Newbie+S3+Manchester+inspection?

[sjp]

Ive been looking at a s3 at Steve reids, 0„57995, seats are a bit ruff, same for the rear roof, but lots spend on it over the last few years (and to me) it looks pretty solid-

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/CARS_popup.asp?modelexact=1&make=TVR&min_pr=&postcode=sk8+1jg&source=0&sort=4&model=S3&max_pr=9000&variant=&mileage=&miles=1500&photo=1&keywords=&agerange=&max_records=50&search.x=49&search.y=12&start=1&distance=18&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200315084544940|http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/CARS_popup.asp?modelexact=1&make=TVR&min_pr=&postcode=sk8+1jg&source=0&sort=4&model=S3&max_pr=9000&variant=&mileage=&miles=1500&photo=1&keywords=&agerange=&max_records=50&search.x=49&search.y=12&start=1&distance=18&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200315084544940

few shots here (camera was duff)-
http://community.webshots.com/album/69925788VovyXa|http://community.webshots.com/album/69925788VovyXa|http://community.webshots.com/album/69925788VovyXa[/url]

Does it seem reasonable?

Is Steve Ok?

And i would like to get the car checked over by someone more technically minded so can anyone recomand sombody in the manchester area (pref with a contact number)?


Cheers, Sean.

[RichardR]

Sean,

I'm afraid I can't help out with any local knowledge or recommendations, but I would definitely suggest searching the forums on here for any work that you've spotted needs doing e.g. replacing/recovering seats. This will give you some idea of price, and may also highlight jobs that you'd expect to be relatively straightforward but can actually be a complete bitch e.g. replacing a driving light!

£7,950 seems a bit steep for a 1990 S, although I guess you have to factor in some dealer mark up, and overall condition is a major governing factor. If you compile a comprehensive list of work to be done together with corresponding prices, this'll give you a good bargaining tool. I got £900 of the price of mine that way.

Good luck with the purchase.

Richard

[Ren Dao]

After looking around for three months before buying mine - I can say beyond any shadow of a doubt LOOK AROUND - I went to look at one of Steve's cars - I think it was in better nick than the one you are looking at but that's only cosmetically of course - take your time and get to know a bit by seeing half a dozen or so - it really does pay dividends. You will know the minute you see the one for you. In Manchester you have got Christopher Neil in Cheadle area - never been but I hear they like the newer cars, and SFR in Stockport - he has only recently set up so again hard to judge. RT racing in Sheffield are good (Tel [phone]) but it is a bit further. If you would like any help I'm happy to come along - mail me off line - although I don't know that much - but it is an excuse to indulge a growing passion. This site is also invaluable as is Steve Heath's book on the "S" - you can order it from the net - have a look at past threads with a search on Steve's name.

Good luck

[phippsy]

Sean

If you search past threads on this site look for the name Rob Ingleby, his business is sourcing and inspecting cars,specialising in TVR`s. He can either inspect a car you`ve found or he`ll find one for you. I discovered his name from this site and noted several of the regulars on here had used him, and on that recommendation so did i, and have been well pleased with the results..you can find him at
[url]www.findasportscar.co.uk/[/url]

Good luck

Mark

[Rower]

Purely on the cosmetics I would say that the asking price is very TOP,and by about £1K, assuming all mechanics are good and with all the history you should get a good S3 for about £7500.
If you are not sure about what to look for, Rob Ingelby is well recomended on this forum, and definatly buy the 'Bible '
Good luck with it, its worth the hassle.

Guy

[dern]

Looks a bit of a mess to me. The seats look cr*p and are expensive to sort out, the roof edge looks a right mess and whoever fitted that door seal needs shooting.

You can have mine in a few weeks if you like, looks a lot nicer than that.

Mark

[andy43]

Doesn't look bad for a 13 year old car to be honest - just the odd dodgy cosmetic bits and pieces - and the important/expensive bits are underneath - my Griff was bought from Steve Reid by the previous owner and has got a very solid chassis and seems a strong car - had it since Nov last year and no probs at all (yet...). He does have a good reputation and good prices on bits, but if you want a TVR expert for a 2nd opinion try Shane Fearnes (hope I've spelt that right) at SFR in stockport on 480 0101 - don't know if he does inspections but he knows his stuff! Best of luck. And buy that bible!

[sjp]

Cheers, ill check out Rob Ingleby...

You hit the nail on the head, cosmetically it needed some work doing on it, just not sure about how much. The last owner had spent a fortune on it tho, which is always great...

Guess i need to see afew more before i decide.

