Good deal?

[beaker82]

I have been offered a 52 plate RS 172 cup for £2000 it has 77k on the clock and the body work is immaculate. it does have the speedo problem i.e. it isn't working intermittently. It does have tax until July next year, not sure of MOT but has a while left I think. IT seems in all round good nick, does have a lumpy idle but this looks like a common fault, has a slow puncture in one of front tyres and probably could do with a new set of pads.

Used to own Fiesta ST and have been driving this all day (got it for the week to try before I buy!!) and really like the ride, there doesn't seem to be anything obvious just a bit noisy compared to the ST but it is obviously lighter and quicker.

Question is....while I have it for the week is there anything I should really listen for or look for other than those listed above...I am guessing £50 for pads, £20-25 for speedo, tyre dependant if it is a puncture and can be plugged and if exhaust is blowing then new back box £xx??, did cost me £45 for new freelander back box fitted locally so hoping similar. I have been offered the car for £2000......does this look like a decent price based on the above as prices seem all over the place for these cars.

Cheers

 

[Alastair.]

cheap, very cheap for a cup, spend £500 getting the belts done and a service though

 

[beaker82]

it is from a friend who is moving in with me. he has had it 4 months but thought the ride was too harsh so got himself a 1 series and has had this parked up for a month or two and offered it me cheap due to cheap mates rates as a lodger. I have known him years and he wouldn't sell me a lemon purposefully and he bought it from another friend who says that the belts were done not too long ago. Is there anyway to check them. I think I am going to take it off his hands but have 6 days left to see if anything drops off.....he did point out all the problems before lending it to me

 

[Soot1e]

The faults seem easy to fix yourself except you have underestimated the cost of the exhaust. As you say drive it for a few days and see if it has other problems, not often you can do that. As long as the engine is strong should be decent enough buy, another £ 200 off the asking price would pay for the parts. Cam belt renewal is a must for piece of mind.

 

[daddycool]

same scenario as me. i got my 52 plate cup with 75k on the clock for £1950. couple of things but nothing major (scrape on left side of front bumper, no service history) but good condition. i got it cheap as driver window wasn't working and the infamous hazard lights not turning off, but i sorted these (£26 for window assembly, free hazard light switch) and all sorted. it does have things that need doing (track rod ends i did yesterday) and i did basic maintenance like oil change etc but nothing that wouldn't need doing on any car really. to be honest you are in a unique position that you can drive it for a week and probably decide from that. the fact your mate lent it to you would tell me he isn't trying to sell you a lemon!

there is one thing you could do (i read that someone on here did it when buying new cars)- take it for an mot, this will show up any major issues. take it to nationwide auto centre and its half price- £27
http://www.nationwideautocentres.co...d=4620899915&gclid=COK05IjcrKQCFctH4wodsSKGsQ

 

[beaker82]

had it out again for a good drive, done just over 50 miles in it and have fallen for it big time. The exhaust isn't blowing looks like the lumpy idle thing and sits on 800 or so rpm fine never looks like stalling, the brakes now the have been used for the first time in 6 weeks are tight and so pads dont seem like they need replacing this side of xmas which is good. Unplugged the speedo sensor and plugged it back in think it might have been loose had a red rubber thing on it slid it in place, click and thus far hasn't tripped back out - not expensive anyway. In the daylight the tyres are all Toyo something or other, going to see if garage can find a leak to plug it for a while because they are a new looking set with virtually no wear and some of the nobbles still on them.

Plus....the MPG is unbelievable for this sort of car, round town, A roads combo driving and returned 41.8 mpg wen I pulled back at home. Everything feels tight as it should virtually no rattles and squeaks and no knocks or bangs to be heard, steering is precision and the interior is pretty much spotless. Can't believe it has 77k on the clock.

My mate can consider it sold.....just need to pay for subscription on here I think now iin case anything does go wrong and also for that nice cliosport.net sticker, saw one in an '05 182 up for sale near me today at the handwashing place with cobra seats in....looked nice.

