How would you feel?
Discussion
Just purchased privately a 1997 S14 200 SX for the low price of £1100. FSH 90k. I knew it had been in a smallish front end shunt and Mot is due this month.
Took it in for full service and Mot today and it failed. £400 of rust on rear arches which had been covered up to hide it, headlamps needed replacing due to the shunt as brackets had gone. Overall about £800 of work to be done to pass the Mot after finding a used headlamp and persuading them to bodge up the other one.
Now obviously if I'd known more about what to look for I could have avoided these problems but given the price of the initial purchase, I'm not sure if I should feel hard done by. I had a budget of £2k to begin with and it's gonna set me back about that much to make it roadworthy and I'll have to wait to fix other things that need doing. I guess the fact that things had been hidden from me is what leaves a particularly bad taste but I understand the whole "buyer beware" thing.
I'm just interested how others would react. I feel like writing to the seller but I'm not as angry as I would have been a couple of years ago - maybe I'm getting a little apathetic in my old age!
Took it in for full service and Mot today and it failed. £400 of rust on rear arches which had been covered up to hide it, headlamps needed replacing due to the shunt as brackets had gone. Overall about £800 of work to be done to pass the Mot after finding a used headlamp and persuading them to bodge up the other one.
Now obviously if I'd known more about what to look for I could have avoided these problems but given the price of the initial purchase, I'm not sure if I should feel hard done by. I had a budget of £2k to begin with and it's gonna set me back about that much to make it roadworthy and I'll have to wait to fix other things that need doing. I guess the fact that things had been hidden from me is what leaves a particularly bad taste but I understand the whole "buyer beware" thing.
I'm just interested how others would react. I feel like writing to the seller but I'm not as angry as I would have been a couple of years ago - maybe I'm getting a little apathetic in my old age!
The price should have told you all you needed to know. Good S14s don`t go for £1100 as any sort of research would have shown. As always if you don`t know what you`re looking at take someone who does or get it inspected. Sounds like its probably a Cat C write off, what did the HPI check turn up? Sorry if thats not what you wanted to hear.
HPI check turned up clear.
It's not really a rant as I knew it was cheap and would need work to get it up to scratch. I guess I rushed into it a little as I wanted some wheels and have fallen in love with the 200sx. I think I'm disappointed the seller covered up the nasty bits but such is life.
I plan to get it back into decent shape and hopefully it won't lose too much when I sell it on in 6 months or so.
It's my first rear wheel drive car so I'm really looking forward to driving it some more. I'm already missing it!
It's not really a rant as I knew it was cheap and would need work to get it up to scratch. I guess I rushed into it a little as I wanted some wheels and have fallen in love with the 200sx. I think I'm disappointed the seller covered up the nasty bits but such is life.
I plan to get it back into decent shape and hopefully it won't lose too much when I sell it on in 6 months or so.
It's my first rear wheel drive car so I'm really looking forward to driving it some more. I'm already missing it!
Buying an accident damaged car wouldn't bother me in the slightest if it had been repaired properly to a high standard. Unfortunately doesn't sound like yours was.
Rust is something I majorly avoid and would have annoyed me that it was hidden, but unfortunately unless you notice it on initial inspection, it's a bit of tough luck.
Rust is something I majorly avoid and would have annoyed me that it was hidden, but unfortunately unless you notice it on initial inspection, it's a bit of tough luck.
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