Thread: Interstate Buying Advice...

The best advice would be get as many details as possible from the owner (servicing, auto problems etc), then if you’re still interested get it inspected. Ask the owner if this is ok with him, pay and arrange to get a Land Rover specialist to go over the car,if they’re not happy to do this walk away. The specific items to be checked should be known to them; for your own piece of mind ask them to detail the suspension, engine etc in their report. If you go ahead and get the inspection done ask them to check the auto thoroughly; if "anything" is found you can then negotiate the final price.

Davis Performance Landy’s inspected a vehicle for me and found it needed $3000 worth of repairs ( discs-pads, fuel pump needed work and the car was overdue for a major service etc) , the owner didn’t want to budge on price ,so I walked; it was the best $180 I have spent on a car !!! I arranged this after seeing the car on Carsales, so it also saved me a trip to Sydney.

I would leave a fudge factor for the auto though in my costings, they have a reputation of failing quickly when they do go. Some autos have done over 200k and no problems ! they are really a lucky dip in these cars.

Personally I wouldn't put a large deposit on it till I had looked at it myself, just enough so they will hold it to you get there.

Check to make sure it didn't get wet last year in the floods. There are plenty around that have, and although they are still going after being dried out, it is only a matter of time before they start to get electrical gremlins in them. When I first started looking for mine, there were drowned ones being bought into Vic and flogged off cheap. One car yard even tried to tell me it was damp inside because they had just 'steam cleaned' it - he couldn't explain how they had managed to 'steam clean' up under the seats, and other inaccessable places, or why it stank like the bottom of a mud hole...

Gav
Excellant points, I forgot about water damage on Qld cars

Laurie

It's not just Qld cars which can be wet but New South Wales and Vic as well.

I spent a considerable amount of time looking for the 'right' second hand fourby this year but gave up after encountering some 'wet' ones and 'butter wouldn't melt in their mouths' sellers.

Thanks All..

Would a RACQ inspection be suitable or not?

With any Land Rover I would be more inclined to have an inspection done by a competent independent Landy workshop.

On top of this I would be asking for extras - and paying for these extras - for them to look at specific nominated areas such as looking for water immersion signs. Say - water stains/debris under and inside the seats, fuse box covers, lifting carpets and trims etc plus any other used car "worth looking at" items you can think of.

IME a Qld registered vehicle would be the one which you have to be the most careful about (that isn't a slight on our highly esteemed Qld members but rather advice from the technical people at RMS (NSW RTA)).

As well as checking the vehicle - check with the technical people at your state's motor vehicle registry when you have the numbers that it can be registered in your state - from what I can see the PPRS ( PPSR Search and Certificates for Cars, Boats, Motorcycles and more | PPSR.com.au ) gives no guarantees as to ownershhip or encumbrances whatsoever .

I would imagine that with a modern vehicle with an unalterable VIN you shouldn't have too many problems, but the RTA man said - be careful - they'll register anything in Qld (his words - not mine )

A friend of mine brought a well priced Disco a few weeks ago from qld and it turnes out it has been under water, should have known by the new lights etc that had been fitted and it does have a smell to it also

Admitidly he has had no big problems yet , however a l322 has ten million computers and electronics so i would not want the same scenario in one of those

Apparently there is allot of cars (thousands) been sold that were flooded in qld that should not be able to be sold



Dave