Is this a decent offer?

[ifti]

Yeh, you got a really great deal there. Thats my perfect car, although Im after a 5 door which seem to be hard to come by!

Im going to tell him that I'll have the money by mid next week. I would then expect to hand him a bankers draft for the full amount and for him to then clear the finance in front of me before we finished the deal.

In the meantime, if he finds another buyer, then he can go right ahead
There is no way Im transferring any funds with nothing to show for it!

[andytran]

To be honest, I was up half the night last night. Kept going over what a great car it was! Ive never spent this much on a car before and want to make sure I dont regret anything later on!

The other alternative I have is a 320D M Sport - but if you say the 120D wasnt too different MPG wise, then the 320D would probably be worse wouldnt it??

Mate - it depends if the 320D is "Efficient Dynamics" or not (after Sep 2007 I believe). If it is ED then you could realistically expect 40mpg in daily use, if not, then 33mpg is more realistic. (My 120d wasnt ED).
The 320D M Sport is a fantastic car, if Im honest, it would be a better buy (as a driving experience) than a GTI.
However, BMW dealers will rip you off, and no-one will let you out of junctions in a BMW!!

My 120d M Sport was my first and last BMW. It was such an anti-climax - the cache of owning a BMW was not all its cracked up to be - and the 120D engine, whilst sweet and free revving, is not as reliable as BMW would have you believe.
I could fill this page on the pros and cons of BMW ownership.....there is no doubt, for a mass produced car, they are "the ultimate driving machine" but as a long term ownership prospect, you will need deep pockets!!!!

Andy

[pitch3110]

With my purchase I debit carded £300, faxed a copy of a BS cheque 2 days before so they could check and took the cheque and 4k in cash to complete and collect. I think your chap is trying to be a bit cute. Be careful mate

[ifti]

He's emailed me asking for me to give him a ring again.
I think I may pull out of this. I feel as though Im being pushed. I may just tell him I cant get hold of the funds for another 2 weeks or so and see how he responds - whether he's willing to wait or whether he calls it off himself.....

[Egbutt Wash]

Don't walk, RUN

[pitch3110]

Robinsons in Norwich near me have a SGrey '08 5dr for £17995. I am in the city Wed if you are interested and want me to take some pic's Ifti

[pitch3110]

Oh and it is an ED30 mate

[ifti]

Hey pitch - that would be great if you could get some further details!
Namely age/milleage/DSG, and whether you can see any options etc installed....

In the meantime I informed the seller fo this ED30 that I would want to pay the full amount via bankers draft, and that I would expect him to clear the finance on the same day in front of me.
I also stated that in the meantime if another buyer came along who could pay quicker, then he was free to go ahead.
He said that was fine.

I think from his point of view he wants to know the car has formally sold etc. which is why he was requesting the deposit.

[andytran]

I think you are right.

There are scare mongers on here, but IMHO what the seller is doing is perfectly normal in a private sale.
The only issue is the size of the deposit - £100 should be plenty for him to hold the car for a week.
at the end of the day, all he should be looking to cover is his advertising costs, should you bail out.

Your plan to get him to pay off the finance at the same time as you give him the money is perfectly normal.

I did it once when buying a Colt CZT (dont ask  ) The seller rang the finance company on the day, got a faxed settlement figure and then I went with him to the bank and paid the money off his finance.

Funnily, the car (2005) was 18mths old. It cost £15k new. I paid him £4500 and he then had to find another £4k to pay off the £8500 finance that was outstanding!! The car was a pocket rocket which gave me 6 months of fun. I then sold it for £5k to some mug who drove all the way to me in Aberdeen from Birmingham!!

Bottom line is, you clearly know what you are doing with this deal, and if the car is right for you, you can make it work. If you have any doubts, walk away. As I said earlier, apart from the big deposit, I dont think the seller is being unreasonable.

Andy

[pitch3110]

Hey pitch - that would be great if you could get some further details!
Namely age/milleage/DSG, and whether you can see any options etc installed....

In the meantime I informed the seller fo this ED30 that I would want to pay the full amount via bankers draft, and that I would expect him to clear the finance on the same day in front of me.
I also stated that in the meantime if another buyer came along who could pay quicker, then he was free to go ahead.
He said that was fine.

I think from his point of view he wants to know the car has formally sold etc. which is why he was requesting the deposit.

ED30 S/Grey 5dr.
May 2008 / '08
6,501
Manual
MFSW, Armrest, privee glass

I looked at one there a couple of months ago & they wouldn't nudge to much on price, but it is getting near the end of the month.

Robinsons VW 01603 612111