Alex M Grieve
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2008
- Messages
- 9,388
- Reaction score
- 60
- Location
- Broom, Warwickshire
- Your Mercedes
- B Class d200 Sport Premium Plus (66)
I went to view a used Mercedes yesterday with a view to changing the S Class for a more utility vehicle. A nice R Class had caught my eye. Living rurally, the snow of last year reminded me that rear wheel drive cars have their limitations, although I have to say I never avoided a journey and I never got stuck.
I phoned Colin at MBS, who I know has used R Class extensively. He was not only extremely positive about them, but offered (insisted?) that he come along too.
I have bought and sold a few cars over the years, and I have only had one disappointment (new MGB Tourer, 1971), so I am fairly confident meeting the motor trade on their ground.
I have always been a keen student of telling other people to take someone else with them when buying - preferably someone knowledgeable. But I have never done it myself - until yesterday.
Having an expert view was enormously reassuring. He got there first (!) and had already spent some time with the car running static before I arrived. When I joined him he gave a very relaxed but extremely comprehensive account of his observations. He told me about things I would never have thought of checking - and things I did not know were there.
Long story short, unless you are a real expert, it is definitely worth having a "prisoner's friend" to accompany you. If you are not expert, I would rate it as necessary. After all, the minor cost and inconvenience of having the car viewed by someone who is knowledgeable and who does not have any personal interest in whether you buy or sell, can save you buying a poor car which has been well presented. It can save you buying "a money pit"!
No reasonable vendor will object to this approach. If someone does, I would walk away.
Once I had decided to buy, the snag appeared that the vendor put too low a price on the S Class and the "cost to change" was more than I was prepared to pay. So I made an offer, and we walked away. The next week or so will test the vendor's pain threshold, and his enthusiasm to sell.
Colin and I then finished off with a pleasant lunch and went our separate ways. Not a bad way to spend a sunny day - very enjoyable really. No pressure on me, and every confidence that, if I buy it, it will be a good'n!
I phoned Colin at MBS, who I know has used R Class extensively. He was not only extremely positive about them, but offered (insisted?) that he come along too.
I have bought and sold a few cars over the years, and I have only had one disappointment (new MGB Tourer, 1971), so I am fairly confident meeting the motor trade on their ground.
I have always been a keen student of telling other people to take someone else with them when buying - preferably someone knowledgeable. But I have never done it myself - until yesterday.
Having an expert view was enormously reassuring. He got there first (!) and had already spent some time with the car running static before I arrived. When I joined him he gave a very relaxed but extremely comprehensive account of his observations. He told me about things I would never have thought of checking - and things I did not know were there.
Long story short, unless you are a real expert, it is definitely worth having a "prisoner's friend" to accompany you. If you are not expert, I would rate it as necessary. After all, the minor cost and inconvenience of having the car viewed by someone who is knowledgeable and who does not have any personal interest in whether you buy or sell, can save you buying a poor car which has been well presented. It can save you buying "a money pit"!
No reasonable vendor will object to this approach. If someone does, I would walk away.
Once I had decided to buy, the snag appeared that the vendor put too low a price on the S Class and the "cost to change" was more than I was prepared to pay. So I made an offer, and we walked away. The next week or so will test the vendor's pain threshold, and his enthusiasm to sell.
Colin and I then finished off with a pleasant lunch and went our separate ways. Not a bad way to spend a sunny day - very enjoyable really. No pressure on me, and every confidence that, if I buy it, it will be a good'n!
