Headlight Washers

[bigegg]

I'm currently looking at this

Which is very local to me.

Seems in good enough condition for the price, and seems OK on the test drive.

BUT...

It has no headlight washers, and I guess that they are difficult/expensive to get hold of - and are an MOT failure if missing on a car with HID.

so...

options?

Fit halogen lamps?

Make some spray fittings? - Not neccessarily as difficult as it sounds if the pumps are there or are the pumps built into the spray?

retrofit washers from some other vehicle?

or pass and find another?

[TigerFish]

In all honesty, that looks like a proper shed... lol.

I doubt it has hids, it was an option but I think on later cars than '99 (and was standard fitment on Sport models). You can confirm by looking by the mirror adjustment switches, if there is a numbered knurled dial, that is the manual headlamp height adjuster. Hids have auto levelling so that dial is missing.

As it is an import, technically it would be an Aristo and therefore a grey import, which can put insurance up.

I would walk really, if they have been driving it around on trade plates, why would they not MOT it, if it comes without, I would assume some costly issues to resolve to get an MOT (as I can't believe they wouldn't have tried to MOT it). Plus it just generally looks battered and tatty.

As far as getting the washers working, there would be a couple of checks to do first. Is it just the nozzles missing? If you activate the washers, does a strong jet of water just fire out all over the shop. When they are present, when you activate them, they kind of motorise out the bumper before squirting the lights, if that whole unit is missing from inside each washer hole, you have even more work to do.

[bigegg]

In all honesty, that looks like a proper shed... lol.

I would walk really, if they have been driving it around on trade plates, why would they not MOT it, if it comes without, I would assume some costly issues to resolve to get an MOT (as I can't believe they wouldn't have tried to MOT it). Plus it just generally looks battered and tatty.

That's basically my thoughts - it doesn't look quite the shed in person, but the seller isn't exactly forthcoming with details! I visited his yard, and was given a test drive by the helper, who told me to phone "the boss" for extra information - who was probably busy, but not at all helpful

There's no apparent rust any where

It's obviously had a bang on the front end, but only damage is to bumper.

The brakes, steering, suspension all feel "right"

Engine sounds quiet and smooth

Gearbox changes almost imperceptibly

There's no warning lights on

A few little car park dings, but no major scrapes, except the front bumper, and all the panels line up.

Seller reckons he drove it from Birmingham before it ran out of tax and test, and was intended for his own use.

Interior is in good nick

It *could* be a bargain, but WHY NOT MOT?

On further consideration, and based on what you've said above,

I'm not going to walk away. I'm going to run

[ColinBarber]

it is certainly cheap. There are people who would pay that just for its brake booster

[Rob-Halifax]

Unles you actually want to have this car up your drive or in your garage while you break it for parts to sell on eBay or elsewhere, I would walk away.

Any trader worth his salt would have put an MOT on that car if it wasn't too expensive and tried to double his money, the simple fact that he didn't means it's not a simple job to get a ticket on it.

If I were looking for one of these to drive round in and not have to spend a lot of cash getting it legal, I wouldn't be looking at that one.

That's just my thought's, the car might be fantastic and not have an MOT for a very small reason, the seller might just not know what he's doing so it could be a steal. Looking at his feedback however would tend to lead me to the opposite conclusion.

Good luck buddy

[TigerFish]

- it doesn't look quite the shed in person,

That's interesting, maybe they did some work since the pics? I could see a large dent above the drivers wheel arch (a decent sized shunt at the front that has buckled the wing?), The front bumper is completely shot and not fitting the shut lines of the wings anymore, washers missing, wheels badly corroded and discoloured. Dent in boot lid, rust on bootlid, a large mark above passenger wheel arch (but can't make out what it is from those pics), Something on the sill on the drivers side (again, can't make it out fully from the pics), front and rear disc corroded, so not seen much use when those photos were taken.

[bigegg]

- it doesn't look quite the shed in person,

That's interesting, maybe they did some work since the pics? I could see a large dent above the drivers wheel arch (a decent sized shunt at the front that has buckled the wing?), The front bumper is completely shot and not fitting the shut lines of the wings anymore, washers missing, wheels badly corroded and discoloured. Dent in boot lid, rust on bootlid, a large mark above passenger wheel arch (but can't make out what it is from those pics), Something on the sill on the drivers side (again, can't make it out fully from the pics), front and rear disc corroded, so not seen much use when those photos were taken.

I've seen worse for £500! As I said, it doesn't look such a shed in person - I never even noticed the boot lid!