Long story short. A mate fancies a vr6 Corrado and we found what sounded like the right one for sale on another forum. The car was the right colour, spec, had some nice modifications so he was interested. He contacted the seller, had a good chat and the guy on the end of the phone sounded like a real enthusiast and really genuine. We got sent through a load more pictures via e-mail and therefore decided to both take the day off and point the car southbound for the 550 mile round trip.

We were told that the car was 'immaculate' apart from 1 largeish stonechip on the bonnet and a ding in the passenger door. We got there this afternoon to be presented with what I can only describe as a nail. There were dents left right and centre, bad paintwork, the car was so low the arches were ripping chunks out of the tyres, the arches had been 'rolled' back to clear the rims and all the paint had cracked, one of the front wheels was stuck out further than the other etc etc. We made a list of about 25 separate items that would need attending too pretty urgently. Oh, and the car had just passed it's MOT :eek:

TBH the car wasn't even worth an offer and we walked away. Totally ****ed off

The advice is: The definition of mint in your book is not necessarily the same for everyone else. Even with a load of photos and asking all the right questions there's no substitute for seeing the car in the flesh. It just so happens we're now out of pocket and have lost a whole day as a result.

So buyer beware!!

A sad reflection of modern times. I would have been quite hostile towards him if it had been me. Thats

We were told that the car was 'immaculate' apart from 1 largeish stonechip on the bonnet and a ding in the passenger door. The advice is: The definition of mint in your book is not necessarily the same for everyone else.

I learnt the same lesson but fortunately only drove 70 miles each way - the immaculate condition of the Toyota Corolla GTi I was looking for (for track days) turned out havefour rust-bubbled wheelarches (3/4 the length of 2 arches!) and in need of a new tailgate. Despite calling and asking - he was honest from the point of view of saying that "it had very few dents and scratches !"

Strangely enough about 8 years ago I travelled nearly 1000 miles looking to buy a decent Corrado. Last trip was an 180 mile round trip to see an absolute heap at a dealers. They were asking a fortune for it. It had a dint in every panel, had pretty obviously been clocked and had cigarette burns on the drivers seat.

I bought a 16v Clio in the end which was fantastic

A mate recently did Chelmsford to Manchester for an XJS. It really was worth his while. The car has one very minor cosmetic blemish and has been lavished with care and attention. Runs sweet as a nut too.

Chris

It's about time the rest of the UK was subject to the sort of MOT testing at government test centres we have here in NI. We have the odd runabout car over here but you'll rarely see cars much over 10 years old on the road as they fail MOT's on emissions and brakes. When I visited my sister in Leicester last year it was like going down memory lane. I forgot what a Mk1 Astra or Mk3 Escort looked like not to mention all those rusted Fiestas and Nova's from the 80's which are still knocking about.

The last car I MOt'd was a 5 yr old Seat Ibiza. The MOT test took nearly 45 minutes even though the car was spotless! It passed, just. If a car comes with a genuine MOT certificate over here you can be pretty confident that it is genuinely roadworthy. It might be stolen of course.

I have friends from here now living in England who always come back here to buy their 2nd hand cars for this very reason.

A sad reflection of modern times. I would have been quite hostile towards him if it had been me. Thats

I saw a 'favour ' thread on here once. Asking if someone from Briskoda who lived near a proposed car purchase could have a look at it and report back.

Don't know what happened but sounded like a good idea.

It's about time the rest of the UK was subject to the sort of MOT testing at government test centres we have here in NI..

Would that be the month long wait to get it tested Johnny ?

(rant on behalf of my Father-in-law)

There is nothing to stop someone from NI coming over here to get there car MOT'd apart from ferry costs. One operator last year ran a deal where you got a daytrip which included your MOT.

There is nothing to stop someone from NI coming over here to get there car MOT'd apart from ferry costs. One operator last year ran a deal where you got a daytrip which included your MOT.

It must be the most expensive per mile stretch of water to travel over Average cost for Belfast to Stranraer or Larne to Carnryan is over

A friend of mine had a cousin working for an MOT centre in NI when they put all of the new computer equipment in. The accuracy of the equipment for testing headlight/wheel alignment bush/bearing condition etc is unbelievable and it doesn't take much to fail. Same goes for the emissions testing.

In fact there's a story going around of a brand new car being doctored to make it look older than it is failing a dummy test using this equipment. (They brought a new Merc in from Spain or somewhere where they still make old shape Mercs to use as Taxi's).

Some owners of older high powered cars like 911's etc have to take their cars to Scotland as these cars often fail on emissions too or don't meet the same tolerances as modern high performance cars.

Why the hell would I MOT my car there when there's a much higher chance of failure???

I want the bugger to pass, not fail!

I suppose there's a significantly higher chance that a dangerous fault with your car will be spotted before you end up on your roof half way down the motorway.

If you have an accident because an item on your car isn't safe up to a week or two after passing its MOT here, the testing agency can be held liable subject to investigation. My understanding is that an MOT certificate issued by a garage says that the car was up to standard on that day when it it left the workshop. They cannot be held responsible for any failures of a safety nature once you have driven away with your certificate. Could be wrong though.

Our MOT's put suspension and brakes through some really rigorous tests. I saw a taxi hit the deck after rusted suspension mountings gave way during a test. I'm not sure that all garages have the equipment to test a car to the limits of its abilities like this.

I saw a 'favour ' thread on here once. Asking if someone from Briskoda who lived near a proposed car purchase could have a look at it and report back.

Don't know what happened but sounded like a good idea.

That may have been me, it was deduced that the car was a shed and that the seller was talking out of his 'hole.

Having had similar experiences to Jimmy with other stuff I've found it's a good idea to get a 'local' to have a look if at all possible. It's one of the benefits of forums like this and I've done the same for other people although not on here yet.

yeah sounds like a good idea, as unfortunately Jimmy and his friend found out to there cost it was a wasted journey. both in time and money getting there :(

You also get a more objective opinion if someone else checks out a car for you. It's amazing how much you miss if you see a car and let your heart rule your head