nickrg3

I have a deposit down on an S at a dealers in South Warnborough, 5 miles south of J5. In the rain (yeah I know) I didnt notice it but having had it inspected they have come back with two things:

new paintwork to the bumper lid which is a bit flat - wouldnt have seen when wet. been reassured a good buff and it will be fine but would prefer to know from another S owner and a dent near the mirror, wet or not I am very suprised I didnt see this.

I pick the car up on the 19th and cant really get there to look at it in time being as its 90 mins each way from my house unfortunately.

is there anyone in the area that could perhaps do a walk around for me?

The inspector was very thorough, either its a small ding I didnt notice, its a huge ding that for some reason I didnt notice or perhaps happened after i saw it?? Who knows??

Would make me feel a little better if someone could check it out though

Thanks guys

mariawhite

I take it you mean the sports coupe place opposite the Poacher pub? I drive past it each day on my way to work, but unfortunately in the dark at the moment!! I could probably take a look tomorrow, or failing that next weekend? Obviously depends on the weather, 'cos if it's still raining I'll have the same problem as you, I guess.

Which one did you go for? They constantly seem to have 5 or 6 on the forecourt!!

nickrg3

Certainly sounds like the place.

I ended up going for the black Y plate. one owner, 30k, was all I could afford really, got a pretty good discount and a fair trade in price so I am happy thus far.

Wet or not I think the thing that is greatest concern is the 'dent' near the mirror, the inspector saw it dry yesterday and thought himself that the boot lid would shine up with a bit of elbow grease, so I am not hugely concerned about that. The dent of course is a different matter..... Would be guted if I got there on the 19th to realise I wasnt going to buy it.

If you could pop by tomorrow I will owe you a fair few beers.

Thanks a lot

mariawhite

OK, will try to get there tomorrow - do you happen to know if the dent is on the driver or passenger side? Presumably you don't mind me saying why I'm there if I get quizzed....?

nickrg3

Im not sure which side, think it's nearside. No problem you telling them - they know I have had a report done and they have been very accepting to all of this. I will phone them when they open to let them know Maria might pop by to look on my behalf.

Appreciate your help with this - good to see the S2000 community is so helpful!

<edit>

Think they might actually be closed today - voicemail say they are closed, call them back in the morning at 9am when the reopen... Can't believe a car garage is closed on a Sunday???

</edit>

mariawhite

Hi Nick,

Well the good news is that they were indeed open this morning - although it sounded like the guy I spoke to (Sean) was going to close at about 1.

I had a good look around the car before I went and introduced myself, and am completely mystified about the dent "near the mirror" your inspector found - both doors are in A1 condition, without even the usual car park dings! Sean was also mystified about this - he can only think that because it was quite dark when the car was inspected, that this was a trick of the light or something.

As far as I could see (and it was dry, and the car pretty well polished), there is only one extremely small dent in the middle of the bonnet, obviously caused by a stone. Believe me, when I say small, I mean small - and only visible when the viewed at a certain angle!! Certainly would not stop me buying it.

I agree that the boot lid paint is a bit flat - almost like dirt has been polished into it - I'm sure this would buff up. There are a couple of stone chips (unavoidable on a black car of that age), and a couple of minor scratches which I am sure you could polish out.

However, there are a couple of things I pointed out to Sean: a fairly deep scratch about 1.5 inch long on the very front of the bonnet, and a bit of bubbling paint on the front passenger wing (maybe this is what the inspector was talking about??).

When I pointed these out, he said they could be easily "compounded out" - I suggested he might like to do this before you picked the car up, which he agreed to!! So can you give him a call on Monday to discuss? I think his only concern was whether he could get this done before you pick the car up - in my opinion it would be worth delaying for a day or two to get this done at his expense!

All in all, I'd say you've got a good buy - the paintwork is in no worse condition than my MY03!

I hope this helps put your mind at rest - and enjoy it when you pick it up!!!

Maria

Bada Bing!

Well done you!
Wish I'd got someone to do that when I bought mine.

nickrg3

You are a star! Thanks a lot Maria, really appreciate your help today. You could do this for a living

Makes me proud to be an internet user - imagine life before the web when.. well.. You couldn't "reach out".

I will give him a call on monday and talk hrough those points that you have raised.

Thanks a lot again

Scratches are far better than dents

mariawhite

No problem. Managed to have a chat with the guy about selling mine later in the year, so did me a favour too. Also surprised to see that all the S's in there are sold... Maybe I'll see a few more around here soon!

nickrg3

Yeah when I went he had.. I dont know, 8 or 9 and all but 4 of them were sold. During my hour there 4 or 5 people came in wanting S2K's - appears he cant get them in quick enough.

They seemed a good bunch, not pushy and I guess quite experienced in the S. I got a good