Am I off the mark?

Dr Who

Dr Who

Dr Who

Soldato
Joined
11 Nov 2004
Posts
8,183
Location
Couvains, France
I fancied a bit of a winter project so after looking for reasonable prospects I cam across an MG Zs 180.

It was up for £700 with best offer.

The car itself is a 53 plate 58,000 mile example but with no service history, apparently lost by the previous owners widow, but checking MOT history the mileage seems to stack up nicely.

Cambelt was changed at 29,000 allegedly, but by MOT history this must have been in 2008 so a newun is due. Has an intermittent SRS light, usually the connector under the seat, A/C compressor doesn't kick in, Stainless exhaust and sheddist style clutch cylinder conversion.

Book price for a private sale was around £570, so I low balled an offer at £500 and said I would up it to £550 if he would deliver it to me (10 miles and I would drive him home) as I planned to SORN it and leave it off road while I sorted the cambelt etc (an £800 job at a garage).

He thinks I have "time wasted" and his wife's nephew's garage reckons it's worth £900 so it is no up at £895.

I thought £550 was reasonable considering the service history and cambelt change required, but am I off the mark?
 
People always think their cars are worth more than they are.

EDIT: Looking around they go from anywhere from £550 to £1000 with that kind of mileage depending on age - there doesn't seem to be too much shortage of them going second hand.
 
Did you explain that it needs a cambelt which is an £800 job, and with that in mind you feel your offer was generous?

Link to the ad so I can offer £500 as well? If Rroff then offers £450, and you then go back and offer £550, you might be in. :p
 
Don't worry about it, they've been worth nothing for years and have been pretty unpopular even for £500 which the seller will soon come to realise
 
TBH I think they would even be lucky to get £500 for it. At the end of the day it's an old Rover and one with issues, it's not worth anything.
 
I think the only thing you were off the mark with was the choice of car in the first place!

An awful car that needs more than its value in work, I’d look for something better.
 
To be fair, when you get to £700 cars - there's never going to be much wiggle room worth arguing about.

However, from looking on eBay at similar cars - you offer of £550 was more than generous. Many of them are going from between £250-500. It's not like you bid him £50 for it.
 
Life is far too short to worry about the emotions of people selling stuff, badly priced. Find another on, or something else.
 
It's massively overpriced, even more so as it needs work. If you are tall don't buy one blindly. I am 6'2" and when I went to look at one of these a few years ago I just couldn't get the seat low enough and the steering wheel high enough to stop it from pressing on my legs quite firmly. I couldn't live with that so didn't even test drive it and apologised to the chap selling it and walked away.
 
I know the cars very well having owned one from new back in 2001. I am 6'5" And haven't had a problem in them, you can also relocate the drivers seat back using spacer plates which gives them plenty of room. I drove it last weekend when I viewed it.

Acme: Yes I explained that, and how the value was destroyed by lack of history.

Scania: As a car to live with every day, I agree, as a drivers car on track they are surprisingly good.

It is never gonna be worth good money, but I thought it would make a good winter project, change the belts, and have some fun in it, maybe track day it a bit then shift it on with little loss of money.

Far from emotional about it, just wondered if I was deluded or the owner, and you guys have pretty much confirmed my thoughts.
 
£200 may not be much but as a proportion of a £700 car it is quite a wedge off. No need for them to be funny about it though, if they are so sure on the price then they shouldn't have accepted offers in the first place.
 
If it’s the good looking one, saloon with big spoiler, then maybe I’d go up my offer a bit if the overall car condition was good.

Depends if it needs tyres or any other work and how long the current MOT is for you to play with.

I would DIY the cambelt as it’s a big job but will save yourself a fair bit of cash.

Decent engine, chassis and brakes out the box and if you do strip it to track it would be good fun.
 
Berger said:
If it’s the good looking one, saloon with big spoiler, then maybe I’d go up my offer a bit if the overall car condition was good.

Depends if it needs tyres or any other work and how long the current MOT is for you to play with.

I would DIY the cambelt as it’s a big job but will save yourself a fair bit of cash.

Decent engine, chassis and brakes out the box and if you do strip it to track it would be good fun.
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Its the hatch, bodywork is good, very good, decent P-Zero Nero tyres all round, and I agree, people really underrate how well they drive, they make decent track day cars.
 
wingman said:
Ha, came to his senses.

Also, isn't his wife's nephew...his nephew, too? By virtue of being married?
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I would imagine so, depends if they are actually married or he was just using terminology for clarity.

Anyway, he is bringing it to me on Friday, so will SORN it and then have a job for the winter. Probably turn up a load more issues to deal with but even if I break it for parts will make my money back!
 
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