2008 T2 D4D,7500 Miles-Buy Or Not?

[toby2111]

Hi all,

First time poster here in Ireland.I saw a lovely 2008 T2 D4D,7500 miles in a pretty well known dealership here in Dublin yesterday.Dealer said it was taken in from Scotland,pristine condition,lovely drive.Dealer seemed eager to take my trade in,dropped €500 firstly then rang 2 hours later and dropped another €500 on price he was asking.I took the reg,ran a check on mycarcheck.com and everything was spot on,registered in Edinburgh Nov 26 2008,mileage recorded on 4 different occassions,last occassion 7421 miles.Not crashed,stolen etc which I was happy about.

So I'm very tempted to do a deal,but nervous.As mentioned above,dealer dropped €1000 in his asking price,seems eager and is giving 1 year warranty.Is 7500 miles too low for a little over 3 year old D4D T2?I'll be doing pretty big mileage so I'll soon test the engine(and the DPF..if theres one fitted??)Just need someone to set my mind at ease,I guess!Thanks

[Red diesel]

Try and find out the original Uk reg and do an HPI check.

Also if it has a service history check it with the dealer shown on it.

What money is it going for id be iffy on the fact that the garage came down so willingly on price.

I should think that if it really only has 7500 miles on the clock half of ireland would be looking to buy it. The Avensis is a very popular car in Ireland as a 2nd hand purchase.

Irish people generally think sure its a Toyota it will be ultra reliable which is reflected in their pricing.

Bear in mind that such low miles in a 3 year period isnt always a good thing either. Lots of standing around and short journeys.

Im a bit nosey so what are you driving now

Red diesel

[toby2111]

Try and find out the original Uk reg and do an HPI check.

Also if it has a service history check it with the dealer shown on it.

What money is it going for id be iffy on the fact that the garage came down so willingly on price.

I should think that if it really only has 7500 miles on the clock half of ireland would be looking to buy it. The Avensis is a very popular car in Ireland as a 2nd hand purchase.

Irish people generally think sure its a Toyota it will be ultra reliable which is reflected in their pricing.

Bear in mind that such low miles in a 3 year period isnt always a good thing either. Lots of standing around and short journeys.

Im a bit nosey so what are you driving now

Red diesel

Did a check on mycarcheck.com,everything came up clean,no problems.Dealer only got car on Friday so reckon he's looking for quick sale.I know some people in Ireland have a thing about UK imports(personally I don't) so maybe he's looking to move it on quickly.I'm trading in the wife's 2008 VW Golf GT Sport,1.4 petrol,90,000 km on clock,She does big miles so she wants a comfy good value diesel.He was looking for €6000 as trade in,then dropped to €5500,then 2 hours later dropped to €5000.It looks like a low mileage car as theres not a scratch on her,inside or out.The wife really wants to move for it.I'm just looking for opinions.Dealer is 100% confident car is spot on and is giving us a 1 year warranty which is convincing me.She'll put over 20,000 miles on it within a year so if anything does go wrong,he'll have to stand by it.

[acetip]

When you ask about service history check the service book for the stamp and its up to date if the stamps are from the same dealer your buying it from then be aware that he has not just used their stamp to bring he service book up to date.

If he promises he wll give it a service then when he says it been done then ask for the workshop service sheets if he cant provide them then its not been done.

this is a very common scam.

What kind of warranty are you going to get.

[toby2111]

Getting a 1 year dealer warranty,which he says covers more than the Toyota warranty.He has 2 Toyota dealerships in Dublin,well run,well known so I doubt he will sell dodgy stuff.I told him I will hound him and plague him if anything goes wrong!

[toby2111]

He's dropped to €4750 with trade in,says car has been MOT'd and he has all documents for the car.Think I'll do a deal.Is there anything else I need to look out for?

[Red diesel]

So to be clear - if you do this deal you will be handing over a Golf plus 4,750 euros.

Did he go all the way down from 6,000 euros to 4,750 without out any negotiating on your part.

Normally you have to work with them (salesmen) in order to get the price down a bit.

If he actually came down all by himself - id be wondering why - its most unsalesman like behaviour imo.

Its hard to value cars - but on this evidence it sounds like hes allowing 10 k for a Golf (at least) which he then has to sell on. Given the ultra low miles - im still amazed he feels a need to come down so quickly.

