Would you buy a Stolen/Recovered Car?

[obduro]

Reason I ask, I'm still looking for my E350 but while perusing eBay came across an C250 Coupe, 11 plate with 12k on the clock for just under £18k. Considering the cheapest ones I've seen before this were £21k+ I was naturally interested.

Apparently the car was stolen with keys and the insurance paid out before it was recovered hence it being for sale. Will obviously do VIN number checks and full HPI if I go for it but just interested in the opinions of others...for once :lol:

Thoughts?

 

[Gkinghorn]

nope i confess i wouldnt.. dont know whats been changed etc... engine parts stolen/replaced with old ones etc.. i doubt the insurer checks that out...

 

[Xtractorfan]

Biggest problem you may have is with warranty..if it still has any Manufacturer warranty on it, it will flag up on the Dealers site as soon as the reg or chassis no. is used, and they will wash their hands off it.
Other than that no real issues, well it will have had the living daylights driven out of it..possibly..so no real difference from some of our members cars on here...

 

[toby1]

Yes, I would. Just make sure the original keys are removed from the car's system.

 

[obduro]

I think there's one original key with it, so who do I go to to get them changed? I wanted to get a spare anyway so may as well reset the whole system right? What's the damage?

 

[obduro]

Biggest problem you may have is with warranty..if it still has any Manufacturer warranty on it, it will flag up on the Dealers site as soon as the reg or chassis no. is used, and they will wash their hands off it.

Didn't realise the warranty no longer applied, overlooked that. Thanks!

 

[cleverdicky]

Yes but would have to be cheaper than that.

 

[drmw]

knee jerk reaction is no, but when you think of it I suppose most stolen cars are driven carefully to avoid being pulled, so maybe yes.

A bit like part worn tyres - gut instinct says no, but then again unless you buy a car brand new that's just what you're using - same with hire cars too.

I've bought a write off before - was w/o based on repair cost & not structurally damaged at all, just a few panels - got it fixed - had it for years no problem

I'd have a close look for sure, but as said before budget £500 for two new keys getting the original disabled and the price has to be negotiable

 

[st4]

I'd say no, warranty reason and coming to sell again, just hassle factor

 

[EmilysDad]

I think there's one original key with it, so who do I go to to get them changed? I wanted to get a spare anyway so may as well reset the whole system right? What's the damage?

The stolen/missing keys are 'un-coded' when the new key is coded to the car. I believe a new coded up key from MB is in the region of £200

 

[Peter De La Mare]

My 210 was a stolen recovered car. No problems at all and as it wasn't damaged was not recorded. I didn't have any warranty problems either.

It was cheap enough that I wasn't bothered by its status.

 

[obduro]

Thanks for the feedback. Here is the eBay link, thinking I will have a look when I'm up north next week. The gent selling was very open with his answers and did his best to answer q's, but HPI for sure.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190796014597?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[Neil H]

Having had 2 cars stolen and seen the results pre insurance repairs, Im not sure Id have one myself, however, I used to work with a bloke who swore blind it was the best way to drive premium cars. To be fair, I drove a golf, he was in a Porsche Boxter or Merc SLK, he used to repair them and sell on.. I know who felt better on the commute to work (wasnt me).
I guess you have to buy wisely, ideally one with only panel damage or recoved from a shipping container?
Might be worth reading through this too http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Insurance_Write_Off_Categories

 

[npuk]

My 210 was a stolen recovered car. No problems at all and as it wasn't damaged was not recorded. I didn't have any warranty problems either.

The post on the first page that said the manufacturers warranty is invalid is not correct. This would only be if it was declared a write off and not to be but back on the road i.e. Cat B or higher.

If it was me if it was stolen, recovered and repaired I would want to see pictures of the damage etc before repair. If it was stolen and recovered no damage then I would consider it. Many of these vehicles now days are stolen with keys so dont sustain much if any damage.

 

[ampwhu]

slightly off topic, but how safe are these cars from being stolen?

no keys on a c class. is that asking for grief?

 

[obduro]

The post on the first page that said the manufacturers warranty is invalid is not correct. This would only be if it was declared a write off and not to be but back on the road i.e. Cat B or higher.

If it was me if it was stolen, recovered and repaired I would want to see pictures of the damage etc before repair. If it was stolen and recovered no damage then I would consider it. Many of these vehicles now days are stolen with keys so dont sustain much if any damage.

The guy says there was no damage to the car whatsoever, apparently it's not marked as cat c or d, it just says its stolen/recovered on the HPI report.

 

[ThinkPad]

Until recently most hpi check did not tell you if stolen recovered. Only my car check did. I think now others also tell you. But previous many would have had stolen recovered without knowing it! If not other recorded damage not a big deal. But again bare in mind point about resale. Personally I would normally not buy a car of this type to save a couple of grand. False economy as you will lose that when you sell. And more a hassle to explain to people when selling.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[Xtractorfan]

It looks to be a good straight car , so if the price is keen then by all means go for it. It will probably give you many years of trouble free motoring.

 

[television]

There is a stolen recover CL63 going cheap with no damage, I keep thinking

 

[turbopete]

There is a stolen recover CL63 going cheap with no damage, I keep thinking

do it Malcolm. you only live once!