 

[G_C'lio_172]

does sound a fair deal, if it was a private sale with no service history and no 'evidence' of the belts been done then id be abit wary and would prob leave it well alone ,but if you know your mate has looked after it ,just check how many others have owned it, also get the MOT test number off him type it into the vosa website i think it is, and it will come up with all mots previous and tell you if and what it failed on and any advisorys, so atleast that way you get an insight as to whether its been looked after or negletced by previous owners
example i did this on a 172 and it came back that pretty much every MOT it had failed on brake pads discs and tyres nearly everytime, that says to me its been driven hard constantly and the fact it takes the mot to find these faults and not himself, say aslo tht its just been neglected.
you get the point! lol
but yea the belts to get them both done (from a renault specialist garage, is a must) your goin to be lookin around £430+ roughly depending where you go, but you need to do this if you dont dhave proof that theyve allready been done ,because theres no way of tellin just by lookin. so for the sake of your engine and alot of money .do it

 

[SaraJ]

does sound a fair deal, if it was a private sale with no service history and no 'evidence' of the belts been done then id be abit wary and would prob leave it well alone ,but if you know your mate has looked after it ,just check how many others have owned it, also get the MOT test number off him type it into the vosa website i think it is, and it will come up with all mots previous and tell you if and what it failed on and any advisorys, so atleast that way you get an insight as to whether its been looked after or negletced by previous owners
example i did this on a 172 and it came back that pretty much every MOT it had failed on brake pads discs and tyres nearly everytime, that says to me its been driven hard constantly and the fact it takes the mot to find these faults and not himself, say aslo tht its just been neglected.
you get the point! lol
but yea the belts to get them both done (from a renault specialist garage, is a must) your goin to be lookin around £430+ roughly depending where you go, but you need to do this if you dont dhave proof that theyve allready been done ,because theres no way of tellin just by lookin. so for the sake of your engine and alot of money .do it

This.

I drove 5 hours to get my car privately (& cheaply), had all receipts of belt changes on time etc. BUT i still planned to get them done what ever car i bought, just because.
I was unlucky in that it didn't make it home!

 

[Soot1e]

This.

I drove 5 hours to get my car privately (& cheaply), had all receipts of belt changes on time etc. BUT i still planned to get them done what ever car i bought, just because.
I was unlucky in that it didn't make it home!

Are you saying the cambelt went inbetween paying for it and getting home?

 

[Gally]

To be fair it's gotta be worth a punt at 2k.

Even selling the bits is worth more.

 

[SaraJ]

Are you saying the cambelt went inbetween paying for it and getting home?

Yup! Private sale!! RAC would only recover it back to my address else i'd have had it recovered to the garage that did the cam belt etc... But at 300 miles from home, it was more hassle than it was worth. I paid £2200 for the car, £450 in total to fix. So still an average price car, and the body panals are pretty much mint & all original

 

[Soot1e]

Thats really unlucky, only £450 to repair? I would have thought the valves would hit the pistons and done more damage.

 

[beaker82]

I have gone for it just waiting for him to dig paperwork out for it now. I put it in the newbies forum thread but the pictures aren't great cos its a bit dirty. I am going to wash it today as its not raining then have to decide what to do, it is completely standard and tbh I think I want to leave it that way but might just do the callipers and depending how the wheels clean up might think about getting them powder coated. Decisions on colours now I guess.

 

[SaraJ]

Thats really unlucky, only £450 to repair? I would have thought the valves would hit the pistons and done more damage.

16 bent valves, 6 smashed cam followers. A good friend that's a Renault Techy and a OH in the trade = good prices, pretty much free labour & got lucky in the fact Renault techy friend had 6 cam follower thingys hanging around unused from another job which costs me 4 cans of lager I was very lucky!! But at the end of it, i have a pretty much mint car on fair mileage (72k) that just needs the wheels refurbed. Which again, will be free

I have gone for it just waiting for him to dig paperwork out for it now. I put it in the newbies forum thread but the pictures aren't great cos its a bit dirty. I am going to wash it today as its not raining then have to decide what to do, it is completely standard and tbh I think I want to leave it that way but might just do the callipers and depending how the wheels clean up might think about getting them powder coated. Decisions on colours now I guess.

Great news! Will go look at piccies

 

[Soot1e]

So unlucky in one respect but lucky in another.