Risk factor 1-10

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That whirring noise couldnt be front prop u/j's could it ant? ;-)

It was external to the engine casing as far as I could work out...
 
Exactly! so if you buy that one youll spend a lot more time searching here than you will enjoying it.
Diffs are a common problem on the p38 and i was expexting to shell out around £1000 after i bought the car so £400 in comparison is a result and Jamesons 4x4 look after mine. When something goes wrong, as long as you stay on top of it, it will serve you well. Let things go by the bye and you'll pay a lot more long term.
 
price up a new engine (circa £2500) and place that in a high interest account! if the engine fails get the money out and fix it, if it doesnt you will be gutted cos you could have spent an extra £2500 on a newer car!!

in my opinion if there is a risk of hg/slipped liners then you will have alot of hassle. i know this from my experience!!!

the problem with slipped liners is that you wont know till the coolant starts to pressurize and steam is coming out the back!! this could happen in 6 months or 6 years its that simple really. you may get years of good service out of it till it goes. one thing is for sure, it will go eventually. the blocks are poo and take a lot of carefull maintenance!

i jumped in and bought mine and it was ace with no signs of coolant loss or slipped liners. then a hose burst and i think that was the start of the trouble. it didnt go wrong though till alot of miles after so i have no eveidence to suggest the car was faulty to start with in that respect!

the only way you will find out for sure is to buy it and see. get it looked at, find a lr independant and see what deal you can come to. give him a few quid to get it assesed and bear in mind that he can only tell you how it is today! tommorrow it might fail!!
 
Thanks Gav.
Well... I don't necessarily want a newer car, post 2001 due to the new car tax rules, im happier and quite like the p38 pre 2001. So I won't be too down if it never goes wrong and i've got £2500 in my bank and paying Brown less of my money ;-)

I see so many high milers for sale, with big miles on them so surely they gotta have a reasonable amount of reliability, but yeah, Im in two minds now, getting put off, but also just upped the offer 10% to see if I get the bite, and will try get some sort of coolant/hydrocarbon/hg test done first.
 
Thanks Gav.
Well... I don't necessarily want a newer car, post 2001 due to the new car tax rules, im happier and quite like the p38 pre 2001.


If you mean the new car tax rules whereby they take in excess of £400 off us for having a 2001 car, thats been dropped... I think the age limit has been reset to 2005.....
 
taking into consideration the battery is knackered, the SRS warning light is on, Radio code is missing, no CD player and parcel shelf missing. Oh one other thing missing was the top cover for the radiator fan...Given it's got that slight whirring noise coming from somewhere around the alternator and all the pulleys, and that under the dark burned oil covering the inner oil cap I think there was some slightly odd goldy color crap (had to scrape throw quite a thick layer of oil in the cap...Overall the car had been very well maintained, full history, in very good condition it used a "little bit of water"
nonononononononononononnonononononononononononononononononononono:doh:
 
Did I miss something? Thought I read it proplier........
the battery is knackered, the SRS warning light is on, Radio code is missing, no CD player and parcel shelf missing. Oh one other thing missing was the top cover for the radiator fan...Given it's got that slight whirring noise coming from somewhere around the alternator and all the pulleys, and that under the dark burned oil covering the inner oil cap I think there was some slightly odd goldy color crap (had to scrape throw quite a thick layer of oil in the cap...Overall the car had been very well maintained

Just love that - "Overall the car had been very well maintained". If ur a wind up merchant congrats otherwise u really need someone who knows wot they r talking bout to cum n see ur prospective debt. Put ur wallet away. If ur winding me up I will track u down.
Either way let me know please?
 
Ok, I’m going to try put some perspective and a little more accuracy on this, as it seems I’ve made this one sound like a right bag of nails…

Under the oil cap, it was relatively thick with what I’d expect of a sound running car, nice dark / black oil/carbon deposits. When I wiped my finger around, underneath there was a lighter almost fresh goldy oil deposit. Not a cream water contaminated messs.

The SRS light – could be one of many minor things and is ultimately not going to make the car a bad runner. Could be something simple since it has only occurred since the flat battery, also read that just moving the seat can cause this problem with a loose connection. Easy fix.

The whirring noise, very very difficult for me to accurately describe. Was not loud, was not too different to what I’ve heard on many cars, it was constant and consistent. If could be the alternator, waterpump, any other pulley on the outside of the engine, was most definitely external as far as my ears could tell.

The water loss – I spoke with the guy again last night, occasionally he tops up with water. I haven’t had many cars I have not had to do this with?? Doesn’t always mean a disaster awaits.

Radio code, very easy fix at a dealer.

CD player missing, obviously been removed for some purpose at some time, and needs replacing. Not going to ruin the driving experience or reliability and we have Ebay these days. £100 fix at some point.

Same for the parcel shelf, nothing major at all, £15-20 Ebay fix.

I have just been offered a comprehensive franchise covered warranty for £60pcm to give additional piece of mind.

I’m going to get a compression / HC test done prior to buying, this will give greater confidence or make me walk away.

I am very 4nal about cars and their condition, so small things can sound big coming from me, like what I describe as whirring and has existed on others I have seen.

Am I really taking the risk of my life or my bank account for £4500??
 
We told yer no.If yer wanna buy go ahead no skin off our nose, we'll even tell yer how to fix it but we wont be sympathetic
 
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