James Baggott

What used cars to avoid?

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Hello all

Sorry I’ve been quiet. It’s been rather busy in the car dealer world and it turns out it’s not as simple to fill the internet as it is a magazine every month...

Anyway, I’ve just been surfing the World Wide Web (I know, very dangerous) but it got me thinking (again, dangerous) about a feature on what used cars car dealers would avoid - so come on, hit me: what used car would you never ever buy and why?

My starter for 10 - a Land Rover Freelander. Not only pretty rubbish but unbelievably unreliable by all accounts.

What’s yours?

Hope all well with you all too!

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anything pretentious

see,doesnt leave a lot

maybe a dacia is the only make that does what it says on the badge

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3 hours ago, Lakeside said:

Anything with the PSA/BMW Prince engine.

Seconded 

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13 hours ago, James Baggott said:

Hello all

Sorry I’ve been quiet. It’s been rather busy in the car dealer world and it turns out it’s not as simple to fill the internet as it is a magazine every month...

Anyway, I’ve just been surfing the World Wide Web (I know, very dangerous) but it got me thinking (again, dangerous) about a feature on what used cars car dealers would avoid - so come on, hit me: what used car would you never ever buy and why?

My starter for 10 - a Land Rover Freelander. Not only pretty rubbish but unbelievably unreliable by all accounts.

What’s yours?

Hope all well with you all too!

VXRs, head gaskets, gearboxes, seats, modified, exhaust, turbo, everything goes on these lol

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Cars owned by people who think having an mot counts as a service!

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1 hour ago, NacMan said:

VXRs, head gaskets, gearboxes, seats, modified, exhaust, turbo, everything goes on these lol

I’m the opposite, my workshop guys can have anything fixed on these within a few hours! 
 

For me it is anything with the powershit gearbox from Ford or the majority of semi autos.

As a general rule we try to avoid french cars and petrol 4 cylinder BMW’s.

Subaru Impreza 2.5 turbos are also on the banned list. I love them to drive but the engines are chocolate!

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50 minutes ago, MarkTVS said:

I’m the opposite, my workshop guys can have anything fixed on these within a few hours! 
 

For me it is anything with the powershit gearbox from Ford or the majority of semi autos.

As a general rule we try to avoid french cars and petrol 4 cylinder BMW’s.

Subaru Impreza 2.5 turbos are also on the banned list. I love them to drive but the engines are chocolate!

Impreza’s ,you weren’t a ram raider were you Mark ?

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1 hour ago, trade vet said:

Impreza’s ,you weren’t a ram raider were you Mark ?

Is that not what the old pajeros were for?

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25 minutes ago, MarkTVS said:

Is that not what the old pajeros were for?

Not in Newcastle where the locomotive,the electric lightbulb and ram raiding were invented and I think Impreza’s followed by XR3’s were the vehicles of choice.

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Powershits are OK when you know exactly how to fix 'em, 9 times outta 10 it costs me less than a fiver in parts ;)

Top secret ......................

Shhhhhhhhh ......................

I don't mind tellin' ya'all now since I don't have the Transmission firm any more ...................

New "Brushes" in the Servo Motors ......................

We used to get some right good earners outta them back in their hey day ;)

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1 hour ago, MarkTVS said:

Is that not what the old pajeros were for?

God that brings back memories. Vauxhall In Sittingbourne people always kicking off when we gave them their value of their imported piece of junk 

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34 minutes ago, Dave2302 said:

Powershits are OK when you know exactly how to fix 'em, 9 times outta 10 it costs me less than a fiver in parts ;)

Top secret ......................

Shhhhhhhhh ......................

I don't mind tellin' ya'all now since I don't have the Transmission firm any more ...................

New "Brushes" in the Servo Motors ......................

We used to get some right good earners outta them back in their hey day ;)

Does that mean I can buy then and deliver them upto you to get fixed :lol:

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5 hours ago, Dave2302 said:

Powershits are OK when you know exactly how to fix 'em, 9 times outta 10 it costs me less than a fiver in parts ;)

Top secret ......................

Shhhhhhhhh ......................

I don't mind tellin' ya'all now since I don't have the Transmission firm any more ...................

New "Brushes" in the Servo Motors ......................

We used to get some right good earners outta them back in their hey day ;)

It that the older ones, like they put in the Honda's, Peugeot's, Vauxhalls as Ive heard that info before but it was too late after the values had dropped

Not sure if they were a Bosch electronics

Edited by ModernBagsofRubbish

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Bosch yes ;)

16 hours ago, MarkTVS said:

Does that mean I can buy then and deliver them upto you to get fixed 

I don't do Transmissions any more now, except my own, modern trans are effectively un rebuildable these days, due to everything inside being made from wet noodles ............

When you rebuild 'em, you rely on most of the "Hard Parts" being in good condition, and just replace stuff that wears like Synchros Forks and Bearings etc, or Clutches, Seals, Filters, Bushes etc in an auto ;)

But nowadays you build a box, give a guarantee, and a lot more % wise come back because some weak piece of shit that the stealerships won't sell separately has simply busted .................

Not worth it now, and it's only getting worse, I sold my share of the gearbox firm 14 years ago, my Partner sold up a couple years later, we had our hey day ;)

John Mackie is your guy in Glesga, but fuck me, I sent a customer to him, Audi with a Reverse Gear issue when hot ..................... £3500 later ....................... :o

Edited by Dave2302
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22 hours ago, MarkTVS said:

I’m the opposite, my workshop guys can have anything fixed on these within a few hours! 
 

For me it is anything with the powershit gearbox from Ford or the majority of semi autos.

As a general rule we try to avoid french cars and petrol 4 cylinder BMW’s.

Subaru Impreza 2.5 turbos are also on the banned list. I love them to drive but the engines are chocolate!

We have a few guys who can fix it all, its the running around that does it for us, we could go buy a clean perfectly running vehicle and make the same margin

19 hours ago, MarkTVS said:

Is that not what the old pajeros were for?

We have an old Pajero manual only one in the country bought it for a laugh lol

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On 10/5/2020 at 4:59 PM, ModernBagsofRubbish said:

Eco Boost 1.0, Puretech, Powershifts, could carry on but three is enough for now, lol

Most of the stuff in the scrap yard is the above so I agree 100% with that.  BMW's 2nd gear lately has been high on the list. 

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JLR products

Most French and Italian.

Anything with stupid tiny turbo'd engine.

Anything with an automated manual gearbox.

Quite a lot of BMWs

MGs

In fact its easier to say what I do like - which is most Japanese stuff apart from Nissan (which is mostly Renault crap under the skin).

Sell a Lexus, Toyota or a Honda and generally they don't come back. The Toyo/Lexus hybrids seem particularly problem free.

 

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45 minutes ago, Frank Cannon said:

Really, please expand on that gem

-CDJ

- American built Ford, we have had a few Explorers (outside of the UK) which is on the face of it a great car, but the build quality is awful

- I'm sure the GLE is pretty good now, but the 1st & 2nd generation M Class was a horror show 

@Frank Cannon does this answer your question?

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2 minutes ago, petrol head said:

-CDJ

- American built Ford, we have had a few Explorers (outside of the UK) which is on the face of it a great car, but the build quality is awful

- I'm sure the GLE is pretty good now, but the 1st & 2nd generation M Class was a horror show 

@Frank Cannon does this answer your question?

Ha Ha I doubt it.What about Honda,Toyota,Volvo,BMW,VW,Nissan and many more.Those F series trucks aren’t much good either !!!

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