Trying to source an Ultima

[Abbosevolution]

Having owned a caterham and getting fed up with the english weather that was sold - now bored with my Nissan gtr being in control on the track so i am looking for something more challenging and with more driver input so the Ultima GTR seemed a good choice. So the first port of call was the good guys at Ultima who were very helpful - some money saving ideas but unfortunately whilst ideally wanting to build my own she who must be obeyed has stepped in and it's a set budget - £35k. No problem - buy one built I said to myself - not so easy it seems - a couple via dealers that have been for sale for ages so a little suspicious - so really looking for a good spec part built or finished car for my budget. Any of you guys know of such a car ? PS - must be at least 450 bhp - part built without engine may suit - any ideas/views guys?
Based in West Sussex

Edited by Abbosevolution on Saturday 19th January 12:36

[DHGTR]

Hi dont be so quick to write of an Ultima thats been at a dealer for a while. Its a pretty specialist market and an Ultima isn't everybody's cup of tea in this day of high luxury daily driver sports car.
There are a lot of Ultimas that go to dealers because they offer a quick hassle free sale, its not like a Corsa thats been sat on a forecourt for 6 months.

Have you checked the cars in the Pistonheads classified, a lot of the cars on there are known by the other owners so you may get a bit more history on here for any of the cars you see.

Dave

[Abbosevolution]

Thanks for your comments Dave, appreciated. I have looked on the classifieds and at first glance like the look of the red Ultima at under £40k. However 10 years old and only 1500 miles? The suspension looks old, inside the bonnet it looks like it's been resprayed with paint runs on the inside. I think my problem is that that car is 10 years old and I'm expecting too much. I want something that meets my standards, a private owner would have cherished the car and it's build, I doubt a dealer would have that same commitment but am willing to be put right. It might well be that my budget wont be enough to get what I want but you never know, i'll be keeping my fingers crossed that someone has one that they want a good home for. PS your car looks great, red does suit the car.
Steve'

[hedgefinder]

there is a lot to be said for some older cars... emmissions tests being one of them and the ability to upgrade to modern LS power without all the hassles.. oh and the road tax..

Why not give the guy with the green gtr at 40k a call? His ad does say open to offers?

[hedgefinder]

Abbosevolution said:

Thanks for your comments Dave, appreciated. I have looked on the classifieds and at first glance like the look of the red Ultima at under £40k. However 10 years old and only 1500 miles? The suspension looks old, inside the bonnet it looks like it's been resprayed with paint runs on the inside. I think my problem is that that car is 10 years old and I'm expecting too much. I want something that meets my standards, a private owner would have cherished the car and it's build, I doubt a dealer would have that same commitment but am willing to be put right. It might well be that my budget wont be enough to get what I want but you never know, i'll be keeping my fingers crossed that someone has one that they want a good home for. PS your car looks great, red does suit the car.
Steve'

There are a lot of ultimas with very very low milages, a lot of people enjoy the build more than the actual ownership, i know of at least a couple of cars that have sat in storage since the first year they were built and not used after the first year. The red cars centre shift is interesting. regarding "resprayed" - most cars are gel coat finish and paint is usually owners preferrence when the gel coat gets the odd chip ect. and you could very easily have the inside of the front and rear clam painted satin black to tidy it up. Suspension components at that age will be showing signs of light corrosion unless the car has never seen a wet road, just have it re powercoated if you are that way inclined. And the dealer will have purchased it from the builder, highly unlikely for the dealer to have built it, so i dont really know what your issue is there.
Most of the "cherished" cars are just that and are kept by their owners.

[Storer]

If you want a car for the road and track I would go and take a look at this car.

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

It is above your budget but I suspect the owner who purchased it at auction for quite a bit less may be open to an offer and get SWMBO well pi**ed before you broach the small budget increase!!!


Paul

[Abbosevolution]

You make some valid points JK although when selling a car I would expect easy fixes to be done, not left. That said they are easy fixes but it could point to the general care that has been taken with the car as a whole. It's not a million miles away so I'll go take a look. Was not keen on the green car, not a lucky colour for a car, appreciate your views.

Paul, I like your idea, getting SWMBO pi**ed and the fringe benefits seems the way to go. I did like the look of the black Ultima but went no further because it was beyond budget. I'll keep you posted as to if i retain my manhood and she falls for it.........
Steve'

[Storer]

Always good to remember that everything is negotiable and most sellers expect to get less than they advertise for.


Paul

[hedgefinder]

its amazing how many people thing green is an unlucky colour for a car...
god knows how people survived motoring in the 1920s - virtually every car was either black or green due to issues with paint pigments fading terribly quickly...until the the very late 20s.

[Abbosevolution]

Just a personal thing, I know a lot of people think they are unlucky, had two green cars, one was written off, the other nicked..lol

[738 driver]

Like the Kwacker green colour and its potential to trim up... had never heard of this bad luck green theory but... did have a very nice 3 series that was stolen and the only other green family car I can ever recall was a...... Marina !!!!
Enough said Eh ?

Dont get too concerned over year or lack of use/mileage... some very nice older models out there.

G luck .

[F.C.]

Abbosevolution said:

Thanks for your comments Dave, appreciated. I have looked on the classifieds and at first glance like the look of the red Ultima at under £40k. However 10 years old and only 1500 miles? The suspension looks old, inside the bonnet it looks like it's been resprayed with paint runs on the inside. I think my problem is that that car is 10 years old and I'm expecting too much. I want something that meets my standards, a private owner would have cherished the car and it's build, I doubt a dealer would have that same commitment but am willing to be put right. It might well be that my budget wont be enough to get what I want but you never know, i'll be keeping my fingers crossed that someone has one that they want a good home for. PS your car looks great, red does suit the car.
Steve'

That car had a lot of money spent on it, It was on my short list when I started looking 18 months ago.
At the time it was the original owner selling and he wanted north of 50k.
On your budget I'd say it was worth a look.
age shouldn't be part of your criteria for buying, There are a few later cars that I would pass on over that example.
Having said that it is missing an LS lump,
You could sell the SBC as it's fresh so to speak and put an LS in, though it is not for the feint of heart, there are benefits of older builds, i.e. no emissions tests come MOT time and road tax is cheaper also I believe.