[thegamekeeper]

Quite an interesting thread this on if not a little incomplete. It is so easy to concentrate your thoughts on the minor negative points and ignore the important ones.
Sean spent a long time looking at this car and enjoying a 12 mile test drive(hence the hasty snapshots taken in the dark) and the car drives superbly. If a car is to be judged on 13 year old magnolia leather and a slightly untidy roof seal then as one contributer pointed out then it is c**p.
However to put the condition of the car in a slightly more balanced view I feel I should point out one or two good points which in my opinion are slightly more important.It has done a genuine 49000 miles and has every mot certificate to substantiate this mileage and comes with a comprehensive main dealer and specialist servce history.
The previous owner was an engineer and considered the structural and mechanical integrity of the car to be his priority. To this end he had carried out the following work. Remove engine and gearbox and unbolt the body to allow full access to the chassis to allow it to be derusted, repainted and waxoyled fully. Strip and rebuild the engine to eliminte oli leaks etc, new oil pump, bearings, clutch and waterpump. strip all suspension, repaint and fit new Superflex bushes throughout. New Gaz shocks and new springs. Completely overhaul the brakes and fit new pa material. Overhaul steering rack and fit new trackrod ends, new top and bottom ball joints. Recore radiator, new hoses, otter switch and cooling fans.New stainless steel exhaust system.Strip and diamond cut the road wheels and repaint and fit new tyres.New trailng arm bushes. Overhaul the starter motor and refit with heatshield wrap. Overhaul the alternator and a few other jobs which I have forgotten. The fact that the car is still wearing its original 13 year old roof(which does not leak--dry original carpts throughou)indicates careful ownership and should spend most of its time in the boot. None of the above was photographed or mentioned in Sean's appraisal of the car. Both himself and his girlfriend seemed overly concerned about the intermittent front n/s indicator.
Sean had just sold a fairly new Lotus Elise and I feel was comparing the two, a topic which he has raised in these forums. It is hardly fair to compare the two.He also ommited to mention the £500 price reduction offered.
In my 35+ years of TVR ownership and dealing in TVR's I find that people who need a second opinion before buying any old car on the whole should not buy one. Ownership of old cars requires a certain kind of person and TVR's both old and new are not for everybody. If your knowledge of cars is insufficient to make the decision as to the condition of the car then generally speaking you will either be very lucky or very poor after a short period of ownership.
Having spent all his time and effort in doing the work to this car you may wonder why it is for sale. Sadly and tragically he died whilst on holiday last year at the age of 33. He is deeply missed by his family and I have agreed to return them £250 less than I am selling the car for. Given my expenses in collecting the car from 200 miles away and the fact that I pay vat on this ammount I do not feel I am being greedy and would not like to add to their sadness by returning anything less than a fair price for this car.
How people can arrive at a figure they consider the car to be worth from a few snapshots taken in the dark and posted on the internet is beyond me. There are TVR S3's onthe Autotrader website this week ranging from £4500 to £9950 and the only way to decide is to look at each car individually. We all think our own car is better than everyone elses and we all have a different value for a car when we are selling to when we are buying but to judge a car on the seat and ignore everything else seems somehow to be missing the point.
I wish Sean and his girlfriend lots of luck in finding a TVR. They will however not have the chance to reconsider this one, it has been sold to someone slightly more focussed on the impotant things and prepared to pay my trimmer £320 to recover both seats.
I hope this puts my view fairly and does not offend any other contributors

[thegamekeeper]

aka sTeVeR

[dern]

If a car is to be judged on 13 year old magnolia leather and a slightly untidy roof seal then as one contributer pointed out then it is c**p.

With all due respect I only said the seats looked cr*p. I would expect an s3 to be in better condition cosmetically as well as mechanically for that kind of money based on my own experiences and it didn't appear to be the case.

I hope this puts my view fairly and does not offend any other contributors

This is an open forum. Our opinion was asked and that's all the information we had to go on so we have our opinions based on that. Our intention was not to offend anyone but to give our opinions as asked it's inevitable that our opinions differ from your own as a seller. The circumstance of the sale, although sad, have no bearing on the value of the car from the buyer's perspective but I understand your concern in getting the best prices for the owner given the circumstance. You must appreciate, however, that our advice was intended to insure that the buyer got the best car for his money which is why it was suggested that the car was too expensive given the condition and that there were better cars out there.

Suggesting that people don't need a 2nd opinion on a car they are unfamiliar with is, frankly, absurd. I didn't know anything about the s3 apart from what I learned here and it helped me enourmously and I was and always am grateful for any advice offered on pistonheads even when it isn't exactly what I wanted to hear.

I'm sorry to here of the sad circumstances that the car was offered for sale and I'm pleased that you have managed to sell the car for the owners.

Edited to add: Had I known the circumstances of the sale I would have chosen my comments with significantly (ie some) tact and for that I offer my appologies.

