Found a car 2011 Mazda with 200km on FB Marketplace- first car purchase.
Dealer initially listed it for $10k and I was able to get negotiate it down to $9k Drive Away, the private seller is actually a LMCT so that did give me additional confidence to buy however car currently does not have RWC. After some further research I can see the car was initially posted back in April for $11k - 5 month the car did not sell. Upon messaging he notes the car is mechanically sound and there are no issues.
I ask to meet him on the weekend for a test drive but he mentions someone is coming to inspect it on Thursday but he will would hold if I made a non refundable deposit of $250. I confirm with him on Friday if the car has been sold he says the guy was a no show.
Weekend comes along I inspect the exterior and interior of the car everything looks fine, however since I'm not too familiar with the internal/engine stuff. - i don't know what to look out for specifically besides watching a few YouTube videos. Dipstick check, tyre condition, smooth engine start, no smoke when starting, no rattling. Dealer notes that the car is due for a service. Upon doing the dipstick check I can see the oil is very dirty - he does not mention this to me?
During the test drive I notice the front brake is not as responsive as it should be, I used my girlfriends car as a comparison as I've driven that before an AUDI A1 for reference. I note the issues to the seller and he says he will get it fixed with the RWC but should he have told me this prior to me finding out? He would have known because it was his daily drive?
He then tells me to pay a $500 deposit so he can get the service, brake fixed and do the RWC. In which I transfer the $500 deposit to his business bank account.
I tell him to take a picture of the logbook and it hasn't been serviced since 170kms. He comes back to me saying for the RWC - it only needs polished headlights and the RWC mechanic notes there is no issue on the front brake.
Have i made a mistake in paying the deposit? Is there anything else i can do before to ensure the car is mechanically A1 before paying his the remaining amount?
Cheers.
So many red flags and the dealer is definitely dodgy.
But just for your awareness - anytime fresh oil is put in and the engine is started, it's gonna start looking like crap almost straight away. It's only golden coming out of the bottle and as soon as it does a few loops in your motor, its going brown. Arguably you could wipe it on a tissue and see how brown it is (if its pure black then it's definitely not fresh), but it's just not a reliable way to suss out maintenance. The log book is much better.
Brakes are also very different between cars - German brake compounds (and rotors to an extent) tend to have much more initial bite, at the expense of high levels of dust. Ever noticed how MB, Audi and BMW wheels turn black almost immediately after a few drives from all the brake dust? Not saying the brakes were good or bad on the Mazda, but comparing it to a completely different vehicle again isn't a reliable test. That said, given it hasn't been serviced in 30,000km I'd believe you when you say the brakes feel unresponsive - they're probably quite spongey and in desperate need of a flush.
Also braking in reverse vs going forwards is also not a reliable indicator of how the front brakes are operating in comparison to the rear. All four brakes are being used at any given time and sure body weight transfers when you brake, but that won't change your rate of deceleration unless the the front or rear is beginning to lock up and run out of traction. Just leave it at "the brakes felt mushy" haha