I went to buy a ph1 172 today, cowboy dealer alert!

[MistaT]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../price-to/3000/page/1/sort/priceasc&logcode=p

I called up to enquire about this yesterday, all looks fine in the photos, they said the mileage was 92k, confirmed in 2 phone calls, and that it had been re mot'd for 12 months. The car is supposedly in very good condition.

So i booked a train(£80) and embarked on a 6 hour journey to pick it up today.

When i arrived there to check the car over, i was picked up from the station in it. Before even getting into it i could hear the very loud sound of a badly leaking exhaust and noticed some keying getting into the car.

On further inspection i discovered a list of problems:

Actual mileage 103k(despite 2 phone calls checking mileage and other details)
Speedo not working/intermittant
Exhaust leaking badly(wouldn't pass MOT)
Very deep keying all down passengers side, through paint, all down door and rear 3/4 panel.
Scrapes all around
Big chips in bonnet
Front bumper very badly fitted(10mm gaps in places), paint peeling off all over it
Engine missing at idle and extremely lumpy, idling at 1200 revs hot.
Various engine bay oil leaks and resulting smell of burning.
Various interior problems like broken door latches, scratches all over the plastics, buggered steering wheel(common)
MOT wasn't there, apparently they had to wait for the garage to reopen on 4th jan, surely the garage should have issued the MOT with the car there

Hence a dodgy MOT as i can't see the car having passed.
I probably could have dug up a lot more dirt on it but frankly i was pissed off and wasn't going to buy it so went no further.

So i left pretty sharpish after refusing to even offer them anything for it despite them trying to negotiate. Train cost £50 to get back(2 seperate tickets) So i left at 6:30am and got back at 8:30pm with a deflated wallet and no car.

I hate car dealers

 

[Beef-Mc]

Unlucky bud.

 

[MistaT]

Very

Oh yes, note the smashed fog light in pics, didn't notice until i saw the car for real. That also should be an MOT failure.

 

[AlexS]

I appreciate your frustration but its very cheap, bottom end of the market cheap infact AND its at a dealer, so im not surprised its a complete shed! For a dealer to have a PH1 on that cheap its got to be a dog, just think what he bought it in at!

Mileage is a pisser though, its not exactly hard to double check, how can they be 10k out -complete c***s.
They should also of outlined the damage/ key marks on the phone even if it is cheap, again bad practise.

 

[Leeshez]

That is unlucky

 

[MistaT]

I wouldn't say it's very cheap, for £120 more there's a silver one for sale in derby with 55k on the clock which i really can't possibly see being any worse.
I usually buy privately but the price looked right and the description they gave sounded ideal.

Wouldn't be so bothered if they'd been honest.

 

[bendee]

dealers are c***s im yet to find one thats even slightly honest they say anything to get you there in the hope youll settle for the shitter there selling. massivly unlucky for you tho next time ask a local member to check it out id go if it wasnt to far and saves someone a couple hundred quid and a wasted day.

 

[Beef-Mc]

The one in Pontefract in silver aint too shabby by the looks of things either.

 

[Nick r26r]

i hate it when traders f**k you about , you really feel like smashing the fooook out of the car (well i do) lol , i went to look at a lupo gti about a year ago , i rang up and told the trader i was on my way down and told him to hold it for me !! i got 5 mins away from him and rang to ask for directions , he told me someone had just put a deposit on it , so i wasted 6 hours and £70 of my time, i rang him back and told him he was a piiiissstaker and that i was coming to smash the car up as i was piss'd of !!! i think he waited there till late as well , knobs , they wouldn't like it if we wasted there time

 

[Sym0n]

You don't think sub £2k for a Ph1, let alone a flamer, is very cheap? :S

BTW is that a pool in your back garden/field or a big pond?

 

[Sean6545]

Gutted, oh btw, front fogs done come into mot

 

[MistaT]

I was drawn to it being a flamer, looks like silver is the only option really though if i want one cheap!

Dealers are theiving b***ards in my experience, i was hoping this one was ok but definitely not!

Definitely a lesson learnt, get someone local to check it out first and never take someone elses word for something if it involves money and a lost day lol

Swimming pool/pond? If you're looking at my ex-trophy pics then it's a swimming pool at my parents house lol

Edit: As far as i know, if it has fogs fitted they have to work?

 

[Da]

Front fogs aren't a legal requirement. The rear one however, is.

 

[s31len]

not being funny mate, but did you have a good look at photos first?

straight away, fog jumps out, steering wheel looks battered, and front bumper panel gaps look wrong - the things you mentioned. cant see keying though in your defense.

 

[MistaT]

I didn't notice the fogs and the front bumper looks OK to me in the pics, definitely not in reality though. I already have a 172 cup wheel that i was going to fit to it but alas that's not going to happen. All of the ph1s i've seen have buggered steering wheels. French shite lol

 

[Daniel]

Not all car dealers are c***s.

But even in the pics I wouldn't bother going to look at it. Front bumper looks like its been nailed on, no stereo, fog light smashed....

 

[R20 CWH]

harsh chief harsh, not alot you can say about that apart from dishonesty being aparent on the dealers side.

 

[stu3y]

The one in Pontefract in silver aint too shabby by the looks of things either.

wheres the 1 in pontefract?

 

[oVerboost.]

I actually went to see this car myself, and also noticed the things you picked up on... Perhaps we need a section on the forums where people can ask others locally to go and view cars on their behalf before they travel big distances and spend loads on trains etc.

