Trying to buy a Roadie (& why you should never sell yours)

[K T M Rider]

As everyone on here knows already, sell your MR2 Mk3 and there's a very very good chance that you will end up wanting another. When I sold my red facelift in 2012, I told myself that I'd be able to get another at some point, but in this day and age you have to be prepared for a serious amount of hassle - here's some of the highlights:

1) £3500 / 2003 / black /66k miles described as FSH - no documented engine servicing over the last 7 years and 33000 miles (and no DIY servicing either) - they seemed to think that a folder full of MOTs and MOT related work passed for service history   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  . Car was lovely, but despite the lack of history they wouldn't drop the price (a 250 mile round trip - still at least I got to study an all black car for a couple of hours and a very nice thing it was too).

2) £3300 / 2004/ Sable /59k miles  described as FSH - but last serviced in 2013 and then this year - (about 5000 miles done in this period) & holes in subframe.

3) £2500 / 2004 / Sable / 84k miles at a dealer  - no history for last 40k, roof was cracked all over and rear tyres were budget carp.

4) £2700 / 2006 / Sable / 76k  - (priced down due to dent in bonnet)  - car had no MOT (but not mentioned in ad), had obviously not occurred to seller that any prospective purchaser would wish to undertake a legal test drive   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  

I viewed all of the above cars and in general (apart from one cracked roof, one dented bonnet and one scuffed bumper) all looked appealing cars overall, but I knew there would be nicer ones out there for similar money.

In my opinion the owners of cars 1 and 4 in particular should be forced to do some sort of qualification in how to sell a car before being let loose on Autotrader   s:evil: :evil: s:evil:  

Then there was the car on ebay in Northwich I was all set to view, but first I had to have a lengthy debate with the seller about whether the third party cover to drive other vehicles on my comprehensive policy would actually cover me to drive an otherwise uninsured car

Once we'd eventually got over that hurdle, he then asks me if I was in Northwich (given the car was nationally advertised, would have been a bit of a coincidence.........) .

Once I explained I was 100 miles away in York, he then tells me that all the car docs (including V5) were at his mate's house (the car owner) who was currently on holiday, so he wouldn't want me to come all that way untill............  s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:    s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:    s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:  

Moral of the story - NEVER SELL YOUR ROADSTER !!!

[wotugonado]

No:- 1 would of got a round of  sfuck fuck sfuck s, if id driven that distance to find that out. People are daft if they think your not going to find these things out when you get there........

Nothing in the for sale section on here?  I'd rather buy one from an enthusiast owner.

[K T M Rider]

No:- 1 would of got a round of ****, if id driven that distance to find that out. People are daft if they think your not going to find these things out when you get there........

Nothing in the for sale section on here?  I'd rather buy one from an enthusiast owner.

I got the impression that the male of the household genuinely thought the car was fully and properly maintained and wrote an advert accordingly and the female of the household (the car owner) also thought that the car was fully and properly maintained because the car got whatever it needed at MOT time   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  

The oil didn't look like it had done 33,000 miles, but neither of them could tell me when it was last changed.

What actually annoyed me was the fact that they wouldn't wake up smell the coffee and come down on price.

Just got a very nice PM offering me a car (possibly, in a month or two I think) so in case anyone else wants to ignore my advice and sell their roadster I had better fess up that the 5th car I viewed is now mine   s:D s:D   (pics coming)

[minimike]

Great post Alan, It's a mine field out there!

Wish I had never sold any of mine...

Did you view any in York? I have noticed a couple at dealers there but I guess they might not have been within your search parameters.

[1979scotte]

I only sold mine to buy another.
Why?
Had just gotten it sorted and bought another that needed loads doing.
Madness.

[K T M Rider]

Great post Alan, It's a mine field out there!

Wish I had never sold any of mine...

Did you view any in York? I have noticed a couple at dealers there but I guess they might not have been within your search parameters.

Thanks.

I think the main problem at the moment is most of the dealers have got their summer pricing policy in full swing, so yer average member of the public sets their price a few hundred quid less, but this is still far too much for the average member of the public's car..........

The other problem I had is I really don't like silver...... and most of the cars local to me were silver   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  

So yeah the one's in York were outside my search parameters   s:) s:)

[Chilli Girl]

Poor old silvers, we do get a hard time.  At the end of the day it's still a roadster but hey, life would be dull if we all drove the same colour, wouldn't it?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[K T M Rider]

life would be dull if we all drove the same colour, wouldn't it?  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

Go back 10 or 15 years and many new car buyers did all drive the same colour   s:) s:)     s:flame: :flame: s:flame:

[minimike]

I wanted a black roadster again, but in the end it was more important that the car was right. The only ones I didn't want were green, yellow or red( I have two red cars already). Blue, I can't make my mind up on? Also I like the red cloth in Black/silver cars. Any other colour has to be leather as the grey cloth seem a bit dull to me.

So that left black, sable and silver. In the end there must be more silver than any other colour and that was what I ended up with.

Just my own personal preferences, no offence intended!  s:D s:D

[K T M Rider]

I wanted black or sable (as per the first 4 cars I viewed above), but like you say the car had to be right, so ended up with a blue, which I couldn't really make my mind up on either - untill I saw the one I now own   s:D s:D

[delhusband]

I wanted a black roadster again, but in the end it was more important that the car was right.
.....
Just my own personal preferences, no offence intended!  s:D s:D

+1
Wouldn't change my silver now though  s:) s:)

[1979scotte]

I never ever wanted a yellow car.
Just bought it for the engine.
I kinda like it now.
Kids seem to love it and I quite often get a wave.
That never happened in my silver 2.