Advice on approved used van with cosmetic damage

[Nickd911]

Hi all,

I’m about to pull the trigger on a VW approved used Caravelle gen 6 but a couple of things have caught my eye on the video from the dealer that I’m not sure if I should challenge…

1. The tyres are three different brands, Looks like 2x kuhmo on the front, with a Michelin and a sumitomo (had to Google that one) on the rear. Should I ask for the tyres to be matching?
2. There are scratches on the plastic panel as you open the boot on the lower left - should I get them to replace? The chrome boot sill is pretty badly scratched too.
3. The outside of the armrests are scratched on the 2 rear seats that move and there are marks on the back of the front seats

The car is £39k with 2 owners and 60k miles.

Any thoughts? Target price etc

Thanks,
Nickd911

 

[Gavinda]

I don't think any of the interior marks would be out of the realms of average wear and tear for the age and milage, but there's nothing to lose asking them to change them - the armrest plastic should be easy enough, the rear trim less so.
As for the tyres, it wouldn't bother me just sort it next time it needs new tyres but I would be scrutinising the van more as mismatched tyres can be indicative of a vehicle which hasn't been looked after with much love and care.

 

[Pete C]

The cosmetic stuff is trivial for a van that age.
I have a 4 month old VW Golf with 3 different (but good quality) tyre brands, due to 2 unlucky punctures. It never even occurred to me to ask them to match exact tyres as I was in a hurry, and I doubt they could match anyway.

Service history and overall specification is way more important. Have you seen the van yourself ?

Pete

 

[Nickd911]

Not seen it yet, just working out pix etc before we travel the few hours for the test drive / collection if satisfactory. Gavinda, my thought exactly on the tyres - what else have they missed or tried to do cheap. I’ve always been one of the fussy ones with matching premium tyres as they are the only part of the car/van that makes contact with the road so worth spending a few pounds extra on.

spec wise it’s gen 6 204 bop with std fit such as led lights, dynamic chassis premium nav also got adaptive cruise, electric doors, reversing camera and the 3 zone climate. Sure there was more options…

 

[Eli]

They will probably tell you all “ reflected in the price”

 

[DaveD]

Any vehicle with 60K miles will have the odd scratch or scuff, it's part of being a used vehicle.
I don't like mismatched tyres, but most people don't seem to care and as has already been said, a good service history is the most important thing.

 

[Paynewright]

That arm rest looks low - I’d check it adjusts up properly. The ally blocks inside are known to break if you put too much weight on the rest. The fixing kits are cheap - IIRC paid £14 for two aftermarket repair kits.


I like stuff to look like new and get very annoyed when me or the family accidentally damage something pristine. Having pre-owned vehicles with a bit of patina means I’m much less bothered when we add our own damage!

 

[AussieMick]

Unmatched tyres all have different road holding characteristics, not a very safe thing in my view. I wouldn't drive a vehicle like that. But I guess some do and not worry about it.