Peter Simpson provides us with an insight into the automotive sales trading world – and beyond.
Taking a (calculated) chance
► I’ve just taken a pretty big gamble and bought a car in a BCA online auction with no mechanical report. Yes, really! The car in question is a 2013 Citroën C5, and now that it’s arrived, I’m pleased – and not a little relieved – that my gut-instinct has been proved right. It’s an absolute beauty!
The car is ex-police – or more accurately, ex-National Crime Agency – and I’ve bought a few of these in the past. They seem to fall into one of two categories. Some are scruffy and have clearly had hard use, and these are probably best avoided. However, because a lot of the NCA’s work these days involves ‘white collar crime such as fraud, internet scams and so on, many of their cars are used by office-based staff. They’re also, of course, well-maintained; often by main dealers because many NCA staff members work remotely rather than from a central base. Additionally, I’ve seen secondary evidence that a lot of cars used by other government departments, including some that are a bit hush-hush, are actually registered to the NCA.
There’s also another big plus-point when buying these from BCA – because they are sold as police vehicles, instead of the standard BCA Buyer’s Fee, the service charge is a very modest 5% plus VAT on the hammer price.
Anyway, as I say, so far the C5 seems superb; it’s the VTR + 2.0 HDi version which means nice spec including sat-nav, front and rear parking sensors and an uprated interior trim which is in superb condition. What’s more, like all well-maintained C5s, it’s a lovely drive – smooth, quiet and very comfortable.
It’s clearly and obviously a car that has been looked after. Unfortunately, the NCA don’t supply service histories, and because they are exempt from Freedom of Information requirements, you can’t get history that way. There are, though, other ways around this. These are underway at present – and I’ll let you know next month how I get on.
But getting back to the buying without a report aspect, the main reason I was happy to do this was that ALL NCA vehicles are sold this way; had it been from a source where most vehicles have a report but this one didn’t, there was no way on earth I’d have done it! So, if you are tempted, look at other vehicles from the same seller, and bear in mind too that some main dealers supply reports up to a certain age and/or CAP valuation. Look too at the photos – are there any obvious faults such as warning light(s) on, and is the engine running in the dash shot?
Finally, trust your own judgement and instinct, but accept that a car like this does carry a higher level of risk, and bid accordingly. Oh, and I had the car delivered, rather than risk driving it back, just in case.
Logbook document delaye
