What do you think of this car?

[ZrByte]

I'm about to buy a car of a friends sister, it seems like an amazing offer to me, but I wanna see what you guys think first

Apparently Its a RENAULT CLIO 1.2I 5D EXPRESS Plus,
It has a very sporty look but im not sure if it is the sport trim,
Electric windows/mirrors,
Alloy wheels,
Full Renault service history (My friends sister is a renault employee)
19K on the clock,
2002 reg on a 51 plate,
the interior is in mint condition,
And its that sort of metalic sky blue colour.

Shes asking for £3K for it, sounds like a bargain to me, what do you lot think?

[Xaccers]

According to the AA, that car at below average condition is worth £3000, Clean it's worth £3800
Had a clio to drive when my laguna was having it's turbo replaced, lovely car, feels bigger inside than it looks, and quite economical for a petrol too.

[ZrByte]

Damn, My friend was wrong about the price of the car, Her sister still owes £3700 on the car so she wants at least that much for it. Though I can confirm it has a 12month MOT on it. It still sounds like a good deal to me though obviously not as good as before especially since it still falls under the price that Xaccers mentioned before. Any opinions?

[Jules]

Hmm I would be careful. Did she get a personal loan to buy the car or is the loan financed on the car?

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Jules

Hmm I would be careful. Did she get a personal loan to buy the car or is the loan financed on the car?

Thats a good question, I'll ask that when I see her, though they are pretty well off so I dont think she has any plans to keep the money, im pretty sure she said it was going straight on the car to pay it off.

[marky]

I wouldnt touch it

paying top book for a car in a private sale with no warrenty
and of a friend allways a bad idea

[Paul]

Doesn't matter what you think you need to be sure that the car (if you buy it) isn't coming with strings attached (ie old financing that could see the car disapearing suddenly one day).
Other than that the mileage is good on it, as long as the engine is in good nick and there isn't any damage to the bodywork you should be ok. Pricewise I'd pay attention to the prices quoted above and make sure you mention them to her if you are seriously looking to purchase the car.
Also have you looked into the cost of insurance for you on the car to make sure you know the true running cost of it?

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by ZrByte

Damn, My friend was wrong about the price of the car, Her sister still owes £3700 on the car so she wants at least that much for it. Though I can confirm it has a 12month MOT on it. It still sounds like a good deal to me though obviously not as good as before especially since it still falls under the price that Xaccers mentioned before. Any opinions?

Your friend sounds a little naive if she thinks that she can ask for whatever she owes on a car. The car is only worth the market price - what she owes has nothing to do with the value of the car at all...

[tabatha]

Surely the seller cannot sell the car untill she has paid any outstanding finance off...??? Legally the car is owned by whoever financed it....

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by tabatha

Surely the seller cannot sell the car untill she has paid any outstanding finance off...??? Legally the car is owned by whoever financed it....

Only if the loan is through HP. If an unsecured personal loan was taken out to buy the car, the owner can sell whenever they like..

[tabatha]

OK...so morally they cannot sell...??!!

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by tabatha

OK...so morally they cannot sell...??!!

If it's an unsecured personal loan, morals make no difference. If you have a car which you bought with a personal loan, and you sell it, changing the registered keeper vehicle document appropriately etc, and then you default on the loan, you'll still be liable for the debt as it's not actually attached to the car, it attached to the person who borrowed the money. The new owner of the car cannot be held liable. And the previous owner can be deemed stupid.

I've never bought a car on HP, but I do believe that you sign up to certain t&cs restricting the sale of the vehicle for a certain amount of time and that any monies borrows through HP are attached to the car. This is why it's always sensible to get an HP check before you buy a car second hand.

[Chris]

As others have said - the car is worth its market value, not what your friend's sister still owes on it. If it's not worth £3,700, then don't pay £3,700. Personally I wouldn't, you wouldn't expect to pay the top price except to a dealer who will also give you a warranty.

She may have a wait if she insists on that price, and she may find that the car depreciates faster than she is paying off the loan.

Additionally, find out what kind of loan it is. If it's HP, walk away. She can't legally sell you the car until after she's paid off the HP. You do not want to be buying a car with outstanding finance secured on it!

Finally, never, ever, ever, buy a car off a friend, family or workmate. When it goes expensively wrong in three months, you will find your relationships strained. It's not worth it.

[Chimaera]

Originally Posted by Chris T

Finally, never, ever, ever, buy a car off a friend, family or workmate. When it goes expensively wrong in three months, you will find your relationships strained. It's not worth it.

I agree - my daughter wanted to but my Fiesta from me when she passed her test, which I did, against my better judgement - I had it serviced and MOT'd (although it wasn't really due for either) and the minute it went wrong, guess who felt resposible and ended up paying?

[gazzae]

According to Autotrader its worth...

Renault Clio (98-) Hatchback 1.2 16v Expression+ 5dr
Hatchback 5dr
2002-51
Mileage 19,000

Dealer £5,969
Private £5,165
Part Ex £4,855
Trade £4,702
Cost New £8,870