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Being too Specific when looking for a car


dave j

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I totally get it, which is why when a C4 VTS 180 in Obsidian Black with full panoramic roof came up on Bumtree, I flew to Scotlandshire form East Sussex to pick it up and drive the 650 odd miles back. Luckily I had my mate Davie to check it out for me (he had the advantage of having owned it a few years earlier).

Shame I can't get it to work properly (but I will).

http://autoshite.com/topic/29249-uninteresting-c4-vts-help-needed-to-diagnose/

post-19512-0-68107400-1521490811_thumb.jpg

LEZ earlier today (maybe)

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When I get around to snaffling a 75 it has to tick all the right boxes - pre Project Drive, preferably with torpedo badges on the doors, deffo Conny SE spec and ideally with Personal Line, manual gearbox (not fussed about engine size, but secretly 2.5), sunroof critical and not silver. Other than that, I'm easy.

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Yeah I feel you, when I was looking to buy my ST220 back in 2010 it had to be Performance Blue, black leather, excellent condition, 6 speed, with cruise control AND xenons (I think everything else was standard when new but those two things were optional) I dismissed countless cars because they had one not the other, but eventually 'the one' cropped up and it was immaculate too.  Turned out to be a right money pit that almost bankrupted me in the first year of ownership, but thems the breaks!  (Its fine now after 8 years and a not inconsiderable amount spent on new parts)

 

My Granada had to be a 1984 2.8 Ghia in champagne gold and it had to be virtually rust free (because I can do mechanicals but not bodywork)  This took about 4 years to find...but I wasn't actively seeking it all that time, eventually 'the one' just sort of fell into my lap when I wasn't really looking.

 

I don't think I've ever bought a car and not had to travel hundreds of miles to get it.

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I don't think I've ever bought a car and not had to travel hundreds of miles to get it.

 

This!

 

Having spent most of my life living in Aberdeenshire, I was used to travelling several hundred miles south to get a car.

 

Of course the Lada ended up being in sodding Livingston didn't it...Just after I moved south.  Cue 300-ish trip north to get it!

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Yep.

 

When I wanted another MX5 it had to be a mk2.5 Sport. My wife and dad kept on sending me links to cheaper and better condition cars than I'd been looking at but they were usually special edition 1.6s.

 

I've been fancying an Insignia recently and have worked out I want the following:

SRi

VX-line extras

2.0 turbo petrol

Two wheel drive

Silver or red

Cloth interior

Not bothered on gearbox

 

In theory it exists. There is metallic beige 2.0 turbo SRi two wheel drive with a bash in the cill on autotrader. Usually with that engine they are an elite or four wheel drive.

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I want a new car right now.

 

I want:

Japanese

Auto

petrol

V8

Sat nav (I know I'm sad)

parking camera

not too old

not a dark colour

light colour inside

Cow and wood

not sold by a cowboy.

 

So, it seems  I want a Lexus. LS 430 would do but I 'want' a 460 'cos fast and better looking. But, I can't find one within 100 miles and I ain't travelling loads to view what will inevitably turn out to be utter shit (no 'e').

 

The world on a stick would be easier to find! :)

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I want a new car right now.

 

I want:

Japanese

Auto

petrol Diesel

V8

Sat nav (I know I'm sad)

parking camera

not too old

not a dark colour

light colour inside

Cow and wood

not sold by a cowboy.

 

So, it seems  I want a Lexus. LS 430 would do but I 'want' a 460 'cos fast and better looking. But, I can't find one within 100 miles and I ain't travelling loads to view what will inevitably turn out to be utter shit (no 'e').

 

The world on a stick would be easier to find! :)

 

There's more than one Japanese car that fits the criteria, 

 

toyota-land-cruiser-d-4d-v8-S3294921-1.j

 

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/toyota/land-cruiser/2010-toyota-land-cruiser-lv8-d-4d-v8-automatic-fsh-lovely-condition-fully-loaded-top-spec-king-of-4x4s-must-see-worldwide-exp/7771480

 

You never mentioned a price :D

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So, it seems  I want a Lexus. LS 430 would do but I 'want' a 460 'cos fast and better looking. But, I can't find one within 100 miles and I ain't travelling loads to view what will inevitably turn out to be utter shit (no 'e').

 

The world on a stick would be easier to find! :)

 

Or a GS430?

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803124499997?

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In the past, I have spent MONTHS procrastinating.

 

In 1991 I wanted an MG Metro Turbo in white, facelift spec.  Viewed 7 in 5 weeks.

