About To Buy An Aristo, Need Some Opinions

[Leeky]

Hi Guys

Im off to buy this Aristo at the weekend.

Registration M65XRO

Its a Pearl White (Lower part Silver) V300, has 78k miles on the clock.

Two previous owners (one was the dealer for registration), MOT until OCT 06, Beige Leather Interior, Some History, recient service, had Cambelt changed 20k kms ago. Boot spoiler.

Aftermarket wheels (which i plan on dumping), everything seems to be working except for the electric passenger seat. Also the ABS light has come on, so may be a sensor somewhere that needs changing or a pad that needs changing.

Turbos according to him are in great condition, no whining or smoke.

Has lots of receipts and all MOT's from since its was imported.

The dude has it up for £3.5

What do you guys think?

[Fidgits]

hmmm... the electricals could be pricey to fix..

but yeah, the engine probably is the most important - make sure you check it over properly, and give it a good run out - check for smoke, misfires etc..

You also want to check the front brake discs as they can be prone to warping and might have something to do with the ABS light ;) , easiest way to check is light braking from 60mph, if you get steering wobble thats a sign its a problem, not a huge expense, but still pricey.

Also the ball joints can go, as with other cars, its a knocking noise when turning/going over speed bumps...

a new instrument cluster is very expensive, so make sure its bright and all working, as these can fade with time.

Oh, and the gearbox, thats something else that will be pricey if it needs sorting... it should change smoothly without hassle - whineing and clunky shifts could be a bad sign.

If all is well, 3.5 aint bad, with the seat and the ABS, you may drop him to 3 or lower if the discs are warped... just buy with your head, not your heart mate (remember what happened with the lotus!)

[dangerous brain]

Is that all a 78k 95 aristo is worth??

[Leeky]

Found another two since for £2.5k each! :duh:

[Fidgits]

Is that all a 78k 95 aristo is worth??

yeah, the bottom has fallen out of the sports car market... you just need to trawl the private sales ads to see porsches and tvr's going for rock bottom prices - either that, or they just attract no interest..

(i recently saw a 2000 Chimera 4.0 with 40k go for £10k)...

Its a combination of increased personal debt, a general slow down in spending, connected to a lot of spending over xmas, alongside increase in fuel prices with uncertainty for the future...

if your looking to buy something a touch older thats fast and uneconomical - now is the time to grab a bargin!

[dangerous brain]

MMMM I'm gonna have some difficulty getting the £11k I bought my aristo for back then. Well in that case I think I'll LPG mine and drive that to work and give the mrs the golf.