39 replies to this topic

[jeebowhite]

Hi Everybody!

I might be rejoining the blue oval club! however, it depends on the car!

I have a limited amount of money, I will be part ex'ing my car and need to buy the new car only with the funds from selling the old... The car I am looking at needs to be diesel, and ideally automatic for my developing health issues...

As a result I found the CMAX here (needs to have the big boot!) http://www.exclusive...201247493579445, looks a fecking good deal, I did a HPI check, and thats where the turdus hit the fannus... Its a Cat D write off!

I am going to look at the car, hopefully take it for a test drive later today and see how it goes, and what he says about the reason for the write off. My main question is this... Would you buy one?

I spoke with the insurance company (admiral) who have no problems insuring it, and I end up with money in my pocket... Shame it doesnt have cruise control, but thats no biggy!

so I hand the forum to you, would you buy it? should I buy it? I want to get the best value for my car before the new plate comes out, cars already depreciated 50% in two years of what I paid, so it needs to be a relatively quick process!

Thanks

[Lenny]

Hi Everybody!

I might be rejoining the blue oval club! however, it depends on the car!

I have a limited amount of money, I will be part ex'ing my car and need to buy the new car only with the funds from selling the old... The car I am looking at needs to be diesel, and ideally automatic for my developing health issues...

As a result I found the CMAX here (needs to have the big boot!) http://www.exclusive...201247493579445, looks a fecking good deal, I did a HPI check, and thats where the turdus hit the fannus... Its a Cat D write off!

I am going to look at the car, hopefully take it for a test drive later today and see how it goes, and what he says about the reason for the write off. My main question is this... Would you buy one?

I spoke with the insurance company (admiral) who have no problems insuring it, and I end up with money in my pocket... Shame it doesnt have cruise control, but thats no biggy!

so I hand the forum to you, would you buy it? should I buy it? I want to get the best value for my car before the new plate comes out, cars already depreciated 50% in two years of what I paid, so it needs to be a relatively quick process!

Thanks

Open the bonnet and boot, lift the carpet and look for the condition of the welds aswell as straight lines.
Also where the panels meet. Ie. When bonnet closed the gap line between bonnet and side wings should be a consistant equal gap. And the same for doors etc.
Inspect engine mounts, and get underneath to look for bends in chassie and sills
Also inspect fuel tank for signs of dents
Service history on a 1.6TDCi is a certain must have due to hostory of dpf and turbo oil feed.
Check wheels are still circular all around,
If its à garage try get full size spare as part of the deal
Perform ford secret menu for signs of errors on log
And run idle for signs of vibration through the body, you should be able to draw a straight line on a piece of papper when sitting in the car with the engine running.
If its a 90bhp you can remap it to 110bhp and fit a green induction filter will bring it to life for you.
Take it for a test drive and put on a straight road
If wheel and axle are correct it should sail steady with hands off the wheel for a few seconds
And you can fit cruise control yourself using a wheel and elm327

[jeebowhite]

Cheers Lenny, having spoken to them they advise that its a rear shunt that caused the right off, so I plan on checking the boot over for bumps and welds, given the miserable weather I am not sure how well it will or will not go but will take a look, I think predominantly checking for buckling is the main way to go at this point, any other thoughts?

[Lenny]

Cheers Lenny, having spoken to them they advise that its a rear shunt that caused the right off, so I plan on checking the boot over for bumps and welds, given the miserable weather I am not sure how well it will or will not go but will take a look, I think predominantly checking for buckling is the main way to go at this point, any other thoughts?

Get a big sheet of cardboard and a torch, bring it with you and put it on the ground to lye on and have a look underneath.
Any Currys or Tesco will have large sheets of cardboard from packaging, well worth it if your going to be buying it mate,

Open the rear doors and check the flow of the lines.
Check the smoothnes of the roof and inspect for signs of blistering, aswell as the boot hinges,
The boot door itself will be spot-on because it will be new but its whats underneath that matters.
Personally i wouldnt trust a sales person though, id check the front end just as much as the sides and rear for impact damage.
Encase they got story's mixed up in a bid to sell the car and leed you to think they made a fantastic repair on the rear, when it may have been the front end that was damaged.

