The Dark Wob

When did we start believing anything about cars for sale? Any advert is taken with a pinch of salt, they're trying to get rid of the thing not make it impossible to shift.

I'd never have remembered AC not working, only one my AC equipped cars has ever had it work, and that was a 3 year old car...

captain_70s wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:09 am When did we start believing anything about cars for sale? Any advert is taken with a pinch of salt, they're trying to get rid of the thing not make it impossible to shift.

I'd never have remembered AC not working, only one my AC equipped cars has ever had it work, and that was a 3 year old car...

It could be a life and death situation tho. At what specific temperature does a Scot spontaneously combust?

captain_70s wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:09 am When did we start believing anything about cars for sale? Any advert is taken with a pinch of salt, they're trying to get rid of the thing not make it impossible to shift.

I'd never have remembered AC not working, only one my AC equipped cars has ever had it work, and that was a 3 year old car...

Well, I've been very thankful of the AC this past summer!

I don't mind stuff being wrong with cars, as long as I know about it. It's also dependent on the price of the car. Sub-grand shitters, fine. The E-class in question was priced at Actual Money though, as in a healthy 4-figures.

It's just the drip-feed of faults from sellers that does my head in. It makes me start questioning what else they aren't mentioning.

This was all after I was told how much of a top bloke this guy was etc. etc. Thus I assumed they wouldn't act like the more usual gumtree sellers where you expect there to be undisclosed faults. I.e. that Citroen AX I went to view last week. I was ready to buy it right up until I test drove it. The clutch had less meat on it than an Ethiopian toddler so I walked away, but that's to be expected when dealing with sellers in the wider world.


I'm totally aware I'm coming across as a fussy bastard. However, I'm a Scot, and parting with my money is not a light-hearted matter.

I just assume everybody lies about everything.

Dolly 1300, sold as low mileage. Had gone around the clock and engine was fucked.

1850 was actually fairly honest but the whole car was tired

Acclaim, rotten, bent MOT

First 740 I bought for so little it didn't matter, but mega bent MOT. Sold for £130 to a guy who was "gonna restore it" with his son. Back for sale at £750 within a week

Second 740, no mention of electrical senility, very tame MOT as far as corrosion assessment goes. He was flipping it and said as much, whatevs.

I'm not sure if part of that is your inability to walk away from cars you're viewing?

I got burned on that Civic, though. Fairly sure that had a bent MOT. No way that rear axle mount turned into nothing in the space of a year. I stupidly didn't look under the car during viewing, as the MOT history had nary an advisory for grot anywhere.




A few years back I went all the way down to Manchester just to walk away from a car. It was a Honda Accord coupe 2.0 manual. Nice enough apart from the clutch slipping like fuck at 20mph on the flat and level. After I was told "it's totally fine, drives perfect".

Most older people don't worry about air con in the UK. Most of my customers don't even realise they have it. I would of asked first if it means that much as on a cheap car it is unlikely to work and on the one hot day they notice it the weather then goes back to the normal shit and they don't bother. I do think this guy wasn't trying to hide it just didn't think anyone would be that bothered. On a cheap car who is going to bother with a re gas that has got a bit expensive since the price hike on R134a (it went from £70 a 12kg to £370 overnight the other year. It has calmed down a bit now but still £170 a bottle. Now you are looking at 50 quid for a regas if that is all it is.

When is it ever "just a regas" though?

Like I say, I'm a fussy bastard and I'm aware of it. I'd weirdly rather have a car that doesn't have air con in the first place, than one that has it but it doesn't work.

The Saab I got from SiC was 'just a regas'. It actually needed the drier too as it'd been empty so long, but I never did get around to doing that before it went.
I knew it didn't work when I got the car though, along with the interesting gearbox etc.

SubPar wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:32 am I'm not sure if part of that is your inability to walk away from cars you're viewing?

Acclaim and both Volvos were bought blind for significantly less than market value, I wasn't really caring. If they weren't utterly lethal I was driving them home and that was that.

Dolly 1300 I got done, but not as much as the guy I bought it from. He'd bought it from a dealer and had it trailered up from Newcastle. I didn't know enough about old cars to know what I was doing or looking at

The 1850 was advertised honestly, but it was so cheap it was coming home with me regardless.

Giffer cars often get tame MOTs 'cause the garage knows they'll not see heavy use. My first Volvo was evidence of that, MOT'd by the same garage since 1993...

The Vel satis has Aircon, needs a recharge mate. That is after the leak is found that caused it to empty the system.