I need help on buying a car - am i just paranoid or should i be re considering?

Question

I am very interested in buying a Renault Scenic Monaco, on a Y plate this weekend. But i am worried about a few things -

its done 141K - this should be fine for a modern engine shouldnt it?

I've had it HPI'd and it came back all clear, FSH is apparntly with the car, but im just a little worried that its only 1695 for a reason, or is this just cos of the high milege?

My main worry is that the car is in leeds, and im in kent - a good 450 mile round trip.

This is the link for the car : http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/RENAULT/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-9-13-4294967142/advert.action?R=200825312655201&distance=211&postcode=ct102pg&channel=CARS&make=RENAULT&model=&min_pr=1000&max_pr=2000&max_mileage=

What do you guys think?

And one final thing - there is only a mobile number on the dealers website, no landline or email - should i be worried?

Answer 1

The mileage is no problem, the car looks fine, but I would leave it. The 2.0 are very difficult to sell, the dealer knows this. With fuel prices as they are, diesels command a premium & for most people, the smaller engines are fine due to cheaper tax & insurance.

If you're not doing many miles, or aren't worried about economy, I'd go for it: It's the top spec of this model & I'm sure you'll be pleased, but it's a h**l of a long way away.

If you do decide to buy, I'd still haggle - it'd be a cheap motor at around £1500.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I would personally stay clear of this car not just because of the mileage but the distance you have to travel for the car. If anything goes wrong with it it is a long way to go back to get it fixed under any warranty. The dealer will be aware of this.

They do do this Privilidge Monaco model and it is a top spec  but i would stongly recommend you avoid it. Good Luck

Answer 3

i would look at something else because i know Renaults of that age have a nasty habit of collecting very expensive problems

Answer 4

There is an alleged link to the sellers website but it still only produces a mobile number for contact. No land line or postal address. The site also says that they well cars that are cheap to run and cheap to insure  - I don't think group 10 is going to be cheap.

Personally I wouldn't touch it, if only because there is no other contact number.

I've just had another look and see that it is black.  I was under the impression that the 'Monaco' range were only available on a brown/gold metallic although I stand to be corrected. IT does however say it's a 'Privilege Monaco'.  I'm not aware of them having produced model with this name.

Answer 5

141k is a fairly big mileage even on a modern car and there will be a number of things getting near to, or past, replacement time.  To be honest i would have thought you could get something with lower miles for the money.

I would be VERY wary of any advertiser giving only a mobile number!  You can buy an old pay as you go mobile on ebay for a few quid! Frankly I personally would not travel that far anyway - one mans idea of 'first class condition' is another mans idea of 'all right i suppose' !!!  I did this sort of journey to buy a Dinghy once and what was supposed to be in excellent condition was a tatty heap of c**p  with badly repaired damage under the waterline. The sellers response was, well, it is 6 years old you know.

Answer 6

141k is very high for a Y reg

Answer 7

i would be.  going by the 141k its going to start breaking down.

Answer 8

I'd leave it. For a start I can't believe there aren't any cars you like nearer home, the round trip will cost you another £50 if you drive there & back. The mileage is high for a petrol engined Renault. The engine's a 2 litre, which as has already been pointed out will cost big time in petrol bills, although by being a Y reg, it just misses out on all the graded CO2 tax nonsense. Still about £200 a year though. If it's a mobile phone dealer ad, rather than a proper showroom car, chances are he's picked it up at a local auction for about £700 and just cleaned it up, that's all you're usually buying from a dealer at that kind of money.

You can do better.