Shed finding and buying tips.
Discussion
You may have read some of my other threads and know I am in the market for a cheap, interesting car. I had decided on a Lexus IS300, but none anywhere near me that are clean. So now broadened my search to something interesting in some way or another: rare, big engine, rwd, whatever. All it needs to be is relatively reliable/not extortionate parts and servicing costs (if not cheap to run in terms of mpg / insurance), and enough space in it to get a weeks worth of camping stuff inside (could probably do this in an MX5 but not a Mk3 MR2, for example). No luck so far however! I don't strictly need a car and only drive at weekends so happy to hold off till I find something that fits my criteria.
If you're buying a sub £1,500 motor, how do you go about it? Any tips and tricks to securing a bargain?
I have been:
(i) Searching on eBay and Gumtree by newly listed. eBay is good as it will show me only what has been listed since the last time I checked. Gumtree is less good as people relist constantly to get to the tops of the rankings.
(ii) Joining Facebook groups of models I think I might like, to see if anything decent is posted. Staying well away from Facebook market generally.
In terms of what I am looking for:
(i) An advert that is not super short with some detail in it.
(ii) A car that has been owned by its current owner for a period of time (inquired about a car today, but put off by the fact he claimed to have recently received it in a swap and is looking to move it on).
(iii) Some service history - doesn't need to be full (though this is a bonus), at least an indication of when the last one was done.
(iv) 10+ months MOT. Certain advisories put me off - anything mentioning rust (other than corroded brake lines), anything mention leaks of oil or coolant, things like that. Any gap is also off-putting without a good explanation (i.e. MOT'd in 2014 then 2017 with nothing in between).
(v) reasonably clean body - small scratches, dents, marks is fine, but surface rust on arches or misaligned panels is a no.
(vi) within 100 miles of me (there's a nice MG ZT 190+ on eBay within budget that I quite fancy with an excellent advert, but I don't think that it's worth travelling 7 hours for a shed budget car!).
Anything else? Is the above too extensive a shopping list for a car at this price - what are your must haves as opposed to your nice to haves?
If you're buying a sub £1,500 motor, how do you go about it? Any tips and tricks to securing a bargain?
I have been:
(i) Searching on eBay and Gumtree by newly listed. eBay is good as it will show me only what has been listed since the last time I checked. Gumtree is less good as people relist constantly to get to the tops of the rankings.
(ii) Joining Facebook groups of models I think I might like, to see if anything decent is posted. Staying well away from Facebook market generally.
In terms of what I am looking for:
(i) An advert that is not super short with some detail in it.
(ii) A car that has been owned by its current owner for a period of time (inquired about a car today, but put off by the fact he claimed to have recently received it in a swap and is looking to move it on).
(iii) Some service history - doesn't need to be full (though this is a bonus), at least an indication of when the last one was done.
(iv) 10+ months MOT. Certain advisories put me off - anything mentioning rust (other than corroded brake lines), anything mention leaks of oil or coolant, things like that. Any gap is also off-putting without a good explanation (i.e. MOT'd in 2014 then 2017 with nothing in between).
(v) reasonably clean body - small scratches, dents, marks is fine, but surface rust on arches or misaligned panels is a no.
(vi) within 100 miles of me (there's a nice MG ZT 190+ on eBay within budget that I quite fancy with an excellent advert, but I don't think that it's worth travelling 7 hours for a shed budget car!).
Anything else? Is the above too extensive a shopping list for a car at this price - what are your must haves as opposed to your nice to haves?
Edited by Integroo on Monday 26th February 14:17
Edited by Integroo on Monday 26th February 14:21
Be prepared to travel, nationally if necessary...if the right car comes up at the right price. Get someone local to check it out for you if need be, to save the trip.
The last car i bought necessitated a 7 hour round trip on New years eve, it was worth it though.
Beyond that, just keep your eyes open. I need a daily in the summer, but i'm looking now, and will pounce if the right car comes up.
Local facebook groups are a potential bargain-bucket of used stuff.
The last car i bought necessitated a 7 hour round trip on New years eve, it was worth it though.
Beyond that, just keep your eyes open. I need a daily in the summer, but i'm looking now, and will pounce if the right car comes up.
Local facebook groups are a potential bargain-bucket of used stuff.
Edited by designforlife on Monday 26th February 15:09
designforlife said:
Be prepared to travel, nationally if necessary...if the right car comes up at the right price. Get someone local to check it out for you if need be, to save the trip.
The last car i bought necessitated a 7 hour round trip on New years eve, it was worth it though.
Beyond that, just keep your eyes open. I need a daily in the summer, but i'm looking now, and will pounce if the right car comes up.
Local facebook groups are a potential bargain-bucket of used stuff.
I think if I knew exactly which model I wanted, then perhaps I would be more willing to travel. However, for something I just quite fancy, I think seven hours on the train is a little far! I think from central Scotland the furthest I would travel would be Manchester/Liverpool (and only for something special - Newcastle for anything else). The last car i bought necessitated a 7 hour round trip on New years eve, it was worth it though.
