PEACHY wrote:

If you can - raise that extra cash - really is worth that little extra

Better still - test drive both - then you wont need convincing

I went over budget and bought an early tdv6 facelift for high 20's so you should be able to get it for your money. I was originally looking at the pre facelift but so glad I spent more. They seem to be holding the money a bit better as well.

I've just bought a late 2009 facelift 2010 model from a main dealer. I ended up paying top money at around £30K but of all the ones I tested between 3 & 5 years old it was by far the best and felt right as soon as I drove it.

It has done just 31K and has been serviced every year - so about every 6K miles.

I found huge variation in history, from the one owner regularly serviced (like mine) to the 2/3 owner with erratic service history. Personally I avoided multi-owner cars that I suspected had been used on the school run. I also avoided cars that had been moved through the trade. I found one on a main dealer forecourt that had been sold in Yorkshire in October and appeared on the forecourt in Sussex 6 weeks later!

So, my advice would be to place a lot of weight on the service history and try and find a low mileage one owner car. They are about if you take your time.

Rich wrote:

I found one on a main dealer forecourt that had been sold in Yorkshire in October and appeared on the forecourt in Sussex 6 weeks later!

Why would that be a problem? Its pretty routine that cars move around a small island within the trade.

Mine came from Northern Ireland into the mainland trade before I snaffled it. The reason is they are worth more here on the mainland than in NI, and I am told, black unmolested ones are worth more in the north, and blinged-up ones that look like they ram raided a Halfords go south.

I had cause to call up the original owner of mine; nothing fishy at all going on. It still breaks down just as often as one from a local main dealer would.

OP: Buy spec, miles and history. Buying from an established member here would be a good way to go. But from anywhere, if you can pay pound notes, bid lower and hold out, or move on. Money talks. Also, paying one of the gurus here (if any are local to you) to turn out and look a car over may not be a bad investment if any will do that. Buying someone else's experience is always cheaper than learning the hard way yourself.

I'm sure the vast majority that move around the country are OK but there were a couple of niggles that made me wonder.....

When I asked one main dealer about sourcing a car from another up-country he said he could try but dealers were reluctant to let a good one move on at a time of year when demand was strong. Of course this could have been because he wanted to sell me one he already had - but I had made it clear none of his stock fitted my requirements.

When I drove the car in question in a straight line, the steering wheel was slightly out of alignment. Only about 3 or 4 degrees but enough to notice.

Furthermore, my wife spotted a paint blemish above a rear wheel arch. It looked to me as though that area may have been resprayed without sufficient preparation.

I put 2 and 2 together and wondered if it had been repaired in the six weeks between Yorkshire and Sussex. Maybe not but it was my money so as I was not 100% happy I walked.

I think that is my personal message - there are plenty out there so don't compromise. If you are not 100% happy, walk away!