Cheap Luxo-Barges... Minefields?

Phil W

Phil W

Phil W

Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2002
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...no, not for myself before anyone asks :)

Was just browsing PH and the likes, and cars like this keep popping up.

Are these sorts of cars potential bargains, or money pits?

Phil
 
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Could be a either.

I bought my Scorpio Cosworth just over a year ago for £900 and since then I've only had to repair a leaky power steering pip (£5 and an hour of my time) and the heater blower fan (£30 2nd hand and an hour of my time). Other than that is business a susual with oil filter, oil change, air filter change, plugs etc. Sailed through it's Feb MOT. There is a little bit of rust around the rear arches but that doesn't affect how it drives.

It's @ 135k miles and still going strong.

Buy on condition and how it drives/sounds, not miles or FSH.

I'd say if you're confident and competent enough to do running repairs yourself you could have a great car for little money. If you always pay a garage to do things then it could get pricey. You should also be willing to let little things go "unfixed". For example, my air con works but it's not as cold as other cars I've been in. Beyond a recharge I don't see it worth investigating.
 
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Many are fine, if you pick the right one. However, any luxo barge will be expensive to fix if it goes wrong so factor that in to any cost calculations you do.
I would stay away from the V12 750i as it's horrible to work on and many independants won't touch them. The 740i is a much better buy.
 
Agreed however a Scorpio and a 750iL and running costs / problems arn't exactly on the same page, cost to fix the 750iL and what you can do yourself will be much more limited.
Click to expand...

Aha - you're right - I read it as a 740i. If the 750i was £1500 then it would be worth a punt - if it died you'd probably get nearly that much back by dismantling it and selling the parts on ebay. However, nearly £4k is a bit much to risk imo.
 
I think with cars like this, if you do buy one, be sensible. They will have the potential to cost a fortune to put right when they go wrong, not that you can't do some work yourself. Also, when looking to buy, make sure the car is mechanically sound above everything. It's no use checking the electric windows/DVD player all work fine, only to ignore some huge suspension/gearbox problem, as some people seem to do.
 
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