Dealer or no Dealer?

Started by Willbott, February 13, 2011, 18:58

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Mike G

#25
February 14, 2011, 19:32 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Your location in the country is a bit down in the corner Will !  Obviously to get the right car you have to satisfy a number of criteria
1 How far are you prepared to travel (and possibly be dissapointed ?)
2 How desparate are you to get into an MR2 fast
3 How flexible are you prepared to be on int / ext colours
4 Are you prepared to pay top dollar for the right car

I've compromised a lot in the past on spec and colour etc in the name of impatience and regretted it months down the line when I have seen other cars in other colours and with features I wish mine had got. This time , my remit was Sable ,Red Leather , Facelift , sub 50k and air con would be nice ........ ( It even had a hardtop that I did'nt want !! ) but I got  lucky after looking for a couple of months and practically found one on my doorstep ,BUT  I did pay the going rate for a private buy with no warrenty or any sort of comeback
You know your own mind Will, and if your fairly confident that what you settle for won't be regretted, then go for what takes your fancy ,but I've been impulsive too often and lived to regret it !
Choose carefully and enjoy
Mike
2004 Facelift in Crystal Silver (sub 30k)  with genuine bodykit,Precats out,Red Leather,Remus Dual Exhaust,Carbon Thresholds,vvti Badging on wings,TTE chrome fuel flap surround,Bridgestone Potenza REO40's ,Aerial override mode,RED Mohair roof, Bonnet and engine cover gas struts and a few other small internal tweaks :-)
And now... Mikes (my own) anti dash creak mod !

Willbott

#26
February 14, 2011, 19:48 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Hey mike,

Thank you for the sage advice. I intend to do as you say, and find one I really WANT not just is available now.

Funnily your spec is the same as I'm after. I'm happy to travel up to about 100 miles - but not too much more I guess. There are lots of them, so you'd hope one one pop up near by - hopefully owned by a nun since new!

I'll let you know how I get on, and post some pics once I get the car. If you spot one first, please give me a shout!

Cheers

Will

roger

#27
February 14, 2011, 20:45 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Welcome Will.

Just a few answers which I don't think have been given....

Red edition is a sable with red roof, red leather and a few red badges.
All post 03 have the better engine (and pre-cat spec).
04 have lightly better spec regards bracing
TF300 are standard cars with  cosmetic interior
Full details here....
http://www.mr2roc.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=4807
Roger

EX: \'04 Sable + PE Turbo and many other things
NOW: MR2 on steroids - \'12 Merc SLK200 AMG125

Use Spydersearch if you are stuck for information. Please.
Check my fuel consumption

2003bluecat

#28
February 14, 2011, 21:04 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Quote from: "Willbott"H...... Not sure about A/C? Do you need A/C on these??? I ....

I used my ac a lot since I had the car, more than I thought. Believe it or not I had it on in the summer with the roof down, it gets so hot when the sun is on you! Also it's been invaluable during this really cold winter at demisting the windows.

Just my 2p worth

Willbott

#29
February 14, 2011, 21:09 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Hey Bluecat and Roger!

Great tips! Very helpful. I think I'll A/C to my wish list. As I need to commute in the car, being able to de-mist and get going ASAP in the winter would be a real bonus.

Cheers guys.

Don of Croy

#30
February 15, 2011, 09:26 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Hi Willbot,

Buying cars - the thrill of the chase! Having bought two cars in the last two months I got thoroughly cheesed off towards the end! What started out as a fun task soon begins to grate as more leads turn to dust and others seem to be 'off the clock' when it comes to pricing...

You're obviously up for a challenge (new house / town / car) so try to keep calm, be rational, take your time etc etc then panic and buy blind!

I too have recently swapped my BeeEm for a '2', but I'm also using the family chariot on dull, wet days (getting old and cranky). Having said that the '2' is surprisingly comfy after M-Sport suspension and even the seats seem better, although less buckety to the eye. Radio reception is also miles better in the Toyota. And the remote locking works over a greater range (although it does not offer 'welcome' lights when unlocking).

I looked for 2 months then found what I wanted 160 miles away in Lincolnshire (I'm in Sussex). So far, so good - bought from a Volvo dealership, dropped price 10% and full service/MOT and 3 month warranty (extended to 2 years with MOT cover). Mines the dreaded SMT gearbox which - for me - just adds to the differentness (and also offers traction and stability control into the bargain - not to be sniffed at on a mid engine design). Also it has leather, a/c and a hard top (03 plate).

Try as I might I could not find a 300 or Red edition with a/c, which was as important as SMT to me. And leather. The hardtop should help with over-wintering and is nice to travel under on cold winter nights.

