New Member ( Help & Advice Please )

[dink1600]

Any help or comments would be appreciated.

Recently retired, Time to stop living at work,and start working at living.
Age is a wonderful thing, but i have some living to do.

I could Crown Green Bowl, or Cruise, or play golf, or get me an allotment.
Thought for 10 seconds and decided that a Cerbera would keep the smile on my face longer.

Can anyone out there advise on reliability and what year of manufacture i should be looking at.
I need to spend my pocket money wisely.

Look Forward to replies.

Dink1600.

[easto]

Well i've heard that 99 4.5's are about as good as they get...especially the purple ones
Well I have got to try!

On a more serious note, most people say condition condition over year etc. etc.
Others say that colour and interior combinations often predict which one to go for.
When I purchased mine it was a combination of having to be a 4.5 with a interesting colour and the latest reg I could get from a reputable dealer for the cash. not an easy task!

[Wacky Racer]

Loads of past threads on here offering advice, going back years but remember, take your time and choose wisely, pick a bad one and your wallet will soon regret it....

Allow around £2000-£3000pa for servicing and general upgrades and maintainance....

Awesome car if you get a good one though....

[byker28i]

My car was bought new by someone who retired. He had it for 8-9 years
My Nan is now 103 and swears she'e lived so long because she keeps herself active

Good choice - enjoy yourself.

[gbbird]

There is no hard and fast rule really. Read all the posts about the various engines etc and decide what engine you want (i personally would recommend a 4.5 but that it only because i have one and have never had any major problems with it) , decide roughly what colour/interior you want, then get out there and find the car of your dreams.

The usual stuff really - always check for FTVRSH (from an indie is just as good, if not better), mid/average mileage is usually better than something averaging 1k per year, test drive it, have someonme who knows their stuff have a look at it, find out whenn the clutch was last changed, take a deep breath then go for it. There are lots of private and trade sellers out there - i guess trade 'might' give you more peace of mind if thats what you want, but i got mine private and have never looked back


Good luck

Greg

PS - yellow/Halcyon Midas ones are cool

Edited by gbbird on Sunday 24th September 09:21

[D.A.Z.]

ok dink 1600 love the plan,good luck hope you find a good un
Daz

[Touching Cloth]

Don't know what your budget is but my money would probably go this way.

www.pistonheads.com/sales/101468.htm

A well known car on here and that counts for lot. A decent, but certainly not scary, mileage which shows it has been used regularly, do not be swayed by low milaege examples because lack of use can bring it's own collection of problems. I think it has been very sensibly priced also.

[big_treacle]

After 99 (i think?) they have different rollcage & lose the letterbox windscreen which is one of the reasons i went for a 2000. doesn't bother a lot of people but when i was looking around it annoyed me!
Buy on condition, go in with your eyes open & watch out in the wet.
If you're unsure of the engine you want, go do some test drives & see which you prefer.

Remember that sapphire black 4.5's are the fastest

[Scrooloose]

easto said:

Well i've heard that 99 4.5's are about as good as they get...especially the purple ones

Amen to that!!

[dink1600]

THANKS FOR THE WISE WORDS.

probably wont be the last time i will call upon members for Help.

As for COLOUR/SPEED preference this worries me ?, Saphire Black appeals, but note various other colours are considered faster.

I will certainly take this into account.

Dink 1600

[cossiemetro]

starmist blue is considered the fastest but any blue colour will suffice ....

[dc53]

Cossie you should know by now that the 'yella' ones are quicker.

[budaholic]

here we go again