Turbo2

I was reminiscing about all of the 2nd hand cars I have bought since I passed my test in 1987. It's not a huge list, but 2 things occurred to me:

1) I have never bought a 2nd hand front wheel drive car (although I have had various new ones for business use)

2) I never waste my time looking at a car that is not what I'm looking for: you can get so much extra information these days via e-mail, digital photographs, forums etc. so you don't need to make the journey to view if you've not already got a good idea of what you will find. All the wise old heads out there implore you to look at as many similar cars as possible before taking the plunge. Bo!!ocks to that: if I like what I see when I get there, I just buy it (usually there and then). Does anyone else share my philosophy, or do you all just like driving round to other people's houses each weekend to kick some tyres?

Here's my hit list:

Hillman Imp (rear engine, RWD): viewed 1, bought 1
BMW 2002 (front engine, RWD): viewed 1, bought 1
Renault 5 Turbo 2 (mid-engine, RWD): viewed 1, bought 1
Renault GTA Turbo V6 (rear engine, RWD): viewed 1, bought 1
Lancia Delta Integrale 16v (front engine, 4WD): viewed 1, bought 1
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA (front engine, FWD): viewed 1, bought 0
Bugeye WRX (front engine, 4WD): viewed 2, bought 1
22B (front engine, 4WD): viewed 1, bought 1

That's 7 cars purchased (6 privately and all low mileage and pretty immaculate) from a total of 9 viewings = 78% success rate, so I guess I haven't wasted too much of my or the vendors' time.

Can anyone else better that score?

Ianm1983

Ive had in 6 years of driving

a 1.3 Litre Mk 3 Ecort that the gearbox dropped out of and I scrapped (viewed1 bought 1)
a 1.4 Litre Mk3Fiesta which I gave away when I won some money (viewed1 bought 1)
A Mk 2 Golf GTI (Viewed 1 bought 1)
Another MK2 GTI with a VR6 engine in it (Viewed 1 bought 1)
A Hyundai (when I was in australia for a year, twas ****e) (viewed 1 bought 1)
A MK 3 golf GTI Colour concept (viewed 1 bought 1)
A Mk 4 Golf GTI turbo wth 210 BHP (Viewed1 bought 1)
A Subaru Impreza UK 2000 (viewed 2 bought1)

So ive had 8 cars and viewed 9, im doing alright like

8 cars in 6 years, can you tell I get bored quick

The scoobysa keeper tho, definately.

PeteBrant

Buying the first example of a car you see is not the best claim to fame I have ever seen, assuming you are talking second hand. I would drive at three example before buying a second hand car. How on earth do you tell whether a car is behaving as it should do if you have nothing to compare it to?

Ryo

I cant better that score as I got all my cars given to me (dad is a car dealer, so I got the naff trade-ins for peanuts)

However, heres my shocking history (started driving in 1993)

1982 VW Polo 1.0
1985 Renault 5 1.4
1983 Orion 1.3
1986 Astra 1.4
1982 Volvo 340 (yuk) 1.6
1976 MGB 1.8
1987 XR2i 1.6
1993 Renault Laguna 1.8
1989 Honda Civic 1.4
1990 Rover 216
1993 Golf CL 1.8
1996 Vectra 1.8

After many years of dirt cheap **** box cars I paid out for a mint MY2000 Impreza UK Turbo !!

1993 Rover 214 (Got this to do the work hack, got hacked off with it so gave it to a friend).

2008 Volvo C30 (work hack).

Still have the scoob, and the C30 is my daily driver. Getting the scoob out for a spin is heaven !

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

1984 saab 900 turbo, first car
1986 Audi 80 GL
1985 R5GTT
1985 BMW 318i
1999 Vauxhall astra 1.7tdi
1999 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8i
1999 Subaru Impreza 2000AWD
1995 Subaru Impreza wrx sti type RA
2004 Mazda 6 ts2
1997 Toyota Celica ST

Still have the mazda, RA and Celica

allsop83

iTrader: (9)

Starting in 2001....

1990 Nova 1.0L (3 viewed, 1 bought)
1991 Nova 1.2i (going up in the world.... 1 viewed, 1 bought)
1993 Astra 1.7TDI (1 viewed, 1 bought)
2000 Ibiza 1.4S (1 viewed, 1 bought)
2000 Megane 1.4 (1 viewed, 1 bought)
1991 MR2 Turbo (1 viewed...well.....via pictures, 1 bought) (imported myself)
2002 Astra 1.8 SRI (2 viewed, 1 bought)
2000 Impreza P1 (1 viewed, 1 bought.....from the old man :-D)
2006 Astra 1.9CDTI (2 Viewed, 1 bought)
2001 Ibiza 1.4S (3 viewed, 1 bought)
1998 Impreza 22B (1 viewed, 1 bought) (imported myself)

Currently looking for a Nova and found one so hopefully by this time next week....

1991 Nova 1.2i (1 viewed, 1 bought.... :-D)

Turbo2

Jeez, it's no claim to fame, but if I followed your advice I wouldn't have a car cause I'd still be hunting down that 3rd Hillman Imp to test!

