I had a look at the car this afternoon.
Generally the car is not in great condition.
Alongside my red 1994 Rev 3 NA it looked unloved.
The dealer was friendly and let me loose on the car.
He did not accompany me on the test drive.
Considering the faults I picked up I did not waste his time or mine looking through the paperwork.
Whilst the car may have had just the one owner, he/she clearly did not look after the car properly.
Heres a quick rundown on this one:
Bodywork:
Scuffed nosecone, under the number plate.
Nosecone is a darker shade of red
(evidence of previous repairs).
Near side bumper strip scratched.
Missing plug from plastic trim panel beneath windscreen.
Near side door has one parking dink and one dent
(very noticeable).
Near side door window trim badly weathered.
Near side rear wing scratched.
Rear centre panel to bumper joint uneven
(evidence of previous repairs?).
Side panels, either side of engine lid are both dented.
Boot lid has a chipped front edge.
Aerial mast inoperative, stuck in the extended position.
Offside rear wing has a deep 9 inch long scratch.
Panel requires re-spraying.
Off side rear wing along joint with door is scuffed.
Off side door has a couple of small dinks.
Off side door window trim badly weathered.
Off side front wheel arch and bumper strip are scratched.
Paintwork is generally faded.
Evidence of poor long-term maintenance.
Nosecone and bonnet are stone chipped.
Wheels have been refurbished.
The finish is ok but non-original
looks odd!
Windscreen has a small chip directly in the line of vision.
Front Boot:
Plastic trim unsecured and plastic clips are missing.
Spare wheel unsecured
(more on this later).
Trim and inner wings are very dirty and stained, appear never to have been cleaned.
Engine Bay:
Staining to sound deadening material to the underside of the lid.
Engine, ancillaries and bulkheads are stained and dirty.
No evidence of serious oil leaks.
Missing fixing from off side engine mount
not replaced when the cambelt was done?
Engine oil was clean.
Rear Boot:
Clean and tidy.
Contained spare battery.
Interior:
Driver seat ok, passenger seat stained with glue and paint and leather is scuffed.
Headlining is scuffed.
Air conditioning worked ok.
Remaining trim, carpet, dashboard, etc in satisfactory condition.
Electric windows, mirrors and stereo worked ok, apart from the electric aerial.
Test Drive:
Car would not start without a jump-start.
(Hence spare wheel was unsecured).
Steering wheel was off-set to the left.
Car pulled slightly to the left.
Brake pedal was soft.
Brakes worked ok but some brake squeal was evident.
Clutch pedal was spongy and noisy.
Clutch biting point high.
Clutch action felt ok in normal driving conditions, but a fast launch from standstill revealed severe clutch slip.
Engine felt gutless at low revs.
Engine struggled and required downshifting whilst driving at 60MPH in 5th gear
(@ 3,000 rev/min) along a level stretch of road.
Engine was reluctant to rev and didnt really get going until well past 6,000 rev/min.
Suspension felt tight, with no knocks or thumps.
Power steering worked ok.
Gear change was ok.
Personally I wouldnt buy it.
Im not a fan of the Rev5 spoiler and alloys and
£3.5k buys a very tidy Rev3 Turbo.
I know which Id rather have! As it stands, this Rev5 is probably worth between
£2-2.5k.
It needs bodywork repairs and improvements
(good polish), a new clutch and a full service.
) can deceive