Car purchase quandary?
Discussion
In the process of buying an S2000 - the seller has service history up to 2006 then he says they rest of the history is with the dealer. I have spoken with the dealer and they confirm that the last mot was done there in 2007 they have no other details after then which is due to the dealer being taken over by another franchise and the computer systems being changed. The seller has provided me with the last 2 MOT's 53k and 57k respectively and is going to provide me with the test number so I can look up the mot history on the dvla website. They have also said that any RAC et al inspection is welcomed.
Whats niggling me is the S/h between 2006 to present - the seller says he can no longer use the car due to a bad knee and it has very low mileage for the year 57k - the car is in fantastic condition - the soft top looks new as a hardtop has been on for most of its life. The car isn't overly expensive and has a lot going for it (low miles, both soft & hardtops, great paintwork, no dinks (need a clutch but it's factored in to the price) so am I concerned over nothing?
Whats niggling me is the S/h between 2006 to present - the seller says he can no longer use the car due to a bad knee and it has very low mileage for the year 57k - the car is in fantastic condition - the soft top looks new as a hardtop has been on for most of its life. The car isn't overly expensive and has a lot going for it (low miles, both soft & hardtops, great paintwork, no dinks (need a clutch but it's factored in to the price) so am I concerned over nothing?
yonex said:
There are so many s2k's out there it’s not worth the bother IMO unless you really must have this car or it’s an amazing deal. What is putting you off will put the next buyer off so potentially you could have some grief come the time you wish to sell?
Well the overall condition of the car is great best I have seen after looking at more than 5 examples. Its the low miles which makes it appealing and when i can obtain the previous mot certs (the seller has lost them) then the mileage will be verified. I guess its the gap in s/h which is the niggle. ST270 said:
Well the overall condition of the car is great best I have seen after looking at more than 5 examples. Its the low miles which makes it appealing and when i can obtain the previous mot certs (the seller has lost them) then the mileage will be verified. I guess its the gap in s/h which is the niggle.
Not saying you havent already checked but if the car has lednan easy life and been sat around for medium periods of time pay close attention to the suspension bushes, that can prove to be quite a big job.yonex said:
Not saying you havent already checked but if the car has lednan easy life and been sat around for medium periods of time pay close attention to the suspension bushes, that can prove to be quite a big job.
I was going to say this. They are a well known failure point and can prove costly to replace and rectify. However, when they get really bad, they usually become MOT failures. I'd be quite concerned that it needs a new clutch at 60K!?! Could we assume that the owners bad knee caused him to slip the clutch excessively?
Back to your original questions. I wouldn't be too concerned about a gap in SH, but that's just me.
ST270 said:
yonex said:
There are so many s2k's out there it’s not worth the bother IMO unless you really must have this car or it’s an amazing deal. What is putting you off will put the next buyer off so potentially you could have some grief come the time you wish to sell?
Well the overall condition of the car is great best I have seen after looking at more than 5 examples. Its the low miles which makes it appealing and when i can obtain the previous mot certs (the seller has lost them) then the mileage will be verified. I guess its the gap in s/h which is the niggle. Yes the camber bushes can become mot failures is seized I believe - however the only advisory it had this year was the front o/s tyre being low - from this i presume the adjust bolts were ok.
The clutches i think can go around this time generally but it depends on the car and yes it could be from slipping it when driving. Others on the s2k forum have noted clutches going around 70k mark etc.
I think when i can check VOSA history my mind will ease as said I think i would regret not going for it given the condition.
The clutches i think can go around this time generally but it depends on the car and yes it could be from slipping it when driving. Others on the s2k forum have noted clutches going around 70k mark etc.
I think when i can check VOSA history my mind will ease as said I think i would regret not going for it given the condition.
Bear in mind that a car having part service history is worth less, so pay less for it / be prepared to take less when you sell it. It may, or may not have been serviced throughout that time. (you'd be surprised the amount of people who buy a brand new car, clock up 50k miles without a service - then wonder why the engine goes pop) Bit of a risk but check it out.
I've been looking at s2ks myself for a while, and unless it's in one of the rare colours, I wouldn't bother, as there are literally dozens of similar ones for sale all the time.
I've been looking at s2ks myself for a while, and unless it's in one of the rare colours, I wouldn't bother, as there are literally dozens of similar ones for sale all the time.
I've just bought a Fiesta ST with 34k on the clock and two stamps but then basically two handwritten notes of oil changes done by the last owner.
The way I approached it was to look at a lot of other cars with FSH and they were all largely sh*t and in far worse condition so I didn't want them even if they had been serviced every other week.
This one was in fantastic condition so I just lopped £550 off the asking price, paid the money and will use that saved money to have it serviced and get everything that needs doing done.
I pay far more attention to what's been done and how the car looks and drives than to whether some "technician" has had his greasy paws on it briefly. If it matters to you then of course it may matter to the next buyer but it's basically an old car now if it's pre 2006.
The way I approached it was to look at a lot of other cars with FSH and they were all largely sh*t and in far worse condition so I didn't want them even if they had been serviced every other week.
This one was in fantastic condition so I just lopped £550 off the asking price, paid the money and will use that saved money to have it serviced and get everything that needs doing done.
I pay far more attention to what's been done and how the car looks and drives than to whether some "technician" has had his greasy paws on it briefly. If it matters to you then of course it may matter to the next buyer but it's basically an old car now if it's pre 2006.
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