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Buying car from Switzerland
kanye2009x
Posts: 6 Forumite
in Motoring
I am currently in the market for a second hand BMW.
I found someone on Autotrader who is advertising a great car for £2-£3k less than market value. She is based out of Switzerland.
I've spoken with her on the phone. She accepts it's a low price but says she has had problems sellng it in her own country due to the fact it's a left hand drive and also because it's UK registered. She is now looking for a sale ASAP to a UK resident.
She would be happy for me to complete an HPI check and collect in person.
Any comments on what I should look out for here? It is on the edge of 'too good to be true', though the story adds up and I would hate to miss out on it.
Any thoughts?!
I found someone on Autotrader who is advertising a great car for £2-£3k less than market value. She is based out of Switzerland.
I've spoken with her on the phone. She accepts it's a low price but says she has had problems sellng it in her own country due to the fact it's a left hand drive and also because it's UK registered. She is now looking for a sale ASAP to a UK resident.
She would be happy for me to complete an HPI check and collect in person.
Any comments on what I should look out for here? It is on the edge of 'too good to be true', though the story adds up and I would hate to miss out on it.
Any thoughts?!
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Comments
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I'd say go for it. Get it HPI checked, yes. Also, get it inspected in Switzerland, before you hand over the cash, by an AA / RAC equivalent inspection service, if possible.
Don't forget to factor into the cost of the car, will be a one-way flight ticket to Switzerland, bus / train / taxi fares, hotel stay, petrol, ferry, time off work.. That could add up to £500-£1000 if you're not careful.0 -
To me it sounds like one of the classic scam - you'll transfer the money and she'll arrange to get it shipped over to you. Thats the last you see of the money or the car.
If its not a scam then i still don't think its a good deal. You say its a couple of grand behind market value well if its left hand drive its worth less anyway plus as jammin says you could well be looking at £500+ in costs to pick it up.
Unless its something ultra rare like an E30 M3, Z1 or Z8 that only came LHD then i think you could probably get a similar deal on a proper UK registered RHD car by haggling hard with a dealer.
Times are hard and there are deals to be done.Cover me in honey and fling me to the hermaphrodites!0 -
Hang on, is it left hand drive or right hand drive, OP? You said it's left hand drive, but also that this is a problem for the seller, when trying to sell in Switzerland. The Swiss drive on the right, so LHD cars are the norm there. Why should it be a problem?
Or did you mean it's right hand drive? If it is RHD, on UK plates, first registered in the UK and is UK spec, then as long as the HPI check checks out, and mechanics inspection, then I can't see any problem at all.
You should save at least £1-2k on market value, even when you factor in collection costs, from what you've said.0 -
Sorry, I meant right hand drive - i.e. good in the UK, not in Switzerland. My apologies
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She also tells me it's UK registered, UK plates. No outstanding finance and registered in her name.
Looking at the figures, I would say it's closer to £4k under value.
Confused - everything sounds good but the price is unrealiasticaly low.
Thanks for the comments so far.0 -
I've just had another email where she said she would rather use a third party mediator, glossing over the fact that we agreed pay on collection in person.
I found it in the same way as this guy. Buyer beware I think!
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1117579&highlight=bmw+z40 -
Well spotted, I think that you would be " cuckoo " to go ahead.;)0
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kanye2009x wrote: »..she would rather use a third party mediator..
Meaning what?0 -
OK thanks for the advices. Scary how professional it all sounded!0
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Be careful! Avoid like the plague. Look at this article I just found:
http://www.parkers.co.uk/news/News/switzerland-car-buying-scam/
It's becoming increasingly more frequent.
Does this sound familiar?
http://www.parkers.co.uk/Scam-e-mails/
http://www.data-wales.co.uk/nigerian.htm0
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