New and not yet bought one...

[2003bluecat]

http://www.mr2roc.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=29997

This might be of interest it the written off vehicle came with a hard top. Written off cars can be a good bargain, but that's only due to the risk you take. Mine was a write off before the last owner purchased it. He got it repaired and I was able to see photos of the damage and all the repairs done. Also he was a member on here so it was good to look up on his old posts.

That said i would not buy a cat d car if there wasn't any documentation of the damage. You literally don't know what you're buying.

[Anonymous]

For peace of mind I've decided to do as VC suggests, I'm going to try and scrape together as many loose coins as I can and go for a face lift.  It'll be my daily driver.

[Toplesscouple]

Whilst that is a sound and mature plan, the problem could be that as the summer  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:   approaches, prices could rise quicker than your savings. Any chance of grovelling to your bank manager?   s:bowdown: :bowdown: s:bowdown:

[Anonymous]

I have a grovel in the pipeline already!!  s:scared: :scared: s:scared:

[ChuckyBru]

Welcome to the club.  Where abouts in the South West are you based?

For what it's worth, here are my thoughts.  You're already talking about doing this, but if you can, go for a facelift as it will probably be easier to shift should you ever want to change (which you won't once you've owned one   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  ).  You'll also have the cosmetic updates, improved bracing, and the 6 speed box of course.  Something I haven't seen mentioned is that whatever the age do take a quick glance at the subframe which sits just below and behind the engine (running across the car), and check for any serious rust. Its not common, but they've been known to go rotten.

Personally, I don't hold much to the thought that a prefacelift is anymore likely to cause you problems than a facelift per se; it comes down to milage and ownership. Yes, we've seen a fair few prefacelifts with engine problems on here, but as Nelix said, this site will attract those seeking answers to problems, and the older the car (with a higher milage) the more likely you are to develop an issue.  I'm driving around in a 2001 car with 37000 miles on the clock and its using hardly any oil - and I'm using thin stuff as I have a turbo fitted.

Unlike me, it looks as though you're not charging into buying one without doing some serious research... There are good ones out there at a fair price, and given the current financial climate, I think you should be able to land a good'n before the summer sun. Then it's just a question of enjoying it  s:D s:D

[Anonymous]

Charlie,

thanks for your welcome and advice.  One of the reasons I'm not charging in is that I'm waiting for the funds to be fully available.  If they were there I'd have been impulsive by now!!  It will be a week now before I can actually purchase, so expect pictures and happiness then!