Advice and opinions needed on buying
Discussion
Hi every one
I'm looking for opinions on a 07 registered vxr I was thinking of buying, had an independent inspection done and its pinpointed a few problems of concern bearing in mind its only done 28000 miles.
Gearbox is leaking oil, not dripping but gearbox is covered in oil
Gear change is very stiff.
Alternator is possibly on its way out
power steering cooler is almost corroded through
Its had a new rad, but cooling system needs flushing
Drive belts need replacing
Service history is not 100%
Apparently its not been used much recently and its been sitting in someone's garage for a long time
Other than that its a great car, their asking 14K. how much would you pay taking into account the work needed.
Thanks for any help
I'm looking for opinions on a 07 registered vxr I was thinking of buying, had an independent inspection done and its pinpointed a few problems of concern bearing in mind its only done 28000 miles.
Gearbox is leaking oil, not dripping but gearbox is covered in oil
Gear change is very stiff.
Alternator is possibly on its way out
power steering cooler is almost corroded through
Its had a new rad, but cooling system needs flushing
Drive belts need replacing
Service history is not 100%
Apparently its not been used much recently and its been sitting in someone's garage for a long time
Other than that its a great car, their asking 14K. how much would you pay taking into account the work needed.
Thanks for any help
A stiff gear change might simply be a sign that the car has had a Ripshifter (Short throw gear lever) which, if this is the case, is a good thing. Many on this forum would likely suggest that fitting one of these is a "Must have" modification anyway. From my limited experience the Ripshifter, in giving you a much shorter throw, will also give a heavy, mechanical weight to the action. You get used to it and come to really enjoy it but if your independent inspector is largely used to the gearshift on a modern hatchback (For example) the Ripshifter could be seen as, comparatively, quite stiff.
Don't get hung up on the low mileage. Still not sure if this is an early VXR8 or a late Monaro - I'm guessing the latter, from the price though.
You are aware of the problems on this car, so maybe you can use this as a bargaining tool? If not, then continue your search, as that which has been identified could easily run into a few thousand pounds to put right.
You are aware of the problems on this car, so maybe you can use this as a bargaining tool? If not, then continue your search, as that which has been identified could easily run into a few thousand pounds to put right.
As already said, the stiff gear change could be normal.
The oil on the gearbox could be engine oil if the rear main seal is leaking, which isn't unheard of.
The power steering cooler corrosion is extremely common and will already have been replaced on 90% of cars.
I wouldn't necessarily walk away, but definitely don't pay £14k. If the rest of the car is in good shape I'd offer about £10k or £11k. That would give you £2k to put it right.
The oil on the gearbox could be engine oil if the rear main seal is leaking, which isn't unheard of.
The power steering cooler corrosion is extremely common and will already have been replaced on 90% of cars.
I wouldn't necessarily walk away, but definitely don't pay £14k. If the rest of the car is in good shape I'd offer about £10k or £11k. That would give you £2k to put it right.
Walk from it 
it is gearbox out for the rear main seal so unless you have access to a ramp it will be a big bill just for that, and as 007 says there are plenty of others out there, I looked for over a year for my Monaro and found one just 2 miles away in the end which I never thought they would sell, I saw plenty of dogs and one very bad one, you will find one just be patient
it is gearbox out for the rear main seal so unless you have access to a ramp it will be a big bill just for that, and as 007 says there are plenty of others out there, I looked for over a year for my Monaro and found one just 2 miles away in the end which I never thought they would sell, I saw plenty of dogs and one very bad one, you will find one just be patient 
Thanks for the comments
Its a late Monaro VXR, don't really care much for the early VXR8
Its from a dealer, I spoke to them this morning, says they will investigate the oil leak and repair what ever needs doing, problem is I cant be 100% sure they have.
wonder if it has been over filled? oil level is spot on at the moment. are oil leaks common on these gearboxes?
Not too worried about the other work, can do this myself, body work and interior is excellent.
All down to price really cant see them dropping too much. Does come with a 12 Month master fit warranty but not sure it that's worth the paper its written on though.
Keep looking I guess
Its a late Monaro VXR, don't really care much for the early VXR8
Its from a dealer, I spoke to them this morning, says they will investigate the oil leak and repair what ever needs doing, problem is I cant be 100% sure they have.
wonder if it has been over filled? oil level is spot on at the moment. are oil leaks common on these gearboxes?
Not too worried about the other work, can do this myself, body work and interior is excellent.
All down to price really cant see them dropping too much. Does come with a 12 Month master fit warranty but not sure it that's worth the paper its written on though.
Keep looking I guess
Sounds like usual problems to me , take it for a drive as the box may just need warming up a bit , a bit of oil from rear crank seal is not a big concern as long as it's not a lot , I think price is a bit high but you have bargaining power , it depends on what you think and more so what you feel
These cars from my experience do not like just sitting around they need to be used regularly. Gearbox shifts are hardly modern and the clutch is heavy. Ours now has 21,000 miles on it, brought nearly a year ago with 15,500. In a year we have replaced the throttle pedal sensor,track rod ends, drop links, power steering tube, taken off the Toad alarm that left us stranded once, but if you find a good local mechanic like we have, I just buy the parts off Monkfish and he fits/services the car as in real terms they are pretty basic. Relative cheap costs considering the cars significant V8 fun factor . Good luck with the search, good ones seem rarer as people appear to be keeping hold of them.
Don't and I mean DONT get distracted with warranties that get offered as they will never pay for anything!
Also it is at a dealer which means you are not going to get any money off.
Don't get hung up on low mileage cars, I'd rather have a higher mileage car that has been treated well rather then a car which needs a buck load of work doing and is advertised a high price
Also it is at a dealer which means you are not going to get any money off.
Don't get hung up on low mileage cars, I'd rather have a higher mileage car that has been treated well rather then a car which needs a buck load of work doing and is advertised a high price
Phillphill said:
Don't and I mean DONT get distracted with warranties that get offered as they will never pay for anything!
Some warranties are good and depends on the dealer and dealers input. Yes warranties dont cover 100% of parts as some are consumablesMaybe best not to judge everyone by your own bad experience. But if you rag and track cars it's not surprising if you have had a bad experience
preciousmetal said:
Some warranties are good and depends on the dealer and dealers input. Yes warranties dont cover 100% of parts as some are consumables
Maybe best not to judge everyone by your own bad experience. But if you rag and track cars it's not surprising if you have had a bad experience
Dealers aren't all that bad, I had a Citroen C4 VTS with various modifications suspension and some engine stuff.Maybe best not to judge everyone by your own bad experience. But if you rag and track cars it's not surprising if you have had a bad experience
It got tracked regularly and the dealer was aware. They still fixed any issues I had. An the engine mods and suspension were quite obvious. They even fixed issues on the engine when I had them.
Even got them to replace a wheel bearing and it had after market big brakes, after market wheels and wheel spacers fitted.
preciousmetal said:
Some warranties are good and depends on the dealer and dealers input. Yes warranties dont cover 100% of parts as some are consumables
Maybe best not to judge everyone by your own bad experience. But if you rag and track cars it's not surprising if you have had a bad experience
The challenge with warranties is the "devil is in the detail" and its usually hard to compare them as they all have different permutations and combinations. One of the classics is when they say its a "12 month bumper to bumper warranty" .....but when you go to make a claim its restricted to £500 limit a claim (or insert any other arbitrary amount). Hardly useful if the claim is for a few grand if its a big ticket item. You do need to do proper due diligence when it comes to assessing warranties. Maybe best not to judge everyone by your own bad experience. But if you rag and track cars it's not surprising if you have had a bad experience
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