[jeebowhite]

Also Lenny, do you happen to know any good guides for installing CC?

[jeebowhite]

Cheers mate, will certainly take a look, got a torch, but will have to keep an eye out for the damage, thanks! I took a look at the Focus guide for CC in theory I guess it should be compatible with the Focus C Max...

[Lenny]

Also Lenny, do you happen to know any good guides for installing CC?

All of the sensors are present on the pedals as standard,
Aswell as the sockets for the steering wheel to plug in to,
So you just need a steering wheel with cruise control fitted and a modified elm327 to activate cruise control on the GEM
If you go through the elm327 guide you will see reference to it from other members who have fitted and activated.

[jeebowhite]

cheers matey, will keep an eye out for it!

Well going to look at the car in an hour, so who knows, come new year I might be back in the blue oval...

[stef123]

i would also look out for things like how the rear tyres are wearing...any uneven wear could indicate an alignment issue or possibly worse

[jeebowhite]

yeah I have a OBDII reader, and also a tread gauge, I will be looking over the car once they value mine, and then take it for a drive!

Thankfully the car comes with a 3 month part and labour warranty... Tempted to drop it in and get an assessment made...

[Stoney871]

I'd pay for an RAC check.
A cat D write off is purely a cost thing.
The insurance company basically wasn't willing to pay out for the repairs.
When my car was whacked by a biker a few months back it cost £1500 to fix, if it had been an 05 plate rather than an 07 they would have probably made it a cat D too.
It's all about current market value and repair costs.

[Preee]

I would second RAC check and mot
. And then ask for money off the purchase. Downside would be loss of value if you came to sell if. Also i would ask for a full list of parts that were changed so you have a better idea what was damaged

[jeebowhite]

Thanks Guys,

Well I took her for a spin! tight as a drum, I saw the pictures, and its basically a split bumper and the door had buckled in, like some twonk had taken a battering ram to it! Checked for damage around the car, nothin in the boot to suggest that the subframe has moved, the front end is perfect and all original panels, the alignment of the bumper is find, and all seems well, so it was just the replacement door and rear bumper...

Because this garage are not themselves going to be buying my Cee'd (should I proceed) they are looking to speak with another interested party to see what they will pay me. To be honest its down to them! if they give me 4200 for my car, then I will buy the CMax, else I wont really be bothering. There is no service book, or owners manual included, and only one key, so I have told them I would be looking to get the car down to 3200 as opposed to the 3700 they are looking at, but until they tell me what bob is going to pay for my car, theres no point talking about the cost of the CMax...

So, we just have to wait and see! I havent put a deposit down, will leave it to fait! (Fete? Faeit? - However you spell it!) if they call me back and still have it on Wednesday / Thursday then come the weekend I will be buying it. The RAC inspection, I will be looking at as a possibility too, but to be honest, I am fairly confident in what I have seen that it is a good motor, and it certainly appears to be worth a gamble!

Roll on Wednesday!

[Preee]

Jeeb as long as your happy with it , thats all that matters , but if it was me with a Cat D i would get the peace of mind with either an MOT or RAC inspection.
Like you said you get 3 months warranty.

[jeebowhite]

Cheers Preee, Now I have to play the patience game, and I am not very patient... I guess I could return it as not fit for purpose worst case scenario... although I will be without a motor for a short period!

to be honest it looks good and sounds relatively the same, if I can get it for 3200 even better, and I will keep a few quid spare. The tyres at the rear are fine, they both have the same wear and tear on them but if I do buy the car, I will be keeping a close eye on them and make sure they are not unevenly worn!

Who knows... I might soon be back in the club, and not a dirty outsider who just keeps hangin around

Cheers