buying a van ,a cautionary tale (1 Viewer)

Jul 10, 2016
413
385
hucknall
Funster No
44,017
MH
Swift bolero 712sb
Exp
10 years
paid deposit on autotrail Savannah 2 weeks ago, at what we thought was a reputable dealer,agreed a price and gaslow to be fitted and cambelt done.

was assured service history was all up to date including hab checks and service records.



arrived to collect today , the salesman was oh so eager to pay first but i insisted on seeing all paperwork and checking van including a test drive.

looked at fiat book, 3 service stamps in 5 years.
autotrail warranty book no stamps.

hab check they had done looked ok but said rear doors resealed and has i have read about this problem on autotrails, went out to check work done , rear doors were both completely rotten on the bottom , finger through wood rotten, all around the frames was well over 25 readings some of it read 39.

decided to check inside van readings under seat at front were over 25. all other readings were well over what they had written, total b locks all of what they had written , no garage receipts for service / cambelt either.

they couldn't get us off the premises quickly enough even paying us taxi home £100

thank god for what I've learnt on forums and my Chinese damp tester.

totally disappointed but so glad we didn't get bittten.

now we are vanless and scared to buy another
 

Armytwowheels

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 10, 2012
6,446
14,775
Market Harborough
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22,346
MH
Carthago S Plus - Iveco
Exp
Since 2011
So glad you were on the ball and didn't buy a lemon in the heat of the excitement of getting a new van, well done. I would rather read about your waste of time than your heartache and anguish at trying to get problems resolved.

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Langtoftlad

LIFE MEMBER
Apr 12, 2011
8,832
148,802
Langtoft, South Lincs
Funster No
16,024
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WildAx Aurora FB [PVC]
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Since 2015
There are reputable dealers - but they won't have bargains as such because they have to pay to have that reputation... premises, good staff, quality workmanship and make a profit.
 

Riverbankannie

LIFE MEMBER
Mar 11, 2016
10,432
60,960
Bristol
Funster No
41,967
MH
IH 630 RL PVC
Exp
12
Well done on dodging the bullet. I must admit to being a bit green and in your position would probably have taken dealers word.
As you say, this forum is so informative.
Hope you find what you are looking for soon.

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OP
OP
cookie
Jul 10, 2016
413
385
hucknall
Funster No
44,017
MH
Swift bolero 712sb
Exp
10 years
There are reputable dealers - but they won't have bargains as such because they have to pay to have that reputation... premises, good staff, quality workmanship and make a profit.

but this presumably was a very reputable dealer, glowing reviews
 
OP
OP
cookie
Jul 10, 2016
413
385
hucknall
Funster No
44,017
MH
Swift bolero 712sb
Exp
10 years
and i feel sorry for the person who buys it if they put it back on the forecourt slightly repaired, it has damp all along the drivers side at the bottom
 
R

Robert Clark

Deleted User
but this presumably was a very reputable dealer, glowing reviews
More reason to name someone who's ripping customers off by trading on a supposed 'good ' reputation.
Greed sometimes gets the better of motor dealers

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OP
OP
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Jul 10, 2016
413
385
hucknall
Funster No
44,017
MH
Swift bolero 712sb
Exp
10 years
its ok naming but they have more money than me to take me to court , i just want everyone to be aware even reputable companies can have lemons they want to ditch
 
Feb 24, 2013
12,990
101,151
Bolsover, Derbyshire
Funster No
24,833
MH
Hymer S800
Exp
not long enough
Pleased for you that you avoided the purchase, presumably the excitement of the first viewing hid the faults you have found now

Rotten doors are hard to cover over, or was that information gained on here, along with the damp meter recommendation?

Good result either way (y)

The paper trail though is a complete con, if they said full service records but had none, I am now trying to work out how far a £100 taxi ride gets you from Nottingham :) to be sure to avoid the area
 
OP
OP
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Jul 10, 2016
413
385
hucknall
Funster No
44,017
MH
Swift bolero 712sb
Exp
10 years
a van in the state ours was, would be impossible to pass through any quality checks we were assured over and over again it had been damp tested when they bought it and would be again .

i think they were embarrassed, but because we had found it.

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D

Deleted member 29692

Deleted User
how far a £100 taxi ride gets you from Nottingham

There are a couple of candidates on the A1 aren't there?

To be fair though I'd be surprised if either of those would do anything quite as bad as the OP describes.
 

Langtoftlad

LIFE MEMBER
Apr 12, 2011
8,832
148,802
Langtoft, South Lincs
Funster No
16,024
MH
WildAx Aurora FB [PVC]
Exp
Since 2015
There are a couple of candidates on the A1 aren't there?

To be fair though I'd be surprised if either of those would do anything quite as bad as the OP describes.
And if I'm thinking of the ones you're thinking of - I'd hardly say they had "glowing" reputations.

I must admit I'm finding it difficult to comprehend the OP's reluctance to name the outfit.

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D

Deleted member 29692

Deleted User
And if I'm thinking of the ones you're thinking of - I'd hardly say they had "glowing" reputations.

I must admit I'm finding it difficult to comprehend the OP's reluctance to name the outfit.

No, definitely not glowing reputations. I didn't think they were widely known as out and out bandits though which is what the OP seems to be describing.

I'd name them.
 
Feb 24, 2013
12,990
101,151
Bolsover, Derbyshire
Funster No
24,833
MH
Hymer S800
Exp
not long enough
this could get dangerous now, we might end up quoting perfectly good dealers with similar models for sale

but I have found one in Wiltshire, 2010, Fiat, that would be a decent taxi ride from Nottingham

A1 should be a lot less even by taxi
 
Apr 9, 2014
1,304
6,591
Lincs
Funster No
30,922
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
2012
What about the reg of the van at least that way other people are warned off completely?

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tonka

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 2, 2008
10,795
21,440
Cannock, Staffs
Funster No
3,141
MH
A class Burstner 800
Exp
Since 2000
and i feel sorry for the person who buys it if they put it back on the forecourt slightly repaired, it has damp all along the drivers side at the bottom

Common area... Any Autotrail buyers take note before you buy a used van !!
Also the 10 year ingress warranty came out in 2012 BUT you must make sure that it's had all past hab checks done by an NCC approved engineer to keep that warranty..
 
R

Robert Clark

Deleted User
er i wouldnt tell my wife that . shes in kill mode
Yes but you have to admit it's got all the makings of a good 'yarn '

1) unsuspecting buyer
2) leaky Autotrail
3) dishonest dealer

It's like 'Dallas' on wheels

image.jpeg
 
Jun 6, 2012
1,132
1,528
Leeds
Funster No
21,344
MH
A class
Exp
Since 2012
Typical........gleans all the information from this forum prior to buying then posts about been cautious but refuses to name the dealer so basically is happy for some unsuspecting individual to fall foul to which he managed to avoid!! How selfish!

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