Should I worry about buying a high-performance press car?
Am looking at buying a used performance car; the one thing though that is slightly bothering me is the fact that it was a press car for the launch of the car at the start of 2014. Should I be concerned that it was driven hard and also what would the story be with the warranty etc? Would I be the first owner on the car as well?
Simon MacMahon (Dublin)Jan 2015 Filed under: choosing used car
Expert answer
Hi Simon,
OK, easy answer first: no you won't be the first owner, the car will originally have been registered as a company car, owned by the importer/distributor.
As for buying an ex-press car, well how much do you trust us? The good news is that 90 per cent of our driving is just normal road mileage like anyone else. I'd like to think we're all quite good when it comes to things like mechanical sympathy and taking good care of a car that's in our charge, but the fact is that there are a few ham-fisted cloggers among us. No names, please...
If it's a high performance model then it's quite possible that it may have seen some time on the track, but then again it will also have been pampered while doing so, with an army of minders to look after it.
To be honest, it's no worse than buying any other used car - you're always taking a risk as to the care given by previous drivers, but in the case of a press car, it will have been minded and serviced by the original maker so there's that.
Why not let us know which car it is? We can probably tell you how hard it's been thrashed...
Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser@neilmbriscoe