Clarey

I want another subaru after my last one getting wrote off . Near work is Lex vehicle leasing, and every week they auction about 70 cars direct. I noticed a silver 97 R reg car, total history, 108,000 miles (wow) up for auction on Monday. Anyone got ideas on maximum to bid? Anyone connected with trade know the right price?
All help appreciated, as I am missing my old car, and the journey to work is less enjoyable now!!

Clarey

£9000 too much?
stick to £8000,
any one think of any expense looming with that mileage?

andyp

Clarey,

compared to a more usual MY97 with say, 45K on the clock then you could expect the following additional expenses:-
- New dampers & poss. springs ~ £400-600
- New suspension bushings ~ £100ish?
- Clutch? ~ £600 incl fitting
- Assuming disc & pads okay?
- Gearbox wear ~ new box or recon (do when changing clutch)
- Possible engine wear ~ £???

Worst case senario if EVERTHING broke then you might end up spending between £3K-4K to fix it with newish parts; but you hope this is unlikely to happen and is no different from buying any car without warranty. Have a look on the FAQ for the service info - the biggies are Timing Belt, Clutch and Brakes; make sure these have been done and are up to date.

If you don't mind the hassle of re-sale then £8K sounds good as long as you replace the suspension components straight away and expect some gearbox niggles in the future.

Andy