Buying a used tow car with a tow bar.
Do people think that buying a used car with a tow bar is a good idea? Obviously, it would be good to not have to get one fitted. However, do people think that the car could have had a bit more of a battering than a car without one?
Comments
-
Both my present and previous cars already had towbars. The Audi had a factory retractable towbar which still had the paint on it, never used in 130k miles covered before I bought it. The car started life as a dealer demo and also had self levelling suspension.
The garage selling it didn't even know it was fitted! The Alltrack I bought used earlier this year also had a factory detachable towbar used only for a cycle carrier (previous owner confirmed) so again still had paint on the ball. In both cases I had to spend
about £100 having the fridge and battery charging pins wired but otherwise effectively got new towbars for nowt.
So if the car otherwise
checks out, worry not!0 -
From my experience I think that those that use their cars for towing tend to look after them a bit better.
0 -
It may also depend on what car the tow bar is on. We once had a tow bar fitted to a 1.3 Metro to pull a trailer containing the frame tent - those were the days. When we traded it in (before it fell to bits) the garage definitely asked what we had towed!
I suspect they took it off before selling it on!0 -
Both my present and previous cars already had towbars. The Audi had a factory retractable towbar which still had the paint on it, never used in 130k miles covered before I bought it. The car started life as a dealer demo and also had self levelling suspension.
The garage selling it didn't even know it was fitted! The Alltrack I bought used earlier this year also had a factory detachable towbar used only for a cycle carrier (previous owner confirmed) so again still had paint on the ball. In both cases I had to spend
about £100 having the fridge and battery charging pins wired but otherwise effectively got new towbars for nowt. So if the car otherwise
checks out, worry not!Write your comments here...As above we have had 2 cars with towbar fitted & no problems , full service history is a bonus & save yourself £300 to £400 .
0 -
Our first two cars, bought second hand, had tow bars already fitted, had no problems with either.
0 -
It depends on type of vehicle, we've had one customer buy a freelander that had had a very hard life it came known at a later date after buying, by a builder, that was an expensive car to maintain! but most aren't abused like that, it's always worth checking
what the previous use was0 -
I took my towbar off the last two company cars to put onto the next car. So the buyers of both would have been oblivious to them having towed a hoofing great bungalow on wheels.
Having said that, it would have mattered not one jot, they took it in their stride and would have been no worse for wear (well maybe except for the clutch on the manual, after having to stop/start all the way up Staxton Bank with the van on the back, following
an accident
)0 -
..... So the buyers of both would have been oblivious to them having towed a hoofing great bungalow on wheels. ....
Unless they crawled underneath and found a load of holes in the boot floor
Interesting point about removal before sale....does anyone replace the crash beam that is often removed when a towbar is fitted? Does anyone check a second hand car to see if the crash beam is in place??
0 -
Do people think that buying a used car with a tow bar is a good idea? Obviously, it would be good to not have to get one fitted. However, do people think that the car could have had a bit more of a battering than a car without one?
Were all in the lap of the gods as far as cars are concerned.If a car looks ok and drives well then your halfway there.If it had a towbar i would regard that as a bonus.Anyway who,s to say it had one but its been removed.What about service history i here
you ask well yes its important but very easy to fake so i dont take that as gospel.I,ve always bought my motors on how they looked sounded and drove and its never let me down yet.As i say nothing is a cert towbar or not.v9
0 -
..... So the buyers of both would have been oblivious to them having towed a hoofing great bungalow on wheels. ....
Unless they crawled underneath and found a load of holes in the boot floor
Interesting point about removal before sale....does anyone replace the crash beam that is often removed when a towbar is fitted? Does anyone check a second hand car to see if the crash beam is in place??
I only took them off because I was replacing the car with the same model and could re-use the perfectly good tow bar.
I replaced the crash beam on both occasions, I would not have dreamt of not doing. But yes, you make a very interesting point, I wonder how many cars might be running round without. I doubt an MOT would pick it up.
Oh, and there were no holes in the boot floor, all pre-drilled through chassis rails, and I put back all the blanks and grommets. Honestly you would not have known, and not had any cause to know, the cars were perfect.
0