Regards,

Mark

>> Edited by dern on Saturday 19th April 18:46

[reb]

Sean
Have previously seen the car, if you want to discuss then contact me offline.07801 777633

[sjp]

1st off let me say you where very nice lots off info gained and you gave me plenty of time to browse thro the paper work, and note all the work already done - I had to go away and look most of it up though (like I said I haven't touched a car like that in a long time)

Like I said all the important stuff seamed to have been done just some cosmetics left to sort...

And the piccys have now gone, thinking about it was probably a stupid thing to do, so many apologies.





BUT, I have your post came across as a little bit nasty? imho sticking a question on a forum like this is a no brainier, 2 mins works gets you a quick unbiased response. And a few things did stick out...





***** Sean spent a long time looking at this car and enjoying a 12 mile test drive (hence the hasty snapshots taken in the dark) and the car drives superbly *****

I did NOT drive, but I said it felt pretty solid...





***** The previous owner was an engineer and considered the ... in the boot. None of the above was photographed or mentioned in Sean's appraisal of the car. Both himself and his girlfriend seemed overly concerned about the intermittent front n/s indicator. *****

Like I said, I am not mechanical, so yep, you would expect me to focus on bouncy bonnets, lights not working, duff seals and cracked seats. But I know its not "really" important hence the questions and the requirement for an inspection.





***** Sean had just sold a fairly new Lotus Elise and I feel was comparing the two, a topic which he has raised in these forums. It is hardly fair to compare the two.*****

Yep, did not want to get rid of my Elise, so? I haven't mentioned the Elise, and yep I am looking at cars and comparing them to others I have had (it might not be far but its reasonable) hence the quick questions on here. TVR of any age bears no comparison to an Elise, to me (flame suit on) it as more in common with a big Jag.

The Elise is all about handling - its shit inside, they look like a kit car, are noisy in a bad way (a sports car should not sound like a Metro) and they leaks like a sieve, still brilliant though

Anyway, I cant have a Elise so I have to make do with an S or a Spider, ill cope





***** He also ommited to mention the ?500 price reduction offered. and price stuff *****

it was a five line question, Not an essay - just a general right price wrong price question. There are two prices for an Elise, the price in the auto-trader and the price ppl in the know pay (I sold my Elise for more than it was worth because the guy who bought it didn't ask that kind of question).





***** In my 35+ years of TVR ownership and dealing in TVR's I find that people who need a second opinion before buying any old car on the whole should not buy one. Ownership of old cars requires a certain kind of person and TVR's both old and new are not for everybody. *****

What, its old and breaks alot? Its a TVR I know what I am getting into, ive had old and new cars, enjoyed them all. Or do you mean I want it to look clean and be shiny? which I assume most ppl do?





***** If your knowledge of cars is insufficient to make the decision as to the condition of the car then generally speaking you will either be very lucky or very poor after a short period of ownership *****

Well, really that's the point of getting someone who knows there way around a car to check it over for you.

In my experience standing there pretending you know about something, is the one quick fire way to buy a wank and expensive car (been there and done it).

Yet again, I managed to sell my car for more than it was worth BECAUSE someone pretended that they knew what they where looking at, I could find at least a 0„51000 worth of faults on my car, but I wasn't going to point them out... He could of paid 200 quid and go it checked out but he DID NOT...





***** Having spent ... returning anything less than a fair price for this car. *****

Good on you.





***** We all think our own car ... buying but to judge a car on the seat and ignore everything else seems somehow to be missing the point. *****

Maybe its just me, but I expect a car to be tidy (btw, yours was by far the nicest car I had seen). If the dash had a good scrub and the seats well fed it would have looked like a different car.

When a car is abit shitty looking inside it does not give you the impression that it has been loved. I always walk away thinking it was ok BUT...





***** I wish Sean and his girlfriend lots of luck in finding a TVR *****

Cheers





***** They will however not have the chance to reconsider this one, it has been sold to someone slightly more focussed on the impotant things *****

Impotence is not a problem, sensibly, its a shame.
The only delay was that I WAS simply going to get a RAC inspection, but you pre-emptively said its a waste of time and they wont allow for it being an older car. And you are right I realised it was a stupid thing to do (they picked my Elise to bits and it was only a few yrs old).

BUT I am not buying a car (esp. a TVR) without someone who knows what they are doing cheeking it out. Ill be a bit more prepared for the next one, and ill have a few names lined up who can give it the once over.













Oh, and for what its worth I reaken you are going too end up with lovely seats for 160 quid a seat

The seats are definitely one area in common with Jags another car I DO have had plenty of experience with.

[RichardR]

sjp said:Anyway, I cant have a Elise so I have to make do with an S or a Spider, ill cope

[pete_w]

SFR Engineering, Stockport. You'll find him in Yellow Pages.