Sorry to hear the bad news bud, I live only around the corner from there as well !

 

[Sym0n]

I was drawn to it being a flamer, looks like silver is the only option really though if i want one cheap!

Swimming pool/pond? If you're looking at my ex-trophy pics then it's a swimming pool at my parents house lol

TBH I think you're going about it wrong, looking for a cheap 172 is only going to see you buy a lemon and trust me even the averagely priced ones still have a lot of expensive and f**king annoying problems. Minimum I'd be looking at now is around the £2.5k mark for a "decent" Ph1, anything less and it's probably not been looked after.

Didn't even realise you'd had a Trophy, I was looking at your postcode on Google maps lol.

 

[MistaT]

You won't find much at that postcode, it's just a load of fields! And there are no nice cars there because i don't have any lol

I was led to believe by others that £1k bought you a heap that worked, £2k bought you a good one and £3k would buy an immaculate one, in theory. But i just can't be bothered any more, going to get something less fragile and less likely to have been raped to the moon and back daily for the past 10 years lol

 

[Matty_N]

Didn't even realise you'd had a Trophy, I was looking at your postcode on Google maps lol.

Stalker?

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Never easy buying a car thats far away.

Tbh, if/when i buy another car it will be off here.

If its ever had any problems and the owner has asked on here you will be able to check via previous threads/posts!

 

[Matty_N]

Thats bad luck buddy. I have a mate (on here actually) who bought a 182 off a stealer on eBay. When he got there it was only running on 3 cylinders! Although the stealer did pay his fuel for the wasted journey (£50 I think).
He 's going back to have another look once its been repaired.

 

[Sym0n]

You won't find much at that postcode, it's just a load of fields! And there are no nice cars there because i don't have any lol

I was led to believe by others that £1k bought you a heap that worked, £2k bought you a good one and £3k would buy an immaculate one, in theory. But i just can't be bothered any more, going to get something less fragile and less likely to have been raped to the moon and back daily for the past 10 years lol

lol Truth be told I was trying to figure out if you lived in a ghetto...you don't.

I paid near £2.5k for mine back in February, would have been more but I bargained it down...since then it's probably cost me another £1.5k(ish) in repairs and servicing, still on going. If you're going to buy one, buy the best you can afford and if you can't afford a decent one don't buy one, as you'll only end up paying out a s**t load more getting it running right.

Stalker?

No. I'm too busy in the bushes outside your house waiting for you.

 

[Fluxuk05]

Got mine off here back in March, was only £200 more than that one with 64k on it. And so far hasn't had a thing wrong with it apart from the drivers window motor going, but it is service time in a few weeks..... which isn't going to be cheap.

 

[mini-valver]

Unluckly Alex, boils my piss when people false advertise and then offer nothing in return for the travel costs incured.

You'll get a decent ph1 for sale privately at 1500 easily. Look for a FSH miley one!

 

[.GAZ.]

I'd buy that, only if it was cat c mind!

 

[MistaT]

Unluckly Alex, boils my p**s when people false advertise and then offer nothing in return for the travel costs incured.

You'll get a decent ph1 for sale privately at 1500 easily. Look for a FSH miley one!

Alright mate long time no speak

I've given up on the 172 idea, in fact i've given up all together, can't find a car that i like really. Need to spend 10 times my budget for it to become remotely interesting lol

 

[Chris205]

quite frankly ive just let my ph1 172 go for similar money, mine went with ph2 sidestrips, ph2 rear bumpter, ph2 back lights, ph2 interior handles and with a de-cat

My car had absolutely nothing wrong with it all be it the mileage was high at nearly 98k

There are some bargains out there to be had though so keep searching

 

[oVerboost.]

I went back to the dealer (selling the car in the first picture) and said i had been before, and not been impressed as it needed a few bits doing to it but would be interested if the price was right considering it wasn't half as bad as the one I had seen earlier today in Wales (THE worst 172 I am sure).

Cut a long story short, I ended up walking away with the flame red 172 for £1500. Which is pretty much £400 off the asking price which is more then enough to put right the bits it needs. I know the garage that did the MOT for them, and confirmed that the car had passed its MOT, the exhaust blow occured after the test was carried out as the owner of the dealer has been using it himself as it was taxed, so it was his mode of transport til it sold.

Upon further inspection, the exhaust blow is a simple job so I will do that on Monday, the speedo has been fixed it was a loose connection, and the small bits of bodywork will be done by a friend who is a profesional sprayer.

But the car drives superbly, and is really quick it suprised me, as it was quicker then both previous ones I had test driven.

Anyway, I'm happy enough with it - I will get some pictures up after I've given it a good clean and machine polish.

 

[Sym0n]

Brave, IMHO. I hope it works out well for you and doesn't cost the earth in repair work.

Has it had the belts done btw?

 

[oVerboost.]

Yep belt, tensioner and pump done at 85k (on 103k) and done 2 years ago.
Full folder with lots of receipts for all of servicing as well.

For a car that they only made 60 of - and can be sorted out and still keep the total cost under £2k I think that is well worth it.

 

[mini-valver]

Alright mate long time no speak

I've given up on the 172 idea, in fact i've given up all together, can't find a car that i like really. Need to spend 10 times my budget for it to become remotely interesting lol

Yeah I'm good fella, you're right, been a while!


Dont blame you really, pointless spending for spending's sake! Save some money and buy something proper dirty

 

[st3ve]

Moral of the story, don't buy from a dealer.