How much is my MR2 worth?

[Hellbound]

W0nder what happened re this?

0p 0ver2u

Sorry about going AWOL. The car has been sold to JPF for the aforementioned £300 as I couldn't afford the labour to replace the loom (which I was repeatedly assured by JPF is what the car would need, and a JDM loom no less). I did ask for a quote for all works carried out to see if I can manage it but was told he couldn't give one as it would be too much and more than the value of the car (bearing in mind he valued it at around £1k after everything's done).

In summary, I'd already spent around £350+ in servicing and parts that month. Sending the car to JPF had cost me £130. JPF wanted £240 for labour and offered to buy the car for £300. Astonishingly this offer did not include the labour I owed him for diagnosis. To get the car back to me I'd have to pay him £240 plus another £130. I'd then end up with a brick outside my house and two options; either find a charitable soul on imoc nearby to help fix the car on the street near my house or chance it with an auto electrician. In my mind I was of the opinion that an auto electrician would not have experience working with this car and I'd potentially end up spending more money with no guarantee the car would be fixed.

I've asked if I could have first refusal when he comes to sell it, but I also naively sent over all of the service history, service books, import documents and receipts etc, making the car more attractive when it does come on the market.

The last txt message I received was on the day I sent the log book, saying that he'd isolated the problem to the heater matrix and that it wouldn't need a loom, but he maintained that fixing the problem would involve 'a lot of work'. I don't know if changing a section of the wiring in the heater matrix would be a ruinous, 'write-off' declaring job. Thoughts?

Not sure what to make of it all to be honest. On the one hand I should have been prepared to pile considerable amounts of money into the car to diagnose the problem, and I shouldn't have bought it without keeping a grand or so aside for moments like this. On the other hand it may turn out that the problem was within my budget to fix and I've just signed over my car for pretty much peanuts. Hindsight is 20/20 but I can't help but feel a little bit shafted given the circumstances.

I'm awaiting a detailed 'engineers report' in an email from JPF so I can pursue a claim against the TVR guy. I don't know if that's going to be successful or if anyone in a similar position has ever been compensated by a small, one man operation independent garage, but it's worth trying.

In the end, only way this could be 'made better' is if JPF contact me and say they've fixed the car after finding the fault, it didn't take long and if I paid £600 or whatever, I could have the car back. As it stands I'll contact him at the end of the week and chase up the report he's promised.

Let's hope my car doesn't show up on Autotrader for £2000 any time soon! The reg is N420 SGX so you guys can keep an eye out!

On a personal note I'm taking a break from car ownership. My brother has taken deliver of a new M235i on a business lease and he's paying around £200 a month which is a pittance for what is a £36k+ car that's pretty flippin quick! Sort of puts things into perspective when I think about how much money I've spent on 'fixer upper' classic cars over the last 5 years whilst hardly covering any miles or even really enjoying the process! So, with the tiny sliver of cash I've got left I'm going to move to London and try my luck in the big smoke.

All things considered, it's a pretty abrupt and sad ending to my love of MR2's which started back in '99, at the age of 19. I loved that black Rev 2 tubby and is still the best, most fun car I've ever owned. Before I crashed it.

[markstevieandmads]

I'm still not sure what the £240 was for if he hadn't isolated where the problem was?

I'd understand if he said "yep I found its the loom" but now he says its the heater matrix?

[craig]

Did you chase trading standards?

I hate to say it bud, but I think you've been had. I very much doubt that the loom couldn't have been repaired.

It's interesting that once you've handed the lot over including log book, you get this by text:

The last txt message I received was on the day I sent the log book, saying that he'd isolated the problem to the heater matrix and that it wouldn't need a loom, but he maintained that fixing the problem would involve 'a lot of work'.

Bit convenient that one.

£300 for a rust free 96 import NA with a wiring fault. Wow They'll probably fix the fault and sell it for £1500+

[Pauln]

It certainly sounds sus that as soon as you sell him the car at a knock down price his story changes from you need to replace the loom, to it's a fault in the heater matrix. Shame He couldn't have narrowed the problem down like that during his previous attempt at "fault finding".

I can't help but feel you've had a raw deal from both garages.

Paul

[aussieGT]

I smell something off here. Who on earth would sell a car for 300 when an enthusiast site has repeatedly said that the vehicle was worth much more than that figure.

Really really strange that the car wasn't offered to the best offer here or out up on ebay as suggested.

I would have offered you 300 right away and picked it up from the 'specialists' but would have felt like I was robbing the owner.

Car was worth much more than 300, I find this story on the nose.

[masterbateson]

well i reckon youve done the right thing in the circumstance.

its easy 4 other people to give it all that, but they are'nt in your shoes with your circumstances.

Well done and good luck to you sir in the future

[madbasshunter]

[/quote] JPF wanted £240 for labour and offered to buy the car for £300. Astonishingly this offer did not include the labour I owed him for diagnosis. To get the car back to me I'd have to pay him £240 plus another £130. [/quote]

I am a bit unsure did you get £60 that is £300 and have to pay him the £240 or was it £300 and you were let off the £240

[Hellbound]

I've been sent £60 for the car via paypal.

I understand what you guys mean, it looks odd that I've let the car go for what is a bizarrely small amount. But I was facing a bill of a grand in my mind - through what was told to me by a specialist, OR I could have paid JPF £240 to get the car back to me, costing a further £130. So that's 2x£130 (shiply) plus £240 = £500 down the pan and nothing to show for it apart from a car sat outside my house that cannot be driven and is out of MOT. Then I'd have to try and sell it on here and wait for someone to offer me £500+. I'd also be paying monthly insurance and road tax, which isn't much but is still an outlay. Coming up to Christmas and the new year, I don't know if it's a good time to sell something that needs work.

Potentially I could have had the car sat outside for months.

Now the argument JPF could use is that the labour involved in finding the fault and fixing it runs into the hundreds. So I don't have a leg to stand on in that regard as it's his word against a layman like myself.

I'll txt him tomorrow to see how it's going.

[androo007]

Where the hell is there WIRING in a heater matrix?

Sorry mate but you've been shafted.

[masterbateson]

I still think youve done the right thing, and its easy for us to jump to conclussions but without actually being there and seeing exactly what the crack is, then its purely speculation via the net.

I have contacted this JP chap about something else, and after having a chat with him I am in no doubt he is a genuine trader.

Its really unlucky whats happened to your car, but you have to make the best of a bad job.

Is it worth you persueing the original garage ? probably not as how are you going to prove anything.

Ok if you have a chat with him and he holds his hands up that he made a boob and offers you some compensation, but i think that unless he volunteers this, there is no point you trying to chase him for it i dont think.

[Hellbound]

I've asked for a report and receipt for the car and he's said he'll get it done but I haven't heard from him in 3 days. He has also said the problem was a blown heater/aircon ecu. I don't know what that means or if it's an easy fix but he's been upfront about what was wrong, although he has nothing to lose now the car is his. I just don't know why he hasn't helped me pursue the claim against the previous mechanic/garage by writing down his findings.

It's dawned upon me that I don't have a leg to stand on with either person at the moment.

[CalMac]

If he knew that surely could've just removed the ECU and done without, hardly a critical function! Ah well, I can see why you wanted to just get rid anyway

[rgb]

now you know what its worth

[madbasshunter]

If he knew that surely could've just removed the ECU and done without, hardly a critical function! Ah well, I can see why you wanted to just get rid anyway

Yes from my experience the only problem caused by removing it is the second rad fan runs all the time, I stopped it by reconnecting about 5 of the wires if I remember (will check next time I am under dash)