Pup of a BMW offered for part exchange

[James Bush 95]

Morning, I've just narrowly escaped taking a red 54reg BMW 318, 100k mile in part exchange. I completed the deal yesterday and they guy hadn't come in his px because of a leg injury he apparently gets stiff driving it so came in his van. He gave me a good, what seemed honest description of the car going overboard to tell me it wasn't mint, had a few marks but generally a nice car so I agreed a deal on his description after a bit of negotiation.

Anyways.....get a phone call very early this morning asking if he can pick the car up earlier because of work commitments so he turns up at just before 8am, he's all in a rush and has already tried to hand me over an envelope of money 3 or 4 times, things just don't seem right. I asked the keys for his car just so I can check it over and by looks is a little better than expected but what seems strange is the car seems cold - cold bonnet, temp gauge not reading etc and he lives over 60 miles away. I open the bonnet and no signs of anything wrong, so I start it and leave it running for a few minutes while talking to him, go back and check the car again and the expansion tank is full of little shiny bits - K-Seal!!! After a lengthy discussion, argument (he's a big chap) I tell him I don't want his car because it obviously has a head gasket issue, he denies any knowledge calls me a few choice names, I agree to return his deposit, £100 cash and he disappeared.

Its still in the back of my mind that maybe he didn't know so there could be a chance to resurrect the deal somehow, I was only offering £800, so I jump in my car to see if I can see him. About 1/2 mile up the road there's his BMW up a housing estate being loaded onto the back of a transit recovery truck!!! He had me hook, line and sinker all the way even to the point where I was feeling guilty for suggesting he wasn't being entirely honest!!

I'm in the North Lincolnshire area but the guys from Sleaford so just be on the lookout because he tells a pretty good story and obviously had thought out what he was going to do and am pretty sure he'll try it again.

[GreenGiant 287]

Name and shame, James!

 

In fact, this could be the beginnings of either this week's rant, or a whole new thread of 'outing' rip-off merchants - punters and suppliers.

[SC Derby 259]

and apparently it's us dealer who are the 'dodgy' ones.

 

Well done though.

[Ken 10]

and apparently it's us dealer who are the 'dodgy' ones.

 

Well done though.

And there are no comebacks....... Not right really is it?

[Phil H 124]

The government could cut out all dodgy dealers and punters alike in one foul swoop by making it law that when selling a car a full engineers report was carried out prior to sale. We do this now in the form of a survey when buying a house. 

[Max Branning 149]

I have had many occasions where customers trading in their old car dont tell you all its problems. i recently had a guy who traded in an old rover 45 he told me it was perfect and he was sorry to see it go etc. I think i offered him 300 quid for it as it had a long test on it and the customer was happy with that although he was hoping for £500. I didnt bother test driving it and took his word that it was all good. When i went to move it i realised there was no reverse gear at all, and had to force it in 1st so looks like needs a new clutch. If i had known i would of only offered scrap money so i now even check the bangers when they come in.

Never make a solid offer on a p/x without seeing it first. I will only give a rough guide and then re value when its in front of me. Just too many fibbers out there..

[Phil H 124]

Haven't you heard of the saying "all buyers are liars" before?

[James Bush 95]

Yep I check all swappers when the come in on part exchange - it doesn't matter if they're worth £100 or £10'000. If this guy had of arrived at 3pm as arranged and not been in so much of a rush it wouldn't have felt so odd. I've a list of stories from px'ing customers who think its fair game to try and stich a dealer up. On my order form I have some text along the lines of "the car is on good driveable condition with no obvious known faults" and get them to answer true or false and not so long ago had a customer tell me it was my job to find the faults no his to tell me about them!! I tend to find most customer are decent and you can normally spot a dodgy one but this guy really surprised me - to bring it 50+ miles on a transporter then drive it the last 1/2 is taking the p155!!

Name and shame......and this makes me feel even stupider.....would only give his wife's details.....Mrs Smith and their address turns out to be a  caravan park in Tattersall!!

Edited August 25, 2015 by James Bush

[It's me 615]

latest scam ive been tricked into twice this last month is p/x vehicles with much shorter tests than sellers told me about but on both occasions i offered peanuts anyway as i didnt really want them,i offered both of them on ebay and all of the scum of the world came out to bid me lower,they sold and i made profit but both left a bitter taste,best thing is i now have the upper hand in any warranty issues (i self warrant so they come to me)

[Wheelerdealer1 91]

the best one is the old check engine light that appears while your test driving the px,  had so many that go into limp mode a few minutes into a journey I lost count, the e46 bmws were the worst offenders, talk about German realibilty! 

[Max Branning 149]

Or a bit of black tape over the engine management light - as if we wouldnt notice !!....i have seen this many times at auction as well...

[Ken 10]

A dealer local to me whips the bulbs out if they are on!

[James Bush 95]

Yep we've got one of those Ken, then moans like feck to anybody who'll listen about all the moaning customers he gets

[CJ Underhill 34]

Sounds very similar to a guy i had once

Wanted to buy a 4x4 we had in stock, he hadn't seen it etc but really needed it. Wanted it MOT'd and taxed so he could drive it away. I was a bit weary of doing it for the reason he hadn't even seen the car in the flesh, but he agreed to pay for the tax and mot even if he didnt take it.

Wanted to trade a 54 plate vectra, which was he PA's company car.

Arranged that he would be with me around 5pm.. 6pm comes and goes and apparently he has "got lost".  Just like your chap, he was in a rush, needed to get going quickly, didnt even want to test drive my car before having it. ALARM BELLS!!!!!!

For some reason he had had his "friend" at his local MOT centre MOT the car that day, hence why he was running late. The car had already got 4 months MOT left on it, but he wanted to prove to me how great the car was... strange i think.... Also strange as to why his PA's company car has already had 9 owners and she'd only had it 2 months

Also, to say he had driven 2 hours to get to me, and got "lost" the temp gauge, engine, bonnet on his car was cold. I refuse to do the deal until i have driven his car... he will just have to wait. Needless to say, a bit of prior googling came in handy. When the engine got up to temperature, the automatic gearbox lost all gears, banging and crashing through them before before going into limp home. Get on the phone to a local gearbox specialists, common problem apparently, nearly £2k to refurb.

I came back, offered to pay for the road tax on my car for him in exchange for his car... (£145) Alot of swearing and moaning and huffing and puffing, he finally excepts.

 

Turns out, from speaking to a guy in our village that this bloke had been sat outside his house for nearly an hour and a half (waiting for it to cool down)  and even had to ask him to move so he could get off his drive

 

[CJ Underhill 34]

Name and shame......and this makes me feel even stupider.....would only give his wife's details.....Mrs Smith and their address turns out to be a  caravan park in Tattersall!!

Im off to Tattersall in a few weeks, i'll have to have a look out for him haha