I'm only interested in owning mint, low mileage cars and all of the cars I bought fit those criteria: I am not interested in bargain-basement rubbish. Most of these cars were at least 10 years old when purchased, so if I found a perfect candidate first time out, why waste time (and run the risk of missing out) by looking for two other similar cars to test? They'd both still be 10 years old, so highly unlikely to be any better to drive than the mint one I'm interested in. Sure if it drives/sounds like a bag of bolts, then I'll be the first to tell you to keep your barge-pole well clear....

.:mike:.

1995 Ford fiesta - saw 1 bought 1
1996 Honda prelude - saw 1 bought 1
1987 Mk1 MR2 - saw 2 bought 1
1991 Mk2 MR2 - saw 1 bought 1
1999 Pug 306 - saw 1 bought 1
2003 Golf gt tdi - saw 2 bought 1
1995 Mk2 MR2 turbo - saw 4 bought 1
2001 WRX - saw 2 bought 1

Mixed bag here then! But I tend to try and only see cars that I think will be good ones after a long phone call to the vendor - afterall its not just their time your wasting - its yours!

satancom

1988 Vauxhall Astra 1.3
1983 Ford Fiesta 1.3
1992 Pug 405 1.6
1993 Honda Prelude 2.0
2003 MG ZS TDI (Fleet)
1973 Jaguar XJS 5.3
1980 Land Rover 2.25 (now 3.5)
1997 Vauxhall Omega 3.0
1990 Toyota Carinna II 1.6
1995 Subaru Impreza 2.0t
1995 Land Rover Discovery 2.5td

Just got the landies left and the scooby is for sale now.

But im the smae, will usually buy the first car I look at, and will only look at a car I have a chance of buying.

I drive a lot of cars in work so know if a car drives right/wrong and if its not right I can fix it

Boro

iTrader: (1)

I wont bother with the list as its in 3 figures lol, but im with the OP. I go with the intention of buying everytime. Im surprised people would come and look at a car just with the intention of test driving it so they have something to compare the next one to.

I guess they are the people that come round, drive it and then say something like "Well, weve got a couple more to go and see, blah, blah".

Daz And Minty

iTrader: (2)

rover kensignton metro
saxo vtr
subaru 95
subaru 03 wrx sti

Saw 1 bought 1 for all 21 years old

stara

'80 peugeot 305 sr
'86 escort 1.6ghia
'85 granada 2.8gl
'85 audi coupe 2.0
'85 granada 2.8i ghia x
'88 audi coupe 1.8gt
'92 granada 2.0 lx
'85 celica supra 2.8
'91 nissan micra (yeh, so)
'84xr2
'85 xr3i
'92 cavalier 1.6l
'88 rangerover 3.9efi
'98 mondeo 1.8td
'96 hilux surf 2.4td
'02 lexus is200
'07 wrx

all view one buy one.

nick172sport

iTrader: (6)

heres my list from 82 ford escort mk1 xl 1300 sport mk2 mex capri 3.0s x3 xr3 x3 xr2 mk2 x3 rs turbo x2 mk3 xr2i fiat x19 sierra 4x4 x3 vectra v6 escort rs 2000 cossie reps x2 escort gtis x2 then dumped fords lol and bought my first scooby shud have done it years ago

106_enduro

My short list

2003 - Pug 106 - viewed 1, bought it there and then.
2007 - Ford sierra sapphire. hunted online, bought the 3rd one without having seen it.
2008 - Subaru Sport - saw 1, bought it there and then.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

'96 1992 XR3: 1 viewed, 1 bought (although I loitered round alot of dealers looking at random cars before taking the plunge as it was my first "proper" car)

'00 MY95 Impreza WRX: Viewed lots at dealers, test drove 3, bought the third one. Did make an offer on the first two, but couldn't agree on the rpice. The first two were too much for their age/condition.

'01 MY97 Impreza UK Turbo 2000, viewed, test drove, bought. (I only happened to notice it by chance).

'01 1969 Land Rover, viewed one, bought it, dragged it down a valley

'02 1984 Polo 1.3, viewed one, test drove it, bought it

'03 1986 Nissan Sunny 1.3 viewed/test drove two bangers on shed row (this and a 1989 Polo), bought the Nissan.

'03 2002 BMW 325 touring, viewed lots, One test driven, bought it.

'04 1992 Rover 216 GSI, bought it as seen didn't even test drive it.

'04 1996 NSX, one viewed, test drove it, bought it.

'07 2006 Monaro, bought over the phone from internal trade stockist. (big mistake, nothing serious but a lesson learnt).

'07 2003 BMW 530iA sport champane edition ( i.e plush ), 1 viewed, test drove for 500 yards, bought it.

'08 2006 Golf R32, One viewed (although looked at some on forecourts), test drove it, bought it.



Suffice to say, the only cars I've had to really faff about with have been Imprezas, because there are so many nails/hard driven examples out there...even nine years ago.