I used Douglas Reid at http://www.eliteinspections.co.uk/
He charges more than £300, but he visits the dealer, looks out for any tricks, spends a few hours with the car including taking a load of photos (outside, inside and of course underneath) and test driving it. Talked me through all the important stuff - engine, transmission, suspension, brakes - as well as looking for signs of how well the car has been mainatined and whether it's been driven with care. He told me what faults there were, but pointed out which ones weren't a big deal. Then he handled the negotiations including getting the front discs and pads done, rear bumper respray, alloy refurb, stain removed from the boot, repair to that strap that attaches the seat belt to the seat, full valet.. He does nothing but inspect cars (and is a Ferrari/Maserati enthusiast) and it shows.
Lo and behold, I took delivery of the car and everything works, looks spotless and the engine, gearbox and suspension all feel great.
Probably not worth it for a bargain basement purchase, but very useful for something that requires a bigger outlay.
Looks like a thorough report which is what you would want, however with all these things they also need to be looked at rationally too. I suspect that even cars that many people regard as good or even exceptional example could provide a healthy list too.
The only non "regular service" item he'd had done was the roof replacement.
Did he find any rust bubbling under the passenger side rear light?
I've walked away from a few cars over the years plus the ones I didn't even bother going to see from the vibe on the telephone, innit
Weekend rail travel can be surprisingly cheap so if you get an early train and the car is a dog (which it sounds like this one is and should have been easily spotted) you can make a day out of it.
No. It was just spotted by some more eagle-eyed viewers of the original ad. I couldn't see it, but others did. If it hasn't been sorted then get it seen to asap. It will only get worse!
You know this car well!? As a matter of fact he did...
Is this a well known issue that suggests the car will turn to dust within 6 months? (Although I'm not at home with the car right now and can't remember whether this was one of things that the dealer has already sorted...)