Beyond that, just keep your eyes open. I need a daily in the summer, but i'm looking now, and will pounce if the right car comes up.
Local facebook groups are a potential bargain-bucket of used stuff.
Edited by designforlife on Monday 26th February 15:09
aaron_2000 said:
designforlife said:
Local facebook groups are a potential bargain-bucket of used stuff.
This. All the best bargains I've ever bought and sold on have been from Facebook, seriously good deals on there. Edited by designforlife on Monday 26th February 15:09
. The latter seems to be full of "car for sale, gd runner, 2 months mot, would swap for a van ... or a fridge freezer". My thoughts:
- Know what you are looking at, and for. (So do research on forums, look at other adds etc to see what commonly fails)
- Check out a few of similar age on MOT history, this will let you know what will likley be an issue too.
- Obviously check out you prospective purchase on MOT history.
- Mytext check or similar is worthwhile to make sure it hasn't had a big smash at some point.
- Be prepared to travel for the right car - shed money or not!
- Be prepared to walk away if you did have to travel...
- Take your time to inspect the car - hot and cold, but don't take the piss - remember its an old/cheap car.
i tended to stick to the same make/models and, as above, been ready to act immediately when the right one appeared, even if i still had the old one on the go. sticking with similar vehicles allowed me to pinch the good/best/high value bits from the old one when the replacement took over. it also gave an awareness of common failings which meant the usual pitfalls could largely be avoided
i budgeted £100 for each month of MoT and did always check the MoT history. i ignored service history and concentrated on recent evidence of work done/servicing.
i always assumed that it would be going bang sooner rather than later, although never had anything that expired before it's MoT did.
distance might be an issue for some, i've travelled the length of england for sub £500 vehicles and not had a disaster but the potential is always there. i got very familiar with newport in s wales over the last year - somehow my last 3 daily's have come from there, 2 of them being almost identical 9-3 aero's
paul
i budgeted £100 for each month of MoT and did always check the MoT history. i ignored service history and concentrated on recent evidence of work done/servicing.
i always assumed that it would be going bang sooner rather than later, although never had anything that expired before it's MoT did.
distance might be an issue for some, i've travelled the length of england for sub £500 vehicles and not had a disaster but the potential is always there. i got very familiar with newport in s wales over the last year - somehow my last 3 daily's have come from there, 2 of them being almost identical 9-3 aero's
paul
Started having a look at Mk2 MR2s. There are a few nearby in budget, some look a bit rotten, some look quite clean. There is one nearby with 12m MOT and no advisories, receipts for a bunch of recent work (though all fitted by the owner), 105k on the clock. However, the MOT history shows it failed its MOT in 2012 on the following, and then sat, and then passed in 2018 with no advisories.
Reason(s) for failure
Nearside Headlamp aim too low and too far to the left. (1.8)
Offside Headlamp aim too low and too far to the left. (1.8)
Nearside Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)
Nearside Front Direction indicator incorrect colour (1.4.A.2f)
Rear registration plate with character(s) which are not the correct height (6.3.4a)
Rear registration plate with character(s) which are not the correct stroke width (6.3.4a)
Offside Rear rear brake binding (3.7.B.1)
rear brake application uneven (3.7.B.2)
Nearside Rear Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (4.1.D.1a)
Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle excessive (7.3.D.3)
Exhaust emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (7.3.D.3)
Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)
Advisory notice item(s)
Nearside Front Macpherson strut has slight play in the sliding bush or gland (2.5.B.1b).
Advert claims that it has had new sills professionally fitted, no rust remaining; new battery, front and back calipers, clutch, fuel pump, bilstein dampers, trd exhaust system, plug leads, and all fluids recently changed.
Would this shout out to you good car that has had all issues sorted, or bad car that someone has tried to put right and not quite been able to fix and then moving it on?
Not a single advisory for corrosion!
Reason(s) for failure
Nearside Headlamp aim too low and too far to the left. (1.8)
Offside Headlamp aim too low and too far to the left. (1.8)
Nearside Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)
Nearside Front Direction indicator incorrect colour (1.4.A.2f)
Rear registration plate with character(s) which are not the correct height (6.3.4a)
Rear registration plate with character(s) which are not the correct stroke width (6.3.4a)
Offside Rear rear brake binding (3.7.B.1)
rear brake application uneven (3.7.B.2)
Nearside Rear Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (4.1.D.1a)
Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle excessive (7.3.D.3)
Exhaust emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (7.3.D.3)
Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)
Advisory notice item(s)
Nearside Front Macpherson strut has slight play in the sliding bush or gland (2.5.B.1b).
Advert claims that it has had new sills professionally fitted, no rust remaining; new battery, front and back calipers, clutch, fuel pump, bilstein dampers, trd exhaust system, plug leads, and all fluids recently changed.
Would this shout out to you good car that has had all issues sorted, or bad car that someone has tried to put right and not quite been able to fix and then moving it on?
Not a single advisory for corrosion!
Edited by Integroo on Tuesday 27th February 12:21
The list of fails is all quite straightforward to rectify. If the seller hasn't had it long, he is probably making a few quid from fixing and flipping.
