Cheap car on auto trader, could it be too good to be true?

Posted 8th Jan 2023 (Posted 13 h, 29 m ago)

Bit of a random one but I have seen a car on auto trader that is about £3000 cheaper than most others around the same age/spec (£21,000, most are around £24,000-£27,000) . 21 plate so still some warranty, 4000 miles on the clock, pristine condition, auto trader has listed it as ‘all checks passed’. It’s not from a big garage, I phoned a mobile number listed and they have 7 cars listed on auto trader (some of them cat S and N, though this car isn’t), it just all seems to good to be true. Is there anything I should be cautious of or checking or should I just accept I have found a good deal and go for it? The seller has said they source their cars from auction and have 37 good reviews on auto trader.

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13 h, 19 m ago
Run a carvertical check on it and that should provide any hidden nasties.
It's worth paying for that report
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13 h, 17 m ago
Thanks. Is there a specific website?
12 h, 7 m ago
Not all write-offs make it onto the register. Car Vertical and inspection otherwise its a 20k gamble. The fact that the seller has other s&N cars on sale would make me very suspicious.
12 h, 3 m ago
This what I was about to reply, some cars are sold as damaged but not registered and then get repaired (edited)
13 h, 23 m ago
Buy it
11 h, 35 m ago
Yep, will prob be a CAT U, unrecorded
11 h, 32 m ago
Vcheck covers salvage auctions for unrecorded but a decent paint inspection would highlight this anyway
4 h, 5 m ago
You can get the AA to come about and do a check on the car including a test drive, costs about £200 but if you’re spending +£20k, it’s a sensible choice.
4 h, 4 m ago
I went to a garage and look at a C4 grand Picasso, looked great and drove well.
They also had a 9 month Vauxhall Zafira at a good price, looked it over and found lots of filler dust under the rear seats.
Where it had been rubber down.
To me both cars looked great.
Both cars came back clean on HPi checks.
Lets just say I ran for the hills.
13 h, 6 m ago
Pay for an AA inspection, or similar.
13 h, 3 m ago
Isn’t the rule of thumb- If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is!
12 h, 4 m ago
Definitely I've learnt this many times over
13 h, 0 m ago
Or a vcheck. Checks for salvage and ex taxi, hire etc.

Being a 21 plate it will be under warranty and if from a garage you have come back anyway.

Check paint throughly for damage repair and if you don't know how to, find a local detailer or similar who would be willing to check it out.
3 h, 34 m ago
Sounds like a bit of a gamble and I would definitely get it checked by AA or similar.
3 m ago
car vertical, should give you the information you need