What do you say to this MOT history?

[Alex1969]

Hi, I'm looking at getting a Golf GTI MK7 PP and I think I have found the one but the MOT history looks a bit dodgy with it needing new tyres almost every test. It also failed on headlamp aim too low on both headlights which I find odd since I thought they were HID and so auto levelling, I wonder what might have caused this? I hope I'm not reading to much into this but I want to make sure I'm not getting a car that has been thrashed all its life.
I've tried to upload images for you below:
https://ibb.co/JHCkS0j
https://ibb.co/fMfkv5V

[barrym381]

Walk away there is loads for sale

[Alex1969]

Walk away there is loads for sale

There are a lot of standard GTI's for sale but I'm wanting leather, Sat Nav, Heated Seats, 5 door and PP at least and the price range I'm looking at, there aren't many. This is the only one of two sold by a trader I have ever found since looking, 3 months all together although COVID 19 has messed the frequency of cars showing up for the past few months. But thanks for the reply nonetheless.

[barrym381]

Walk away there is loads for sale

There are a lot of standard GTI's for sale but I'm wanting leather, Sat Nav, Heated Seats, 5 door and PP at least and the price range I'm looking at, there aren't many. This is the only one of two sold by a trader I have ever found since looking, 3 months all together although COVID 19 has messed the frequency of cars showing up for the past few months. But thanks for the reply nonetheless.

Looks like you’ve made your mind up already  :smiley can u post a link to the car

[Catnapper]

Full HPI/AA whatever check & try and contact previous owner.
I did HPI on an A3 a few years ago, came back clear but still dubious. Was a lease car so contacted lease company, car had been written off!!

[barrym381]

Full HPI/AA whatever check & try and contact previous owner.
I did HPI on an A3 a few years ago, came back clear but still dubious. Was a lease car so contacted lease company, car had been written off!!

You mean someone had smashed the car and it had been repaired it couldn’t have been written off

An hpi check won’t tell you if the cars ever been in a smash it would only flag up if the car had been written off  :smiley there is millions of cars on our roads that’s been smashed and not written off some repaired right some not

[fredgroves]

Some insurers haven't been updating the write off's database "quickly" so you do have to be really careful. AXA was the example I saw on the TV.

Not really sure how you can be careful though.

[Alex1969]

Walk away there is loads for sale

There are a lot of standard GTI's for sale but I'm wanting leather, Sat Nav, Heated Seats, 5 door and PP at least and the price range I'm looking at, there aren't many. This is the only one of two sold by a trader I have ever found since looking, 3 months all together although COVID 19 has messed the frequency of cars showing up for the past few months. But thanks for the reply nonetheless.

Looks like you’ve made your mind up already  :smiley can u post a link to the car

I don't really want to post a link to the car since I don't want It to be advertised too much as I may still want it and like I said it's very rare to find one like this at the price range. I know its selfish but I've been waiting for months for a new car.  Are there any specific details you want, I could provide. A few more details of the car is its fully VW serviced and the photos from the dealer look clean, no curbing on the wheels although may have been refurbished since I first saw the car appear a few weeks ago but without images, it took them 2 weeks to upload images, which also has me wondering whether they took that time to repair obvious damage? There are just a lot of question marks with it. Looks great though! It has the upgraded Santiago wheels in Grey, I know the Santiago wheels are a factory option but I didn't know in the colour grey? And yes it is so hard to say no to a car that you really like, it happened to me a month ago with a private seller, seemed like a perfect car but I got a mechanical inspection on it and there were signs of bad repair damage and an oil leak even though it was fully serviced by VW.

[monkeyhanger]

An hpi check won’t tell you if the cars ever been in a smash it would only flag up if the car had been written off  :smiley there is millions of cars on our roads that’s been smashed and not written off some repaired right some not

Like my 2007 Golf GT Sport 170TDI that got hit by a bus at 2 weeks old and was never right since with a piss poor repair. So close to being written off at the time.

Some poor unsuspecting soul would've bought that from Lookers Newcastle and wondered why the rear wheel arch rusted up every 3 months.

[monkeyhanger]

Is the need for leather worth overlooking all those warning flags you've already uncovered?