How brave is the buyer of this?

How brave is the buyer of this?

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Discussion

Tyre Smoke

Original Poster:

23,018 posts

268 months

Tuesday 7th April 2020
quotequote all
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274325692072

A 4200 from a back street trader.

To be fair, I bought my wife's MX5 from here and it was as described. Actually it was better. Full main dealer SH and new discs and pads all round.

It's rough, but hell it's cheap!

Hub

6,572 posts

205 months

Tuesday 7th April 2020
quotequote all
What's going on with the steering wheel? It looks like the airbag has gone off and they've put it back together!

s2sol

1,245 posts

178 months

Tuesday 7th April 2020
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I bought a V70 T5 from this lot ages ago. It lasted me 4 years without any hideous expense. This one has an expired MOT, though. Normally they offer to put a ticket on for something like £300. I don't see any mention of that here. It's a gamble, and as noted above, the steering wheel looks as though it's been made at home by bored 5 year olds.

MDL111

7,171 posts

184 months

Tuesday 7th April 2020
quotequote all
Hub said:
What's going on with the steering wheel? It looks like the airbag has gone off and they've put it back together!
Could it be leather shrinkage like on Ferraris (dashboards in particular) of similar vintage?

Lee Jones Jnr

1,724 posts

177 months

Tuesday 7th April 2020
quotequote all
Difficult to know what to think about this really, the company I mean not the car.
It is listed pretty fairly and clearly and they do have good eBay and google feedback BUT there are also a number of threads on here and other places which suggest that they are not as legitimate as one might hope.

cgt2

7,141 posts

195 months

Tuesday 7th April 2020
quotequote all
Same as 550's, Ferrari used a certain type of glue for airbag steering wheels for a couple of years of production that after exposure to heat for a period of time did this. Only solution to remove reglue and retrim if necessary. Not cheap!

Tyre Smoke

Original Poster:

23,018 posts

268 months

Tuesday 7th April 2020
quotequote all
Lee Jones Jnr said:
Difficult to know what to think about this really, the company I mean not the car.
It is listed pretty fairly and clearly and they do have good eBay and google feedback BUT there are also a number of threads on here and other places which suggest that they are not as legitimate as one might hope.
Have to say they were very fair an honest with the MX5, take it, try it, of you don't want it, no problem.

But that I'd either a bargain or a massive money pit. Biggest pit I've seen in a while if it is.

AndyC_123

1,171 posts

161 months

Wednesday 8th April 2020
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I don't think the 4200 has aged well

Tyre Smoke

Original Poster:

23,018 posts

268 months

Wednesday 8th April 2020
quotequote all
That one certainly hasn't!

jaisharma

1,176 posts

190 months

Wednesday 8th April 2020
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Looking on eBay it seems to have "sold" three or four times now...

robsco

7,872 posts

183 months

Sunday 12th April 2020
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You can buy a good example for 10k now... why would anyone want to touch this shed at £6400?

Lee Jones Jnr

1,724 posts

177 months

Sunday 12th April 2020
quotequote all
robsco said:
You can buy a good example for 10k now... why would anyone want to touch this shed at £6400?
Are you looking for an answer more sophisticated than 'because £6400 is less than £10000'?

robsco

7,872 posts

183 months

Sunday 12th April 2020
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Lee Jones Jnr said:
robsco said:
You can buy a good example for 10k now... why would anyone want to touch this shed at £6400?
Are you looking for an answer more sophisticated than 'because £6400 is less than £10000'?
Rhetorical question. There’s no such thing as a cheap Maserati.

Lee Jones Jnr

1,724 posts

177 months

Monday 13th April 2020
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robsco said:
Rhetorical question. There’s no such thing as a cheap Maserati.
Not true.

andymc

7,425 posts

214 months

Monday 13th April 2020
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pretty sure they buy them direct from BCA then stick them on ebay

Tyre Smoke

Original Poster:

23,018 posts

268 months

Monday 13th April 2020
quotequote all
They do.

I guess they come out in front more often than not. There's some real messes on their lot at Reading though. Rough looking 'Overfinch' Range Rovers, etc. They seem to buy up stuff, valet it a bit and ebay straight away. They might list something three or four times before it sells.
A few weeks after I bought the MX5 from them, I got a request via ebay to cancel the transaction. So guess they're running some sort of fees scam on there. Most people will just agree to cancel the transaction, thereby saving them the sale fees.

doodlebug

746 posts

223 months

Thursday 30th April 2020
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cgt2 said:
Same as 550's, Ferrari used a certain type of glue for airbag steering wheels for a couple of years of production that after exposure to heat for a period of time did this. Only solution to remove reglue and retrim if necessary. Not cheap!
Easy to do.
Isolate the battery.
Disconnect the airbag.
Wait an hour or so.
Peel off the leather and clean off the old glue residue.
Reglue.
Refit the leather without the wrinkles.
Reconnect the airbag
Reconnect the battery.

Total cost - buttons for a bit of impact adhesive and some of your free time which most people currently have.

doodlebug

746 posts

223 months

Thursday 30th April 2020
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It's a very rough example. It's newer and done a lot fewer miles than mine. Weirdly, it has the antenna mounted on the rear guard, so it is probably one that hung around in at a dealer for a while before selling.

These aren't cheap to maintain but you have to remember that this was a £70k car when it was first sold 17 years ago.