Should I buy it......

Discussion and technical advice for 84-89 AW10 & AW11 MR2. 3A-LU, 4A-GE, 4A-GZE.

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jrleech
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Re: Should I buy it......

Post by jrleech »

Paul, I in no way intended to make out you car was a 'scrapper', but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Given your excellent (and clearly deserved) reputation, I was expecting 'the best one you'd seen' to be something rather special, and when I turned up it just left me cold. Maybe that's the problem, most of the Mk1's you'll see are bought to you requiring work. Most of the ones I see are at car shows and are very clean. You did tell me that if the car wasn't accident recovered, then you'd be asking £3k for it, so I wasn't expecting to see any problems.

It didn't help that the car was still covererd in cutting compound or similar, and there was some overspray from all the undersealing that you'd done.

I never said the rear arches needed replacing, but they did need 'sorting', which you've said you've now done.

Sorry, I was over the top on the interior comments, but to get the interior to what I wanted, I would have had to re-trim both seats (otherwise they wouldn't match), and a few other bits. Again, it was hard to tell at the time, as the car needed a good valet.

Now you've sorted those bits, and presumably polished the car, I would probably have a different opinion on the car, but when I turned up, I could see things that were going to cost me a fair chunk of money to get to the standard I wanted.

I don't think I'm overly critical, I just pick up on basic, easy to spot problems that I know I'm going to have to fix, an I know roughly how much they'll cost me. To you, sorting the rear arches, fixing the door post, sorting dents is an easyish job, to me it's £600 - £800.

When I bought my car, I paid £2k for it, and it had no visible rust, the interior was mint, but it was high mileage. I think I paid too much for it, but I didn't really care. A lot of people are picking up clean cars for around £2k max. I'm happy to pay £3k to £3.5k for a proper minter, but there aren't many about.

Best regards,
Jon
PW@Woodsport
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Re: Should I buy it......

Post by PW@Woodsport »

i agree with most of that jon,the conditions you came to see the car under were far from ideal,it was indeed still covered with G3 compound and the interior needing further valeting...but looking past the cleaning up cosmetics is a car that is 100% solid ,mechanically perfect and far from the average £1500 car needing arches in a years time....anyway we have both said our piece,and both learnt a lesson.I think nows the time to buy the car you are after mate,ive never seen mk1 prices so low...i think ebay is to blame,its flooded with cheap mk1s that are advertised as being much better than they actually are....ive been all over and inside out this car of mine,i doubt many private sellers even know what their cars are like underneath the sideskirts.

Heres hoping you get the right car at the right price mate,i see them day in day out claiming to be minters but underneath they can be full of horror stories,but you already know this....i just wish they would advertise them properly,to date ive only seen a handful of cars that can truly claim to be mint or next to concours condition,crazylegs on here has one of the ones im on about....quite frankly the best mk1a ive ever come across.

Good luck with the car hunting mate.
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jrleech
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Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:11 am
Location: Lancashire, UK
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Re: Should I buy it......

Post by jrleech »

Thanks Paul, good luck selling the car, not that you really need it as it is a damn fine car for the money, loaded with new bits ;)

I'm perfectly happy with mechanical work, so problems that relate to fixing that, I'm OK with. I've not got the patience or skill for bodywork, which is why I've got this phobia of the brown stuff.... as that's when I have to take the car somewhere and pay someone to do the work.

Trying to talk the guy down on the £3200 for the 42,000 mile car with the rear arch and door sill rust, at least the cost of the work. I'll have to see what he says, probably no, but he did ask!

Best regards,
Jon
jrleech
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Re: Should I buy it......

Post by jrleech »

Well, I've bought the first one. 42,000 miles, needs a little bit of work on the rear arches and drivers door pillar, and a few scuff marks on the nose, but other than that it's clean. Agreed on £2600, which I think is a good price.

Thanks for the advice...

Cheers,
Jon
Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve
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Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 5:29 pm
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Re: Should I buy it......

Post by Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve »

jrleech wrote:Well, I've bought the first one. 42,000 miles, needs a little bit of work on the rear arches and drivers door pillar, and a few scuff marks on the nose, but other than that it's clean. Agreed on £2600, which I think is a good price.

Thanks for the advice...

Cheers,
Jon

Great to hear you have found the car you are after.
I look forward to seeing it at a few shows!
jrleech
Posts: 1600
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:11 am
Location: Lancashire, UK
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Re: Should I buy it......

Post by jrleech »

Mk1Supercharger SE Steve wrote:
Great to hear you have found the car you are after.
I look forward to seeing it at a few shows!

Thanks mate :)

Once it's cleaned up, you will......

Won't win any concourse events, as it won't be standard, but it will look good 8)

Cheers,
Jon
Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve
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Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 5:29 pm
Location: Romford,Essex

Re: Should I buy it......

Post by Mk1 Turbo Powered Steve »

jrleech wrote:
Mk1Supercharger SE Steve wrote:
Great to hear you have found the car you are after.
I look forward to seeing it at a few shows!

Thanks mate :)

Once it's cleaned up, you will......

Won't win any concourse events, as it won't be standard, but it will look good 8)

Cheers,
Jon

Shame you don't like red,as my dads car will still win concours.
I looked over it again at the weekend and i can say i have never seen better!
Maybe ,the only one is the one with delivery mileage but will we ever see it?
jrleech
Posts: 1600
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:11 am
Location: Lancashire, UK
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Re: Should I buy it......

Post by jrleech »

Mk1Supercharger SE Steve wrote:
jrleech wrote:
Shame you don't like red,as my dads car will still win concours.
I looked over it again at the weekend and i can say i have never seen better!
Maybe ,the only one is the one with delivery mileage but will we ever see it?


The problem with a car with delivery mileage is that it can't be used. That perfect MR2 in the states on Ebay is a prime example, as soon as you use it, you halve it's value. There's a car in the North West Drivers Club, which has about 12,000 miles on the clock, but it never gets driven. I'd sooner have a car that's almost perfect, but that I can (and feel happy to) have fun in, rather than a perfect car that I daren't drive.

A lottery win, and I'll buy a delivery mileage car for whatever it costs and put it in a museum, other than that, I've not got the money to just store cars :(

Cheers,
Jon
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