

5) Have the basics been checked? Comp test? Leak down test? Sniffer test? etc

6) Take all this talk about doing the work yourself with a pinch of salt. It's typical forum talk by people fortunate enough to have the skills, time, circumstances, tools etc to do it themselves, while not considering the circumstances of others. This kind of stock response really f***ing hacks me off to be brutally honest, as it can actually be counter productive and even leave people in the s*it. I was encouraged to replace my suspected failed head gasket myself, but I took the car to Miles instead. He found that the gasket was fine but both the head and the block were uneven. I wouldn't have been able to make that diagnosis myself, let alone fix it, so I'm bloody glad I didn't listen to the "helpful" advice.

[GLPoomobile 958]

I said I wouldn't mention the sale, but I've just seen the advert.

 

Firstly, he's put loads of pics in the advert, 2 of which show the scrape down one side and a dent in the other, but you claim he covered this up? Granted, I knew the dent was there from what you said, so I spotted it immediately, but if I was travelling all that way I'd have studied those pics thoroughly (I always do, with every car I've taken a liking to) and would probably have noticed it. You can see the way the reflection changes quite obviously where it is dented.

 

He seems to have been reasonably up front with the detail and photos in the advert, but I don't know what you were told privately.

 

As for tools, I wouldn't think to mention if a 205 I was selling had the original jack etc. I've never used them, never would, and place no importance on them. So I wouldn;t think to mention them unless asked.

 

Is the seller guilty of shady dealings by covering up the oil leak? Only he knows that. Perhaps he'll come on and defend himself. It does sound a bit dubious that he advertises it as not leaking any oil when it blatantly does.

 

I don't know what you paid, but the asking price seems pretty fair to me for a slightly tatty 205 with an Mi16 and some other mods if the engine isn't fubar. If the engine does have problems, that's another matter.

 

But trust me, this doesn't scratch the surface compared to the s*it I've been through with mine, which was significantly more expensive than yours.

[Moby 0]

I've put my hands up to my error. I'm not asking anyone to come and defend himself cos he probally didn't know what really if anything was wrong. But if I knew clearly what needed to be done engine wise I wouldn't have bothered. I rest my case. Thankyou all