I get your point about some Irish people not been keen on imports - but i very much doubt if the miles are genuine and the car is as you say - that would be an issue for potential buyers. A Taxi driver would think christmas had come early if that car was put in front of them lol.

Id still say thats a very desirable car - and i just don't get how the dealer feels the need to come down 1250 euros so quick. If it was me selling that Avensis and someone offered me 4,750 with the Golf id be holding tough - putting that car in carzone if it wasn't in already and expect to have the phone hopping.

When you say he has 2 Toyota garages in Dublin - considering you never mentioned before about the guy been Toyota dealer. Does that mean that hes selling from a 3rd garage that isn't a Toyota garage.

If so - why, maybe im being overly fussy and contrary - but something just doesn't sound right about this deal.

Id be expecting to be paying in the region of 13 000 euros and even a bit more for that car excluding the value of the trade in.

Id be expecting him to be offering the Avensis for 14000 - and knocking the value of the Golf from that and playing the figures as he feels like it (discounts/trade in value) to arrive at a price to change. Perhaps Golf 1.4 GT sports are worth more then i thought, incidentally is your Golf the chap with both a supercharger and a turbocharger?.

To illustrate where im coming from with this - during summer autumn 2011 - 2008 Diesel Ford Mondeos were making at least 12 to

13 000 euros. The Ford garage in Cork were selling a 2.0 TDCI with 160,000 kms (about 100 000 miles) for 13 000.

Im probably under valuing the Golf and it just maybe that he has a customer waiting for a Golf and he likes yours. I still find it hard to imagine that hes valuing an 08 Golf Petrol (yes i know yours isn't the bog standard 79 bhp model but still) at around 10 000 euros.

Get a good trusted mechanic to give it a good look over

Red diesel

[toby2111]

Quick update-bought the Avensis on Friday,€4750 plus the wifes bog standard 2008 80 bhp Golf GT Sport 1.4 petrol,91,000 kms on clock.Took the new car on a 300 mile weekend spin,mostly on motorways just to open her up!She's flying,immaculate condition,its like having a brand new car!Delighted with the deal.In my opinion,I think we got a good deal.I agree with Red Diesel to a certain extent,in that it was a bit strange he dropped €1250 from original €6000 he was asking.Original list price was €14,950,he gave us €9000 for Golf.Reckon he may have had a buyer for our Golf in mind.Car has full service record,serviced 3 times in official Toyota garage in Edinburgh.So its a genuine low mileage Nov 2008 Avensis!Whats other peoples opinion-was it a good deal or not??

[t-spiritpete]

Sounds like a great deal, just keep an eye on the oil and water levels and enjoy you new car.

Pete.

[Heidfirst]

I don't know about Irish prices but imo in the UK that Avensis would be worth ~£5k ( €6k) & I'm not even sure that they were making T2s in 2008?

[toby2111]

Well, it's definitely a T2, registered November 2008.

[T5NELtim]

In which case you have to ask did it sit brnad new in a showroom for ages??? Would be interesting to comapre the production date with the registration date. Sometimes does happen that you get cancelled orders etc.

[toby2111]

How do I compare production date with registration date?It only states registration date on the documents I have.

[t-spiritpete]

How do I compare production date with registration date?It only states registration date on the documents I have.

Don't worry mate as there are lots of AvensisT2 spec cars from 2008.

see here for confimation :-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=2008+toyota+avensis+T2&_sacat=9801&_stpos=wa14qw&gbr=1&_dmpt=Automobiles_UK&_odkw=&_osacat=9801&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Pete.

[toby2111]

Thanks Pete.Car is driving perfectly,very happy with the deal,long may it continue!!

[Heidfirst]

it certainly wasn't built in November 2008 though as the factory had switched to T27s - have you checked the production date?

[toby2111]

How do I check production date?

[T5NELtim]

To be honest, if the car is what it says (seems to be) and runs reliably and you are happy then it's a good result.

In terms of production date - I am not sur eon Toyotas but on many cars the numbers on the VIN plate are often a coding of the model/date etc. Perhaps someone who is more Toyota'd up can tell you.

You might as well get some miles on her and enjoy!

[toby2111]

Thanks!Yeh,I intend to put plenty of miles on her now!Hopefully it'll be all trouble free but its good to know this forum is here if I need help or advice.

[Red diesel]

Best of luck with the car toby

Red diesel