Slight thread change, we're not really motor-trading any decent tat (it's all new shite now) so I'll probably focus this on my own cars now.
And I see no better way to start it than showing off my new Range Rover - the UK's cheapest, regardless of condition or running-status, at the time of purchase.
Direct from the bailiff special, someone had racked up some bills they couldn't pay and as a result, this ended up at my local auction, still filled with all their personal belongings and with no key, and no documents. Some low-level designer clothes in the boot, and a glovebox full of central-African pop music - it really doesn't get any better than that.
Had a key made for it, and prepared myself for the worst. Unlocked it, got in, and the alarm went off. Great start. Chucked the key in, switched to ignition, and the alarm stopped. Turned the key, and...IT STARTED. Not only did it start, it fired up and idled like a champ, with zero warning lights. Air con doesn't work, but the air suspension does (I was hopeful anyway as after a week sat at the auction, it hadn't sank). Not only that, but the maiden voyage lasted a whole nine miles before...
The inevitable happened. Fuel injection warning, two seconds of limp mode and then a very composed transition from 'running' to 'non-running'. Luckily, my good friend Taylor has had his fair share of BMW M57-related breakdowns and issues, and thus pointed out that, with fuel at around 1/3 of a tank, I'd probably managed to buy a Range Rover with a non-functioning transfer pump in the tank, meaning one side of the saddle wasn't getting pushed to the other side - he was bang on, and with £20 of Esso's finest delivered through plastic spout, it fired up once again and, 175 miles later, has only rewarded me with:
-Sticking NSR caliper
-Increasing cranking times before starting
-Key remote lock/unlock de-programming
-Occasional vibration under acceleration
I can just feel the joy and passion flowing through me for this project/labour of love/mistake/potential financial suicide. On the upside, a replacement caliper, rear discs and pads, tank pump, inline pump, air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, pollen filter and auto-box filter only come to around £180. Almost like they break a lot.