First thing to do, and I hate to say this, but do your homework! Work out which car you want, then work out how much you can spend on buying it, then how much you can spend on running it!
After deciding that I wanted a MKIII Capri, I also decided to go for either the 1.6 or the 2.0 litre pinto range, rather than the monstrous and thirsty V6's. I want to drive this car quite often, I am also 21, and insurance companies like to wash their hands of anyone wanting to drive a car with more than 100 stallions under the bonnet unless you are of the grey, thinning hair type of people.
So wanting to keep my premiums under £3800 a year (a genuine quote for a 2.8i!), I settled for the 74bhp 1.6, with a nice comfortable premium of just £280 a year, fully comp. Im a happy chappy!
The second thing you need to do, is work out how much work you will to do to the car, now the one you can see in the above picture is the car I am actually going to view tomorrow! I haven't seen it yet, all I have to work on is that auto-trader advert. It seems to be in good condition, minus corrosion on the front valance and grills. From the offset I didn't want a complete restoration job, but a car that was a little tatty, didn't require total restoration, could be driven and was capable of becoming a beauty with my budget.
I have worked out that four things could cost me big with this car
1, It has done 147,000 miles on the original engine.
2, The front valance looks shot.
3, It has a tow hook....possible hard life? Caravans?
4, It has a sports exhaust fitted? Has it been ragged to within an inch of its life?
These are the four big questions buzzing round my head at the moment, along with the screaming child saying
OHMYGOD,ITSACAPRI!!!,JAMES, GET UP, NOW, GO BUY IT, ITS WHITE, ITS A CAPRI, ITS CHEAP, AND 3 MILES AWAY!
DID I MENTION ITS A CAPRI?!?!?!?!
This cam about after having a quick look at forums, and general second hand car buying tips.
Yes that is three pages, double sided.
Its about an 80 point check, and involves checking electrics, bodywork, suspension, drivetrain and so on...
I am taking a friend with me who has run and practically re-built his own landrover, so knows a little more about mechanics first hand than me! It is worth taking someone with you anyway, as they help to spot faults that you may not pick up!
Im am actually very excited about tomorrow! But I don't want to buy a lump of **** so next to each of those points on the list, I am going to either put a tick if its ok, or an estimated amount of how much it would cost to put that area/ item right, this amount can then be taken off to the offer price, or added to the budget of the car. Seeing as this is an £800 car anyway, I think I may struggle to take too much off as you can buy un-roadworthy Capri's at this price!
Anyway! Tomorrow I shall get back to you all either with or without a new car!
Wish me luck!
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