Buying from a Skoda dealer

I'm looking to buy a low mileage Skoda 1 auto, mainly as a result of reading discussions on this list.

I've always bought my cars privately, but haven't driven for several years and want to buy from a Skoda dealer for peace of mind, and a good warranty.

However, after a recent visit to a Skoda dealer in the London area, I'm having second thoughts. It was soon obvious that none of the people I spoke to had any useful depth of knowledge about the car I was interested in, or about automobile engineering in general.

They were very surprised when I asked to see the printed warranty and contract of sale (which they called an Order). Eventually they gave me two photocopied pages.

The excerpt from the contract of sale was written in tiny letters only 1mm high, and phrased in pseudo-legal language. In translation, it said that I had to inspect the vehicle and if I didn't spot what was wrong, that was just too bad.

Their warranty is provided by APA, not Skoda. A Google search on APA was not reassuring. Among the many exclusions was 3f: 'No liability accepted for the cost of diagnosis or testing', and 3j: 'No liability will be accepted for good engineering practice', which is utterly bizarre.

It also stated, reasonably, that the car had to be properly serviced and maintained. But the dealer implied I had to have it serviced by them, which would cost more than an independent.

Of course the salespeople had plausible answers to everything, but went quiet when I pointed to exclusion 8: 'APA is not liable for any mistakes or incorrect information provided by the dealer.'

The car is overpriced, but exactly what I'm looking for. However, my instinct tells me to walk away. Has anyone claimed on an APA warranty?

Any advice and opinions about buying from Skoda dealers and their warranties will be welcome - thanks in advance.