Buying advice???

Level 6 User Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 154

Hi guys and gals,

Although im new to this forum im not new to 19 ownership. About this time last year and before i knew what kind of money these cars go for, i went out and paid Â£900 for a phase 2 with 90k on the clock, basically i got shafted. To add insult to injury within about 6 months of me owning it, it was dead for reasons unknown and i ended up selling it for Â£250! (neal from welwyn garden city if your out there somewhere). Should have walked away when the guy selling it told me he had 130mph out of it once!!!

Anyway, ive finally made the funds available to buy another one but buggered if i can find a decent one for the right price. Ive read other threads on this forum where people have picked up what seem like nice examples for Â£350 but i cant find any anywhere that are in even reasonable condition for that money. Ive been looking on ebay and seen this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=9861&item=4557454047&rd=1. Even though im really after a Phase 2 this Phase 1 looks pretty good and with good mileage for its age. The guy wants Â£500 to end the auction early. What do you guys reckon? Good price, bad price? Also, if anyone does know of any decent 3dr Phase 2's that are for sale for around that price please do let me know, if its black that would be even better!

Apologies for the ridiculously long post!

Thanks in advance.

Matt

Site Subscriber Joined: 13 Oct 2004 Posts: 4722

just been talking about that one in the ebay section.

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

Hello Matt,

you sold your phase 2 to neal or bought it from him?

that ph1 in the auction does look good, low mileage on it too for the year, needs a few odds and sods doing to it by the looks of it but you are in the right place to help get it all up and running nicely again on these forums.

it if stays at Â£350, bargain! it had caught my eye too that one and if not for the fact i already have two cars and no more space to keep another one i would prolly have had a good serious think about buying that one as well.

*edit* on reading my post half of it made no sense so i've redone it lol

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

Hi Matt

You'd just bought a 205 when i picked the car up from you, what happened to that?

K931 WOX is no more I'm afraid. It had a fair few things wrong with it as it turned out and I ended up stripping it. Most of the cars on this forum have a part or two off that car! The engine is in my garden, as are the back seats as a bench.

Anyway, youre localish to me arent you? If you see a 19 that you want to go and look at, drop me a line and ill come along, poke around and give you the lowdown on it.

FCS Event Manager Joined: 04 Jan 2005 Posts: 3680

yeah my ph2 has the multi electric window switch, a rubber bumper strip and a window seal from WOX on it, the gearbox from WOX is in Mals 19 Cab lol

So WOX lives on in not only neal's 19's but mine, mals's, schackal's, roger's clio (steering wheel) and quite a few other members R19's lol

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

will live on in 2 of mine Smile

Level 6 User Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 154

Shame WOX is no more because when it did go, it went well. I went to three different mechanics to try and find out why it was only running on three cylinders and not a single one of them could work out why so short of an engine replacement it was going nowhere. Someone suggested a problem with the ECU just after i sold it, which was extremely useful!Glad to hear at least bits of it are still about!

Thanks for the offer Neal, much aprecated and i may take you up on that if i find a relatively near one even though valvers seem to be like rocking horse s**t around here which is one of the reasons that i want one.

As for the 205, ive still got that. The original plan was to get the head gasket fixed and just punt it on and make myself a few quid. Then, true to form, turns out there was quite a lot else wrong with it so i decided to take it off the road and really get it sorted properly. Getting there slowly but as im sure you and most other people on this forum can apreciate, time and money constraints are limiting a more speedy restoration!

I think i'll bid on that Phase 1 then. Have you seen the location though, bloody Cheshire! Absolutely typical!

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

Matt16v wrote:

...Getting there slowly but as im sure you and most other people on this forum can apreciate, time and money constraints are limiting a more speedy restoration!...

god dont i know it mate.

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

The ECU was fine Matt, in fact I am currently running it in my chamade. The main problem, the one which was causing it not to run, was a damaged wiring loom where it runs under the inlet manifold:

That in itself wasnt a major problem to sort, but bodily the car had seen much, much better days!

Dont rush into anything with that one on ebay. I wouldnt bid a lot on a car you havent seen in the 'flesh'. As you know, they can hide a lot of problems. Just bide your time, there are loads always coming and going on ebay, it ebbs and flows - there were about 20 the other week, while at the moment it is relatively scant.

Level 6 User Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 154

Jesus, that doesn't look to healthy does it! I can certainly see why that may cause a problem! So the engine is in another 19 you have? Glad to hear it mate.

I know what your saying about that one on ebay. Would much prefer to find one where i can look at it properly, drive it etc before buying but there just simply dont seem to be that many around here. In fact most that ive seen for sale are in Liverpool for some reason. There was another phase 1 which you may have seen on ebay that was in kent, "only been driven to london and back to have some work done". He originally wanted Â£750 for it which i, very politely, told him he may have trouble getting, then he lowered his price to Â£650. I offered him Â£580 cash but he was having none of it. Fair play to hime for sticking to his guns i suppose. He said he was going to relist it so im watching and waiting!

*just read your post again Neal, you have the ECU in your car, not the engine*

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

Matt16v wrote:

So the engine is in another 19 you have? Glad to hear it mate.

No, its in the garden on a homebase trolley Laughing

I travelled to Croydon to look at my chamade, and having seen it, driven it, and scrutinised it in detail, i was satisfied that it was in such excellent condition that i should bid a reasonable amount on it. Had I not seen it, I would not have bid, or at least not enough to have won me the auction. As it was, I got lucky and won it for about half my max bid anyway.

The point is, I was looking for a chamade for months, and saw a few potentials crop up on ebay, but I already had 2 19s so didnt need to rush in. I just watched and waited and eventually the right one came up.

So anyway yeah, bid on that one if you want, but not too high. If you win for small money, great. If you dont, no great loss, it might have been a shed and there will be another one along soon enough...

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

stick to hatches and stick to ph1's unless you do lots of miles then the ph2 being less sporty gives a comfier ride if not as quick or as nice handling.

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 6:07 am

Yes I have the gearbox from WOX and what a life saver that has been, no Diff Clip problems yet thank God

Site Subscriber Joined: 07 Oct 2004 Posts: 2281

You've said it now mals!