Mid life crisis - leaving pork - perhaps

[superlightr]

Fancy a change, mid life crisis, fancy a landrover defender.

If you could shout me what you think my car may get via a private/dealer for sale in about a month, Ive owned it 18mths.

996tt
Jun 2003
20,000 miles
uk car
Midnight blue with matching leather
usual turbo bits
Standard car no tweeks
crested seats
small ali pack
Extended porsche warranty
full opc service
Major service carried out - 4 x New pads and discs and sparks 1 mth ago (£4k )spent
good tyres about 3000 miles 4 new
think I am the 2nd or 3rd owner
full sat nav PCM 2
integrated phone/handsfree and handset
crested wheels.

few curb bits on the alloys
a light scratch to rear bumper

Am I right in thinking about £52000 private and about £48000 dealer
regards
James

http://img454.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn0705l...

Edited by superlightr on Friday 1st June 09:33

Edited by superlightr on Friday 1st June 09:35

[JDH1]

Don't know about the value of your car, but have you driven a Landrover Defender?! Very cool to look at but just the worst thing to drive.

[superlightr]

had a drive of a new shape one which was fine - different but fine.

[pete.g]

Why not sell the turbo and buy a Cayman and an older Defender - the 300 Tdi is an easy car to work on yourself and you still have a quick car for when you need it.

Defenders are great, but you really need something else to drive unless you're a masochist.

Edited by pete.g on Monday 4th June 09:56

[hoges11]

I reckon an indie may sell it for £53-55 so your trade figure doesnt look too wide of the mark but may be at the top end (they do seem to operate on big margins). Private sale may not make much more than £50k as everyone seems to be looking for a bargin. Not sure how popular midnight blue would be with black and silver looking to be the no.1 picks, personally I'd much rather go with the blue but then I prefer Lapis and RFG on the turbo to Black or silver.

[nbetts]

I had a freind that trod a very similar path - Hardly a crisis, he bought a Land Rover Defender, with about 900 miles on the clock (basically as close to brand new as possible), haggled a good deal from the Land Rover Dealers... then every spare weekend over the summer he spent buying light guards, alloy panels to go over bonnet etc, bigger wheels and bigger springs... just about every bolt-on goody you can think of.

Ended up looking like something out of Tomb-Raider...!!!

Anyway, he loved it, enjoyed doing it, enjoyed driving it (for a while) and sold it after about a year for 3k less then the total it cost him.

Not a bad way to spend your spare weekends.

[superlightr]

nbetts said:

I had a freind that trod a very similar path - Hardly a crisis, he bought a Land Rover Defender, with about 900 miles on the clock (basically as close to brand new as possible), haggled a good deal from the Land Rover Dealers... then every spare weekend over the summer he spent buying light guards, alloy panels to go over bonnet etc, bigger wheels and bigger springs... just about every bolt-on goody you can think of.

Ended up looking like something out of Tomb-Raider...!!!

Anyway, he loved it, enjoyed doing it, enjoyed driving it (for a while) and sold it after about a year for 3k less then the total it cost him.

Not a bad way to spend your spare weekends.

That sounds exactly what I would be keen to do. Wife still has a fast estate for family hols and driving, Ive lost my need for speed feeling, when i drive the pork I dont get excited anymore, I drive it fastish as I feel its a waste not to but not actually enjoying the drive, had porks for about 6 yrs now and loved them all just fance a complete change.

Canoe on top, mountain bike and tent inside the 110. Its the idea perhaps mroe than the doing. The fiddling with roof racks/ladders/lights would be fun. The 996tt is very much a wow car, and I wish not to stand out so much in a car which Im not having fun in any more. (plus £25k in the bank earning interest would be nice)

[nbetts]

Do it then. My friend did and loved it. You can always come back to the Land of Pork.

[superlightr]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Oi ! watch it you...........

A 110 defender would really anoy the parking attendants and pc brigade. plus I wont get curbed wheels.

