Dealer Advice

[Moobiemoo]

Hi, 

 

Has anybody had any experience with Glasgow Road Used Car Centre?  They seem to have quite a few Alphards at very attractive prices.  I'm wondering if it's a case of too good to be true?  Any feedback good or bad appreciated. 

 

Thanks

[Alphard Club]

I always say it's the previous owners that you need to check. Not that easy as you may say.

 

A few factors to take in to consideration

 

1. The auction agent in japan, is he a dummy?
2. was it a very cheap auction purchase
3. what grades do the car come with on the auction sheet.

If you find a car that interests you then first thing i would do is do a CarVX report from japan. Takes about 1-2 working days to get the report. This will show you all the previous auctions the cars have been in (yes they do lot's of auctions) and these will show the condition of the car from the previous owners. For instance, On my report i can see the car had a Grade 4 exterior with all the marks shown on the auction sheet. Over time the interior became a grade 3.5 and then back to a grade 4 meaning the new owner had fixed or cleaned the interior. It's quite good report to spend time on.

You can see a couple of auctions below, showing all the images of the car through the years and also comes with condition report.

It's this research you need to do first, then mechanical research by yourself or the AA. Make sure everything works, If something is missing, get them to add it or knock them down an amount. However, walk away if you have that bad feeling. 

Ideally you need a grade 4.5 or at least 4 exterior grade. then a 4 grade on the interior. You will find this on the top right of the auction sheets.

Do not trust auction sheets given to you from the dealer. I found an original auction sheet in the glove box with tipex on it!!! they will copy it and the tipex hides the condition marks on the diagram. Rely on the CarVX first. All you need is the vehicle VIN number.  if the dealer refuses.. Walk away.

 

[Alphard Club]

By the way, the marks on the car diagram come with numbers and letters. Each one of these indicates how deep the scratch or dent is. I will try and find some diagrams to show these so you can work out how bad the condition of the car has been.

[Moobiemoo]

Thank you so much. I have found a dealer I have a real good gut feeling about. The car is a bit more expensive than the ones I was looking at but he comes with a 36 month warranty, which gives me some relief. I will definitely do the report before I buy though. Thank you. 

[Rojie]

5 hours ago, Moobiemoo said:

Thank you so much. I have found a dealer I have a real good gut feeling about. The car is a bit more expensive than the ones I was looking at but he comes with a 36 month warranty, which gives me some relief. I will definitely do the report before I buy though. Thank you. 

 

I would check that warranty very carefully.

What is covered, what is not.

 

36 months is unusually long !

[Alphard Club]

I agree with Roger. That seems super long and maybe a hook to get you to buy. Also long for a jap import.

 

However, like I said, if the report looks good and the car looks good then all should be fine.

 

First thing I do is change the oil. Dealers will change oil with the cheapest oil they can (I call it mazola) so I know  it's had decent grade oil