Best of the Bargain Basement Vol. 2

[Rollcage]

SuperHangOn said:

And the price has miraculously risen £200. Can't sell car therefore price must be too low. Strange logic.

It can happen - being cheapest isn't always best.

[gowmonster]

Rollcage said:

confused_buyer said:

Ad info from DVLA link says 0 previous owners so current seller hasn't registered it in their name.

Yeah, saw that - but the seller can't make up his mind if it was <his> car, or a trade purchase when you read the ad. One minute it's one previous owner, the next it isn't. He's only selling it because he's bought an XJR apparently, which wouldn't accord with it being a trade sale, and if it isn't a trade sale why isn't it in his name?

cos the seller just bunged the guy the complete v5 rather than fill the thing out.

[Rollcage]

This Merc is back on the 'Bay - will be comfortably under thread budget.


I nearly bid on a no T&T 300CE the other week - went for £256!

[SuperHangOn]

Rollcage said:

It can happen - being cheapest isn't always best.

Perhaps but a packet of wotsits and 10 Marlboro lights would be a fair offer for a mould green V plate S type.

[KTF]

Rollcage said:

This Merc is back on the 'Bay - will be comfortably under thread budget.

The 'ticking' noise from the box when in reverse may well take it comfortably over

[ferrisbueller]

A lex said:

Tallbutbuxomly said:

Alex are there any major issues with them? I do up to 60k miles a year so need something reliable and cost effective.

My Audi for example. Its only real weak points are...well the only thing I can think of is the clutch which I have done twice in 400k miles once because of a broken 40 quid oil seal causing oil on the clutch.

oh and the aircon which hasn't worked in years due to a failed compressor or some such nonsense.

Its never needed any glow plugs injectors etc so just concerned about that aspect.

Also are they easy to self maintain?

They are in general very reliable, solid and well engineered cars. It would seem they tend to last longer if regularly serviced and treated to new oil at least every 12k miles (as per schedule). Cambelts are 10yrs / 96k miles and only cost £250 at an indy.

60k miles per year are a lot to be putting on any car, never mind one thats already 10yrs old - its impossible to say how one individual example will last isnt it. What I can point out is the amount of these cars you regularly see for sale in the UK (and even more so on the continent) with 350K+ miles on them.

Probably the biggest single expense is the clutch/DMF (like any modern diesel) - a lot of places will charge about £1k for it, although I have seen some special offers at around £650 - it also makes sense to do the slave cylinder when in there, as its another failure point.

The handbrake shoes de-laminate and wreck the hub(s) costing megabucks to replace - changing the handbrake is a must-do on any new purchase unless there is a very recent receipt for it.

Injectors on the earlier cars can be a little flakey - but replacing them with 2nd hand items doesnt need to be outrageously expensive - anyway its reasonably easy to check for the signs of injector problems and if you were really cautious you could even take a leak off kit with you.

They are heavy cars and they hurt their suspension - front wishbones are a service item and should only be replaced with OE quality (cheap aftermarkets tend to fail within 10k miles and are a false economy).

Electrics can be fragile, often leading to a temperamental dashboard/clocks.

Intercoolers can go pop, but are only about £250 to replace.

Basically, check the suspension and steering and make sure it boosts quickly and evenly (that should cover turbo, IC & injector operation). Press all the buttons on the inside to make sure all the electrical wotsits work OK.

Whats particualrly good about the linked one, is that a lot of the annoying and common failures have recently been taken care of and as such it should offer a decent amount of trouble free miles:

seller said:

Top Engine Mount
Outer Tie Rods
Read Discs and Pads and Shoes, and Front Pads (discs where ok)
Front Brake Pipes
Aero Wipers
Clocks have been sorted as they had the dry joint issue
Cambelt Kit Fitted along with an oil service done last month
All four tyres last year, done about 6k on them

Theres almost £2k of work in that list alone. Handbrake, brakes, top mounts and tie rods all taken care of. Dash clocks already repaired. Cambelt done, newish tyres, plenty of ticket and 6m tax too.

Put it this way - If I were remotely in the market for a cheap replacement to my V70 I would've beaten this guys door down already.

Kudos, Alex, for taking the time and effort to produce informative posts like this.

[GTO Scott]

Rollcage said:

This Merc is back on the 'Bay - will be comfortably under thread budget.


I nearly bid on a no T&T 300CE the other week - went for £256!

Thank christ I've just bought a Defender - otherwise I'd be seriously considering that.

[n_const]

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/152790/audi...

Needs a bit of work but not too much...

[Neil Jung]

n_const said:

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/152790/audi...

Needs a bit of work but not too much...

A bit? That looks like a lot of work to me... it would be interesting to price it all up.

[scdan4]

GTO Scott said:

Rollcage said:

This Merc is back on the 'Bay - will be comfortably under thread budget.


I nearly bid on a no T&T 300CE the other week - went for £256!

Thank christ I've just bought a Defender - otherwise I'd be seriously considering that.

It's got a misfire he can't cure and very short tax and mot. I'll pass thanks.



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1998-LEXUS-GS300-SE-AUTO...

looks reasonable.

[Tallbutbuxomly]

Thanks for the very comprehensive Info Alex.

I intend to put my hack in for a mock mot shortly to see whats needed to get through its next mot and will go from there.

[Rollcage]

Tallbutbuxomly said:

Thanks for the very comprehensive Info Alex.

I intend to put my hack in for a mock mot shortly to see whats needed to get through its next mot and will go from there.

Why not just put it in for an MOT? I've never understood "mock" MOTs - it's usually cheaper just to put it through a test. For example, National Tyres are doing them for half price at the moment (pretty much all the time in fact, if you book online with a voucher code)

[tbc]

If the 22k miles is genuine then this is a steal


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-GS300-3-0-SE-AUTO-...

[littlebasher]

tbc said:

If the 22k miles is genuine then this is a steal


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-GS300-3-0-SE-AUTO-...

Read further on...

1998 R LEXUS GS300 3.0 AUTO SE IN METALLIC BLUE
END SEPT TEST 11 MONTH TAX 220000 MILES FSH (TIMING BELT & WATER PUMP DONE 15 MILE AGO)

[s_zigmond]

Something a little different. Should end in budget I guess
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NCF-DIAMOND-4X4-KIT-CAR-...

[KTF]

s_zigmond said:

Something a little different. Should end in budget I guess
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NCF-DIAMOND-4X4-KIT-CAR-...

The V5 has been 'lost' and he didn't apply for a new one before selling it? Good luck with that.

[chrisw666]

Over budget and no pics but this could stack up to be a bargain.

http://www.hedmondson.co.uk/used-cars/bmw-3-series...

[Tallbutbuxomly]

Rollcage said:

Tallbutbuxomly said:

Thanks for the very comprehensive Info Alex.

I intend to put my hack in for a mock mot shortly to see whats needed to get through its next mot and will go from there.

Why not just put it in for an MOT? I've never understood "mock" MOTs - it's usually cheaper just to put it through a test. For example, National Tyres are doing them for half price at the moment (pretty much all the time in fact, if you book online with a voucher code)

Not due till mid next month and not sure whether if it fails present mot applies or new failed mot does.

[GC8]

The certificate lasts for one year (or sometimes 13 months, for the pedants).

[320touring]

Tallbutbuxomly said:

Not due till mid next month and not sure whether if it fails present mot applies or new failed mot does.

Even if it fails MOT, last MOT is still valid until expired.


Although, obviously- any major issues identified (i e those making the car "unroadworthy") are best rectified