You will soon see if the MOT fail points have been addressed, if not, it's a bent MOT...or perhaps just a tester that has a different point of view!
You will soon see if the MOT fail points have been addressed, if not, it's a bent MOT...or perhaps just a tester that has a different point of view!
Toed64 said:
The list of fails is all quite straightforward to rectify. If the seller hasn't had it long, he is probably making a few quid from fixing and flipping.
You will soon see if the MOT fail points have been addressed, if not, it's a bent MOT...or perhaps just a tester that has a different point of view!
Indeed - if it failed on those points in 2017 and then passed in 2017 I wouldn't be worried. It's more the fact it has sat for five years before getting fixed - perhaps the question is where was it sat...You will soon see if the MOT fail points have been addressed, if not, it's a bent MOT...or perhaps just a tester that has a different point of view!
designforlife said:
if in doubt, and you're serious about it, get one of those RAC checks done, i think they're only 50 or 100 for a fairly comprehensive inspection.
Rust is always the main area of concern on mk2 MR2s, i've always fancied one but i've had my fill of rusty cars!
I'm going to go view on Saturday. I posted on MR2 Owners Scotland about any for sale and someone gave a glowing recommendation of the car - might be his mate, but still. Seems to be the guy got it for pennies and sorted it himself to make a bit of profit. If it looks clean, I might ask if he would be averse to me sticking it into a local mechanic for a health check at my expense - the AA/RAC inspections are 200+ quid which seems a bit extreme on a 1500 quid car. Rust is always the main area of concern on mk2 MR2s, i've always fancied one but i've had my fill of rusty cars!
Integroo said:
(i) An advert that is not super short with some detail in it.
(ii) A car that has been owned by its current owner for a period of time (inquired about a car today, but put off by the fact he claimed to have recently received it in a swap and is looking to move it on).
(iii) Some service history - doesn't need to be full (though this is a bonus), at least an indication of when the last one was done.
(iv) 10+ months MOT. Certain advisories put me off - anything mentioning rust (other than corroded brake lines), anything mention leaks of oil or coolant, things like that. Any gap is also off-putting without a good explanation (i.e. MOT'd in 2014 then 2017 with nothing in between).
(v) reasonably clean body - small scratches, dents, marks is fine, but surface rust on arches or misaligned panels is a no.
(vi) within 100 miles of me (there's a nice MG ZT 190+ on eBay within budget that I quite fancy with an excellent advert, but I don't think that it's worth travelling 7 hours for a shed budget car!).
When I initially read this I thought you were being way too fussy (and still do to a point) however a few pointers. (ii) A car that has been owned by its current owner for a period of time (inquired about a car today, but put off by the fact he claimed to have recently received it in a swap and is looking to move it on).
(iii) Some service history - doesn't need to be full (though this is a bonus), at least an indication of when the last one was done.
(iv) 10+ months MOT. Certain advisories put me off - anything mentioning rust (other than corroded brake lines), anything mention leaks of oil or coolant, things like that. Any gap is also off-putting without a good explanation (i.e. MOT'd in 2014 then 2017 with nothing in between).
(v) reasonably clean body - small scratches, dents, marks is fine, but surface rust on arches or misaligned panels is a no.
(vi) within 100 miles of me (there's a nice MG ZT 190+ on eBay within budget that I quite fancy with an excellent advert, but I don't think that it's worth travelling 7 hours for a shed budget car!).
Adverts; I've found the best way to get a feel for a car is to call the owner, my current smoker was £650 which is v cheap for what it is purely based on the fact it was advertised very poorly, 2 photos & a sub 20 word description. When I called the owner he'd had it for 8 years and had it serviced at the main dealers right up to 2015. Also if you think someone is just trying to flip it or hasn't had it very long ask them what the car is like in the opposite season to the one we're in i.e call someone today and ask what the car is like in summer. Their answer will speak volumes.
Service history: As above, The car I bought had no mention in the ad of any history yet I have a book with 15+ stamps in it. Some cars will have patchy history especially at £1500.
Hope this helps some what!
Integroo said:
designforlife said:
if in doubt, and you're serious about it, get one of those RAC checks done, i think they're only 50 or 100 for a fairly comprehensive inspection.
Rust is always the main area of concern on mk2 MR2s, i've always fancied one but i've had my fill of rusty cars!
I'm going to go view on Saturday. I posted on MR2 Owners Scotland about any for sale and someone gave a glowing recommendation of the car - might be his mate, but still. Seems to be the guy got it for pennies and sorted it himself to make a bit of profit. If it looks clean, I might ask if he would be averse to me sticking it into a local mechanic for a health check at my expense - the AA/RAC inspections are 200+ quid which seems a bit extreme on a 1500 quid car. Rust is always the main area of concern on mk2 MR2s, i've always fancied one but i've had my fill of rusty cars!
You're in shed territory so you have to accept you're taking a bit of a punt on whatever you end up with.
They're bound to turn up at least a few bits and pieces that need doing on a car in that price range. May be cheaper to get a mobile mechanic to go with you when you view it, i'm sure they'd be happy to give up an hour of their time for £50.
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