In 2003 I wanted a Cavalier Sri 130 or a Calibre.  I viewed EVERY one that was for sale within 100 miles of Merseyside. Most were shit. I tried a few convertibles too. eventually got a CDI auto in Jan 2004 which was replaced by a 1.8 Sri in the August and then eventually in 2006 I got a Calibre - IT WAS SHIT. Lucky I hadn't sold the 1.8 SRi

 

In 2010 I smashed up an astra and the same day went out and bought a Volvo S40 1.8 Sport to get me home. This was my first real experience of bangernomics - It cost £350 and when it went wrong I sold it for £350.  

 

In  2012 I spent months deciding to buy a Honda 2.2 Accord Diesel, spec wasn't important, but history and condition was.   

 

The Astra Sport was bought in a Hurry - I had a list of St170's to see on the weekend, but just had a look on Gumtree and about 1/2 a mile away there was a low mileage car with full history at a reasonable price so I bought it based on condition.  

 

Not sure about the Omega.  I wanted a V6, didn't really care about the spec but wife refused to let me think about an estate. Hadn't viewed any when JohnK advertised 2 for sale. One was a 3.2 MV6 and I just knew that I NEEDED that car.

 

The wife however spent months honing her requirements (mostly fad and fashion related) down to a Juke Tekna - she had to have leather !!!!

Once that decision was made we just looked for the best example in her budget

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I want a new car right now.

 

I want:

Japanese

Auto

petrol

V8

Sat nav (I know I'm sad)

parking camera

not too old

not a dark colour

light colour inside

Cow and wood

not sold by a cowboy.

 

So, it seems  I want a Lexus. LS 430 would do but I 'want' a 460 'cos fast and better looking. But, I can't find one within 100 miles and I ain't travelling loads to view what will inevitably turn out to be utter shit (no 'e').

 

The world on a stick would be easier to find! :)

 

Surely it's this you need? No satnav, but I think the rest is covered... it's certainly not a dark colour...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FRESH-IMPORT-2011-NEW-SHAPE-TOYOTA-CROWN-MAJESTA-4-6-V8-LEXUS-LS-ENGINE-AUTO-/273108598226?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

 

s-l1600.jpg

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I generally go for a wheel in each corner, runs and isn't too skanky (although that is negotiable), cheap helps too!

Usually I'm buying because the previous incumbant has grenaded

On one memorable occasion my XR3i melted on the way home and got left outside the newsagent that had an advert in the window for an MG Metro (around the corner) 50 quid well spent that was

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de-pineappling ????

A reference to the stupid look at me craze of putting a roof rack on a wanky old VW then putting a load of shite including a pineapple on it, so de-pineappling is removing all the sad twat mods that people in the 'sad twat scene' do to their cars.
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I tend to buy a car based on the shape. If I like it and then find it comfy I will have it. I went mooching round last week for a replacement for the primera and possibly the jap bus in the longer term.Ended up with a fiat 500l 7 seater 1.3 diesel. So not filling my mid life crisis boy racer image but hey ho. If it proves ok has a family bus then the jap one may move on and something like a primera gt may be looked into. Time will tell. I also really like the vectra b 2.5 Sri.but are a bit thin on the ground. It's a shape thing.

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I had a Fiat 500L 7-seat as a rental for a long weekend a few years back. I thought the shape was utterly horrible and it was in an awful dark green colour too, with a white roof. My cousin threw up on it, although I think that was probably more down to the severe hangover than a reaction to seeing the car...

 

As others have said before though, this place wouldn't be very interesting if we all liked the same things.

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No harm in having a clear idea what it is you want. 

 

Yeah, as long as it's a big bloody v8 and the rest doesn't matter, which is how clear my idea is most of the time.

Then along came the R16 evincing what my clear* ideas are worth on a good day.

 

Next I want a 6 Volt 3 speed R4 in this pale lime colour with dark red seats and Quillery steering wheel and shift knob,

so I guess it's going to be a Fintail Merc or some fucking thing I've never thought about before.

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I'm not very good at this :( Previous car I had I was looking for a large estate car with cheap easy to fix parts. I picked up the local Autotrader (it was a few years ago :) ) to look through the Mondeos and Vectras to find something suitable. Two hours later I was the proud owner of an Alfa 156 Sportwagon, the only estate ever made with a boot smaller than the saloon version and which needed most of the moving parts replaced every three years at vast expense

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For a keeper vehicle, there's nothing wrong with being fussy and taking your time. It took me 18 months or so to find my 205GTi & over a year for the MX5 to find examples in the condition and spec I wanted. This patience has rewarded me with excellent cars that are what I'd hoped they'd be so it was time well spent ultimately. Pretty well everything is out there, you've just sometimes got to wait for it and it may turn up closer than you think - as the '5 did with me. 

(Took me near two years to decide on which house to buy too!). 

 

On the other hand, when buying hacks/shite, I'm less fussy, I don't get too hung up about makes, models, specs, colours etc., it's more about condition bearing in mind the low price range I'd be shopping in where such cars are concerned. 

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