Edited by superlightr on Friday 1st June 10:07

[superlightr]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

virtually zero motorway. Just shortish trips between 2 towns, A and B roads totally underutilising the defender and it capabilities. Would fancy doing some off road courses later perhaps in my dream world of justifing it.

(this is the man that used to do 12k miles a year in a Caterham 7 as a fun car. )

[Steve Rance]

I've got a 110 defender. Great car but unfortunately the new one isn't tax efficient. if you can get your hands on a 2006 110 county XS you can claim the vat back and run it as a commercial because it has commercial staus from the inland revenue. Being a hetro, i never thought i'd say it but F***cking Gordon Brown was actually quite enjoyable.

Steve R

[Don]

superlightr said:

Ive lost my need for speed feeling

You know. Most people have a mid-life crisis and buy a sports car.

Petrolheads have a mid-life crisis and wonder whether or not to sell it!

Sadly I think I know what you mean. A genuinely fast car that shrugs off high speeds as if they were nothing just emphasises how often you can actually use it as the manufacturer intended...which is to say not very often.

One begins to wonder if its actually worth it.

The Defender, however, could lead to some rather interesting adventures. I can see that being a lot of fun.

Good luck.

[superlightr]

Steve Rance said:

I've got a 110 defender. Great car but unfortunately the new one isn't tax efficient. if you can get your hands on a 2006 110 county XS you can claim the vat back and run it as a commercial because it has commercial staus from the inland revenue. Being a hetro, i never thought i'd say it but F***cking Gordon Brown was actually quite enjoyable.

Steve R

sorry efficient?, cars?, petrol? tax? does not compute. Heart over head every time.
It would also be a 110xs probably a new one. in red. with ladder. and lots of matt bits. some shiney bits. some net bits. heavy metal bits. perhaps some more bits later.

Edited by superlightr on Friday 1st June 10:58

[Dr S]

Might want to change your login name to superheavyr then...

[nemeton]

maybe you wont appreciate what youve got until youve sold it.

rent a defender for a week before selling the tt..

[timmo]

Buy yourself an ordinance survey map and you will be suprised how many off roads you can travel on near you

I have XS110 and have done 16,000 miles since last October in it -BTW dont look at this website you will end up with all sorts of goodies on the beast
www.johncraddockltd.co.uk

make sure you also get it chipped - it makes a big difference

tim

[Grant3]

James, I really can't see the Defender thing if you aren't going off road, one question......WHY?

[superlightr]

Grant3 said:

James, I really can't see the Defender thing if you aren't going off road, one question......WHY?

I didnt say having a mid life crisis was sensible or rational.

Why indeed. Im Nuts. no doubt about it. Ive been sleeping in (my new lightweight) tent on and off off for the last few weeks 1-2 nights a week as its fun and to test my new (super-light-weight tent) & sleeping bag. (and mat) The Mut also sleeps in with me.

(im also keen on walking and preparing for Hardians Wall.) Done South Downs.


Just after a complete change - i cant change my job/work/wife/children and have been restrictive on my activities (im an outdoor physical guy at heart) and decided if I dont do various things soon Im not going to get to do them. Also want to get a canadian canoe with a friend to paddle up aand camp on some rivers nearby, (with the mut)

So no real reason apart from I like the idea, done the pork thing,done the fast cars things, not done chunky 4x4 things.

Edited by superlightr on Friday 1st June 16:44

[shadowninja]

Why not buy a car that's more challenging to drive quickly? eg Lotus Elise or something from TVR?

[johnny senna]

timmo said:

Buy yourself an ordinance survey map and you will be suprised how many off roads you can travel on near you

I have XS110 and have done 16,000 miles since last October in it -BTW dont look at this website you will end up with all sorts of goodies on the beast
www.johncraddockltd.co.uk

make sure you also get it chipped - it makes a big difference

tim

I thought your Landie looked wicked at Croft, Tim. How much was it? What does the chipped diesel engine put out now?

Edited by johnny senna on Friday 1st June 17:30