Hope you find what you're looking for soon - there are plenty out there but finding the time to run around and see them, well, that's the hard part!
MR2 Roadster Lagoon Blue + SMT + Hard Top + Air Con
Volvo V70 D5 SE with loads of extras...
Honda Jazz - first choice for town use when we can\'t fit in the \'flip flop\' (MR2)

2003bluecat

#31
February 15, 2011, 09:34 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
I know this might seem like I'm teaching grandmother to suck eggs, but don't forget a hartop can be bought and easily fitted to a car not oringinally fitted with one. I imagine a/c cannot. So if you find a good one without a hardtop I'd be tempted to go for it   s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:

Willbott

#32
February 15, 2011, 11:03 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Good point bluecat. I'm going to try and stick to my priorities in this order. 1. Condition/FSH, 2. Mileage, 3. Cost,  4. Leather, 5. Colour, 6. Number of owners, 7. A/C, 8. Distance from me, 9. hard top, 10. Warranty.

See how well I stick to that......I bet I end up with a dog cat D car, with inter-galactic miles, seats made of sack cloth, the colour of sick, with 43 owners, 300  miles from me, and costing £23,000!

If you know if a car like that, I'd love to see it!

Will

northernalex

#33
February 15, 2011, 15:54 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Did toyota ever sell many of the "sick" coloured cars  s;) ;) s;)

Alex
evileye_xc said:
"I already saw it. I\'m hoping to gain the record for the \'Person who is most quoted in signatures"

Willbott

#34
February 15, 2011, 16:01 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Be just my luck to find the only one!

Extensive four week trawl for new car results in disatster!   s:scared: :scared: s:scared:

Treboeth

#35
February 15, 2011, 16:17 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
 m http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... gLetter=05 m

this just goes to show what you can get Will

Willbott

#36
February 15, 2011, 16:26 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Nice. Shame about the miles. I'm going to look for one with low miles I think?

Treboeth

#37
February 15, 2011, 16:50 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Yes be really good with half the mileage  s:D :D s:D

Willbott

#38
February 17, 2011, 12:23 Last Edit: February 17, 2011, 13:24 by Willbott
Hey there lovely MR2roc people!

Thank you all so much for you help getting an MR2. I'm driving a couple at the weekend, which will be great as I'll get to do back-to-back comparisons.

Fingers crossed...!   s:scared: :scared: s:scared:

Anonymous

#39
February 17, 2011, 12:28 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Not "ears" but it is sitting high at the back.

Willbott

#40
February 17, 2011, 12:30 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Is that anything to worry about??? Or have they just not stowed it correctly?

Cheers for you help Nelix.

Regards

Will

Anonymous

#41
February 17, 2011, 12:32 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Probably not stowed correctly, just have a good look at it, along with everything else.

Year, mileage, price etc?

Willbott

#42
February 17, 2011, 12:35 Last Edit: February 17, 2011, 13:25 by Willbott
Cheers fella - thought it looked like it's just been quickly dropped for the photo.

Will

Anonymous

#43
February 17, 2011, 12:37 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Thats not too bad. Main dealer? Are you trading in?

Willbott

#44
February 17, 2011, 12:44 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Not a main dealer - specialist dealer. Sound ok??? Oh,as I'm sure you can see it's a "Red".

Cheers for your expert help, really appriciate it. I'm trying to learn as much as I can.

Will

Stifler

#45
February 17, 2011, 13:48 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Sorry for the topic drift, but how much weight does the AC add to the 2?

All the best with the hunt Will, you seem to have your head screwed on and know what you want.  I'm sure you'll get there, just dont impulse buy  s;) ;) s;)

Willbott

#46
February 17, 2011, 14:06 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Great question Stifler...I wonder how much weight A/C adds??? I'm  a bit of a geek about that sort of thing. I was reading an article in an old issues of Evo last night - it was a what would you buy with £20k article from around 2004. Good old MR2 came second, only to a used BMW M5! Nice.

I'll keep you posted on my buying progress, or lack of it!

Will

Toplesscouple

#47
February 17, 2011, 14:19 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Does it really matter how much weight the A/C adds? You could argue leather seats are heavier or most sorts of bodykit add unneccessary weight, but they feel nice or look good so, unless you're a trackday addict, form over function would probably be the way to go   s:) :) s:)  .

Willbott

#48
February 17, 2011, 14:26 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Very true - I'm sure it makes sod all difference. I'd have A/C for sure if I can find a nice one with it - why not? Air Con is lovely. Just an interesting (and totally academic) thought as to how much it weighs!  s:? :? s:?

Toplesscouple

#49
February 17, 2011, 14:43 Last Edit: January 1, 1970, 01:00 by Guest
Quote from: "Willbott"Very true - I'm sure it makes sod all difference. I'd have A/C for sure if I can find a nice one with it - why not? Air Con is lovely. Just an interesting (and totally academic) thought as to how much it weighs!  s:? :? s:?

Oh that's all right then.   s8) 8) s8)   I come from a motorbiking background where riders want to shed every extraneous gram off their bikes, then ride to a cafe and gorge on a FB breakfast   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
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