The purchase

I’ll start by saying that inherently I trust people. I believe that the vast majority of people are not out there to screw you over, or to rob and steal from you. That said, every time you part with your money for a purchase of wny goods, there is some risk involved that it may not be described correctly, or the person may be trying to scam you. In 22 years of buying cars, I have never been ripped off, cheated or robbed……but, every car, or boat I have ever bought has had something which I found which was not described. This could be as simple as a scratch or a ding, or more major such as a chequered past, but I nothing has ever been an issue and I would like you to come to understand my way of thinking.

The only time you will ever be disappointed with a purchase is if you feel that you paid too much money for the object in question. If you come away from a purchase thinking……that’s a good deal, then it’s the best feeling in the world. You then get home and find that there is something wrong. A scuff on the bumper you didn’t see or the rear tyres needing replacing as examples. All of these can be fixed, but all of these will cost some money. What do you think now?? Is it still a good deal?

If it is still a good deal then, well done. You bought the vehicle at the right price and you are on you are on your journey. If, however, you are thinking that you have been stitched up in some way, then a) due diligence comes into question but more importantly b) you paid too much. If you’d spent £1,000 less you’d be thinking…..despite these, it’s still a great deal! So my first lesson is always pay less than you should. If you can’t get the car cheap enough then go buy another car. With over 100 Million cars which have been on the road in the UK, there are plenty to choose from.

Don’t worry about buying the best car! It may sound strange but buying the car with the least number of owners and the car with the lowest mileage and the car with best service history may see like the sensible option, but you will have to pay more for the car than a higher mileage one. It still may be that you are more comfortable with this, but again it comes down to buying at the right price. I would rather buy a car with 2x as many miles for £5,000 less and be prepared to spend £1,000 pounds on it than buying the low mileage car which you will pay more for and may still have to spend a £600 on.

So…..what have I bought this time.

I wanted a nice comfortable car, which would easier take my family of 5, and wanted to buy a car that other people would just ignore. Life is budgeted, but not restrictive, and I was not prepared to take out finance. Running costs of the car are important, but I don’t feel I have to have a massively economical car. Most importantly I want a car that is nice to drive, is reliable and is a ‘good deal’. I’ve always liked bigger cars (most people steer clear of them) and I have always respected German engineering. I have owned VWs, BMWs, Audis and Mercedes across all aspects of their ranges and felt that an executive saloon with a large engine was probably where I would end up. So I was considering the 7-Series, S-Class, Phaeton etc but in the end I decided to plump for an Audi A8. We had had an A8 in the past and I appreciate the fact that it is not an ‘airport transfer’ car and it is not a ‘look at me’ car. It is quite unassuming and as such I feel is it relatively ‘classless’. That’s not to say that they lack character, as they are normally great to drive and they are superbly comfortable cruisers. When considering my engine options there were both the diesel and petrol options, and whilst the diesel gives better fuel economy, they are significantly more expensive to purchase. In the end I plumped for a 6.0l W12 SWB A8!

This was the biggest engine which I have ever owned in a car and even I was starting to question my judgement, but I looked through various forums, various review sites and various classifieds sites. The typical prices for a W12 varied the cheapest which I had seen on the market was £11,000 the average was £14,000 and the top was £17,000 for a 7 year old W12. I found one which looked as though it would meet my requirements with 79k miles on the clock and a pretty comprehensive service record. The only issue which I had with it is that it had an aftermarket stainless pipe system on it from manifold to tips and had 19’ MTM Bimoto wheels on it which were not necessarily my taste. Nevertheless I went down to Horsham armed with the ‘right’ level of cash and after the necessary checks on the status of the vehicle agreed on a purchase.

I will point out at this moment that on any vehicle of substantial value, and I will let you decide your own level of value, I will always pay for an Experian or HPI check. It is not worth skimping the £20-30 in order to make sure that you are insured against loss if the car turns out to have credit against it etc.

So….I now find myself in Horsham, with a new car a lighter wallet and an 80 mile first trip home. This is always the worst bit about buying a new car, but at the same time it’s the best bit. You have the excitement of your new wagon, the fact that you don’t know where all the switches are you need for lights, cruise control, windscreen washers etc and the overwhelming apprehensiveness on not knowing if it’s going to get you home or something go wrong. I have found in my experience that it is only after this shakedown drive, and after you’ve got it home, and sometimes only the next day that you can say……..”that’s a good deal”.