Advice Please

[enk]

Hi all i am new to the the site so heres my 1st question,,a friend of a friend of a friend is selling a 2004 t4 1.8 hatchback its got full toyota history bit has covered 118,000 miles £4990 please give me as much info as possible and your honest opinion if i should get it or not

[G0AOZ]

The friend of a friend of a friend is probably completely unknown to you. Check it out to make sure it's not stolen, got HP hanging over it etc. I would then pay the AA or RAC to do a mechanical check on it. You're not being offered any cast iron guarantees, so don't take chances with your 5 grand...

Good luck.

[B3rtie]

Make sure you have done your homework on the model - wisebuyers parkers etc.

Agree that you should have an AA/RAC check.

Its done high mileage (40k per year is going some) but likely to have done long trips so wear of the engine and gearbox wont be as bad as you might think.

If its been looked after correctly it will be a good value buy as most people will be put off by the mileage. If you do a lower than average mileage after a couple of years it wont look that bad against average mileage cars.

My company car does 30k per year with just me driving (130 mile commute per day) and the main things that matter are chips to bodywork and windscrean. Surprisingly there isnt that much wear on drivers seat or the controls. The main things to get hammered on a car like this are tyres, brakes and other consumables. Make sure these have been replaced with OEM parts or good quality alternatives since as the miles rack up these do make a big difference to the vehicles longevity and problems show up sooner.

Harder driving over periods of high mileage will show up on wear and tear items like suspension and clutch. May be worth trying a few lower mileage cars to see how they "should" drive before you part with the cash.