Buying 4 yr old car - been in dealer's hands 12 months & warranties?

TomTomTomTom

Found a 2nd hand car i like - 4 yrs old, 30k miles. From dealer - national chain, 10ish branches, not a big big chain, but significant operator. Paid a deposit, and waiting to go over details, transfer funds and choose options.

2 questions :

1) Are there better places to get a warranty than from the dealer? 

Theirs seems fairly good (told the "only exclusions are wipers, bulbs, tyres and spark plugs"), though haven't provided a paper work and i definitely want to see that.

reviews suggest labour is excluded. If it is - what share of major repairs typically count as labour?

I don't know much about cars, so want the security that if something is wrong, i'm not going to loose the £££'s i'm spending.

Only service record is the one done by the dealer. So don't think i can get a manufacturer warranty.

2) Car's been in dealer's hands for 12 months - is that a worry?
Just noticed the dealer got the car 12 months ago. They did the MOT, which expires in 10 days, , their "204 point mechanical inspection" and their "oil and filter service" was also 11&1/2 months ago.

is this a concern?

Herzlos

It seems unlikely they'd keep a car in stock for 12 months. Are you sure they didn't just do the MOT a year ago?
Of course it could be that they sold it last year and it's been traded in again, which may mean the last buyer wasn't happy or it could be nothing. 

WHat's the car and cost?

Alderbank

Yes, do check that warranty's terms very carefully. Post a link here if you want help.

An unlimited mileage warranty which includes clutch, timing belts, brake pads, discs, etc. would be surprisingly generous.
On the negative side, labour charges account for about 80% of repair costs. Labour totally excluded is strange but many budget policies only pay labour at a fixed, low rate. This means that most dealerships, certainly the best ones, will not entertain repairs under that warranty and only the cheapest and most cost-cutting garages will consider them.

born_again

4 year old will at a guess be a 3rd party warranty. With more non payment options, than paying ones. So if you have to pay for it, don't bother.

As to length they have had it. What is the difference between mileage on last MOT & what it has now? Could be they have been using it as a courtesy car.

TomTomTomTom

Thanks people. That's helpful.

It definitely has been held by the dealer for 12 months. Just discussed it with them. And it shows their check dates etc in the information.

Means it did 30k miles in 3 years which is a bit high. And has zero service history from the previous owner.

Car is a DadMobile VW Touran. Price starts with 1 and has 5 digits. Price seems ok checking other options online. I am happy as long as it don't end up with a big repair bill.

Think I may take it straight for a main dealer major service as soon as i get it.

Mildly_Miffed

TomTomTomTom said:

Means it did 30k miles in 3 years which is a bit high.

10k/year? Hardly high...

And has zero service history from the previous owner.

So, potentially, it's never been serviced once in four years and 30k miles. Why, exactly, do you want THIS car?

paul_c123

I'm pretty sure any warranty will be invalidated by a clause saying the car needs to have been regularly serviced. With it being a 4 year old car, the vast majority will have service history of some kind. Its possible a service was late, and it might have been done outside the dealer network, but no service history at that age is a red flag.

fatbelly

Your seller should ensure this is freshly serviced and MOT'd

Is the Vw service history not held electronically by the dealer network?

If you phone a friendly main dealer they may have some history they can email you.

I did this recently for a Skoda, and bought a blank service book online so that I can keep an oldfashioned hard copy version, moving forward. Mind you the price I paid started with a 5 and had four digits so I was prepared to do a bit of work.

I would expect a 2021 Touran with 30k miles to be around £20k so if it starts with a 1 then the price is ok. Not cat N is it?

Bigwheels1111

My brothers son purchased a Vauxhall something, with warranty from the dealer.

3 months later the exhaust dropped off.

I was gob smacked when they said ok, sent a recovery truck, replaced the exhaust, front, middle and rear.

I have a main dealer warranty, that is hard enough to claim on.

Herzlos

TomTomTomTom said:

Thanks people. That's helpful.

It definitely has been held by the dealer for 12 months.

Weird. I wonder why they held onto it for 12 months. Was it on the forecourt the whole time and ignored? Was it in the workshop being restored? Did people just not want it?

And has zero service history from the previous owner.

That seems scary at first, but if I remember some VW's only needed serviced every 2 years though I can't remember the mileage component. So it might be alright if the dealer serviced it.  It may be worth seeing if they can get confirmation of any service history from VW incase it's just online.

Edit: My mistake. I thought it was a 3 year old car sitting for 1 year so could have been traded in before the 1st service was due.

What's so appealing about this specific car?

Grumpy_chap

TomTomTomTom said:

Price starts with 1 and has 5 digits. 

fatbelly said:

I would expect a 2021 Touran with 30k miles to be around £20k so if it starts with a 1 then the price is ok. Not cat N is it?

Well, I don't think the OP could have been more cryptic.
So, they are buying a car that is advertised for sale at something the range £10,000 to £19,999.
Based on the comment expecting around £20k (I don't know what this should be for this car), the car is either an absolute steal or bang on the money. 
If it is bang on the money, then why this car with a year stuck in trade and no service history?
If it is an absolute steal, go for it, and use some of the £10k saved in purchase to sort any issues that may arise.