It's been a few weeks since I bought my used car and now I've learnt an expensive lesson one which could have been avoided and nearly was, but nearly doesn't cut it. It should have been avoided. However, in the sense of learning and understanding I sure as hell have learnt a lot. For instance, don't trust a used car salesman, this should be stamped and tattooed into every buyers mind. If you're only spending out a few hundred quid, then it probably doesn't matter at all. If it's going to be in the thousands then buyer beware it is. As always the problem was heart and mind were in conflict and I bought without engaging the cogs as much as I should. The nearly part comes in because I had considered getting the car independently checked out by a mechanic. I'd even done some online checks to find organizations and people who would do this. The AA do it. It was the week before the booked test drive when all this had gone on in my mind. I really should have thought about it more, driven the car and said the salesman I'd like to get my own independent mechanics check of the vehicle. The issue of this was being a bit tight and thinking to myself it would be another £140 quid ontop of what I was already paying. They were subtle, unfortunately poor experience with cars and poor knowledge meant they were not picked up on. There is nothing like a novice idiot, a newby, someone without knowledge who is waiting to be screwed over. As I already know, the most powerful engine in a car is the one in the driver's head, if they don't use their brain it is nothing more than a chunk of metal driving at velocity and with little in the way of control.
It was the issue of control which made me get Lucy (car) checked out. She had three different sets of tyres on. This was one of those subtle hints, for the tyres were probably amongst the cheapest available. Car control in the wet was worrying for it just felt like it was aquaplaning. The more I think about it, why would someone just get the cheapest tyres available? The previous owner was a woman and she didn't drive the car much. It was likely just used as a run around. Her husband (I guess) was alright with keeping the car roadworthy but wasn't going to put his hand in his pocket to get premium goods. Except when it came to the service. For they had gone out of their way to get a very expensive service 8 months prior to part exchanging it. A service which was three times more costly than a normal service. Perhaps the problem is people who put their car in for service think the mechanics will give it a full check to see if it is mechanically sound as well. Maybe they think if there was something of concern then the mechanics would point it out and say "hey the thing over there needs replacing." Certainly on a service which cost £400 when the normal costs should be in the region of £145. Then perhaps again at service Lucy was checked over and perhaps the then owner knew there were things which had to be replaced and repaired thinking it better to get rid of the car and buy another. It makes me a bit mad, not absolutely crazy mad, just a bit mad, because the faults lay with me, the seller and with the previous owner. Primarily me because I shouldn't have bought the bloody thing, or rather wouldn't have bought the bloody thing. Mind, here a little emotional attachment comes in. For I do actually like to drive Lucy. It is an experience I enjoy. An experience which has now cost me an additional £1100 in repair costs.
So, I contacted National Tyres and spoke to the local branch, my question stemmed on whether to fit wider tyres on the car than it already had. The simple reply was no, the young man on the phone seemed to know his stuff and said he'd previously worked for Fiat, the maker of my car. Now even though the car's manual indicated it would take a further 10 mm width than the one's already on there his view was to stick with the same width because the tyres could mushroom, which I took to mean bow out to the sides if they didn't correctly fit the rims. Shortly after I ordered four premium grade all season all weather tyres, it might be summer here but in the instances when it rained the current tyres felt slippery. The new ones would make all the difference. National Tyres ran me up a day after the internet order and I spoke to the same chap I'd previously spoken to, it was then I also asked if he could check out the breaks. It wouldn't cost any more.which was good news.
I took a day off, delivered the car and then went off for a walk and a coffee waiting on a call back in an hour or so. It was the phone call back that came as a bit of a shock. He said he had checked the breaks but while at it also checked other parts of the car. The exhaust was rusted and needed replacing, the back passenger side break only had one millimetre of wear left and had to be replaced, the rear shocks were leaking fluid and cracked. On tallying up the cost of this he quoted £1300. My reaction was to swear in shock and say the show room had given the car a check over telling me the breaks were good for another 12,000 miles. They'd also done their own pre-inspection prior to letting it leave the show room. An expection which couldn't of been much cop. I know now I will not buy my next car from there which was going to be my future plan. I know now this car will have to last a minimum of two years before I get my next. I also know I am skint. After my shock at the initial start of the conversation, I was offered a discount and so £200 was knocked of the price of the repairs. the new tyres which were already bough cost in excess of £300. So taking a day off work, getting the car sorted and up to scratch had totaled in an additional cost of £1400. This is just over half the value of the car when I bought it. So lets look at the costs so far:
£2700 purchase of car
£1000 fully comprehensive insurance and one year break down cover
£300 new tyres
£1100 repairs, new rear shocks, new exhaust new breaks front and back.
£5500 Total costs
The handling now of Lucy is quite a bid different than it used to be. I no longer have to depress the brake pedal all the way down for it to stop. The steering feels stiffer, which is odd but is probably a good thing, I put this down to the new tyres and the fact they now actually have substantially more hold. The old tyres did have a lot of grip left, between 7 mm and 4 mm, but they were economy class. For some reason the back of the car seat feels higher up, this must be related to the rear shocks which have probably raised the rear end making the seat support my back more. Previously the seat felt low but now it does feel a little higher and a little better. Lastly the hand break also feels stiffer and like the break pedal which only needs a small amount of pressure before I can feel the car slow down now the hand break becomes stiff and engaged after pulling it up no more than about three inches. Before it was a matter of yanking the thing as high as I could to be sure it had engaged.
In parking on a hill I was advised the car should be put in either reverse gear or first gear. The young man I spoke to said he knew the break would hold but it was best to keep it in gear when on a hill. This advise is something I will take to heart and change my parking/driving preference. After I collected Lucy I had a migraine, it had began in the morning even before the events of the day took place and as the day went on it go worse, it has nearly lifted now. I would say about 36 hours of head pain.
I have learnt a hell of a lot from this experience and I know from this there is a lot to driving and knowing cars than I could have ever considered before. When I learn things like this on my own, then the lesson is tougher, but it sure sticks as well. Now me and Lucy are engaged, I better not let Sparkling Eyes know she'll kill me.
