Where do I start....

I followed the rules this time...e-mailed all the right questions....had long conversations with the current owner...saw lots of pictures which all seemed to indicate a reasonable car (I don't mind a little work to bring things up to standard)....


I underlined to the seller both on the phone and in e-mails that he was a reasonable way from me...a 3 hour journey allow changes and London underground and my wife would come along for the ride...everything came back as positive and good to go.

So off we trundle at 5am this morning (get there at a reasonable time and have a toodle back in the new steed...that was the plan.

Well, either the seller was a demon at photoshop touch up or the phot's were of somebody else's car!

Just a basic list of the faults found....

On arrival the car had dead battery as the 'interior light' had been left on..yeah right. battery charged whilst I prodded around the rest of the car...

What a shed...I don't think there was a single panel without ding's of some description...plus a bloody great crease acsross the drivers door.

All the tyres were drastically under-inflated, all levels were low...the slam panel was rusty, the wheel arches were rusty, the front tyres were bald, the car was filthy, the radiator was leaking and the overflow tank was dry....

I started the car which actually had good pressure but it was clear the headgasket was blowing and I'd found the cause of the lack of coolant.

In fact...it was a total shed and only fit for breaking!

To say I'm slightly fed up is the understatement of the week...over £200 in travelling expense, a total wasted day by some joker who seriously thought I'd buy this lump of crud..

So now I've cancelled the EBAY sale, taken the NA off Pistonheads because I still need transport...maybe someones trying to tell me something about keeping the NA...

Thats Shocking mate, I had a similar situation to this when I was after a 20vt then a week later I made another long trip to find the right one.
Just take it as it is you lost the £200 but you didnt buy the shed. Hope that doesnt put you off getting the turbo its a great car just find the right one im sure there are plenty of good ones for sale on here good luck.

Gutted for you Jon

The right one will come along soon.. to be honest however I would simply stick with your N/A honestly once the novality of the silly speeds the turbo is capable of I can honestly see you hankering after your N/A again.

When I had the choice of a 20vt or a bravo VIS I took the VIS as it was simply more pleasant to drive had better brakes and genuinely felt faster around town and country roads which is where I spent most of my time.

Good luck with finding a good 20vt mate

We've all been here at some point Jon. Don't be defeated, tomorrows another day, dust yourself off and start again. You obviously want a 20VT, make it so

You know what guys, now I've had an hour to sit down and ponder in the comfort of my own home...I've come to the conclusion that you're all right!

jonnybgt - yep, £200+ spent could have been a lot worse if I had bought the shed!

Sam....I should have bought the Bumblebee! But you're right...I've looked at half a dozen or so and none match up to the condition of my Vis...so maybe I should just stick with it...

and then Patch.....I'll keep looking..but I think I might just visit you with the Vis and let you work your magic and be done with that......and buy another Scoobie to settle the turbo rush

Jon

Been there once with a 3 hr drive to buy a car and went through everything with the seller on the phone. Was a crap hole and walked away. Very annoying.

Theres lots on ebay at the the mo.

Truly shocking. I'd feel awful if I misrepresented a car that some had to travel for 3 hours to see.

Never worth a lengthy travel for a cheap car.

Take a look on StreetView ((C) Google Maps) to assess the area you are buying from to get an incite into the owner.

Bad luck there dude.

(Woohoo! 25 post graduation )

Unfortunately your story is far from rare nowadays, in fact I tend to think if you dont have some sort of spy in the camp or inside information on a vehicle, always be prepared for some sort of let down.

Pics dont tell the true state of a car as they tend not to show up the bad bits. You dont have to be all that clever with a camera to make things look good. Without stating the obvious, most are selling because they want rid for a reason. OK this may sound all too obvious but you have to be able to read between the lines.This may sound a bit blunt, but if you subconsciously have kind of thought, this could be the one, its easily to get carried away & start to think good things when in fact your only deluding yourself. If I sound too truthful in a way that offends, well I've been there myself , albeit some years ago.

Unfortunatley this is going to become a more common occurance
I looked at x2 sheds both 200 mile round trips before i got a nice na for the mrs.....
With the ammount of un loved coupes about at the moment it`s enevitable.

Ps I`d snap your vis up if we didnt already have x2 coupes.

Dave

Having bought cars without seeing them before, and having mixed (to say the least) results, I'd never buy a car, or offer to, before seeing it from now on. You just can't tell by pictures, no matter how good, they can mask allsorts. Saying that I bought my first sprinty off ebay after a few too many beers one night and that was well tidy.
I'm sure there's a minter out there with your name on it

Nice broom 16VT (tough as old boots) on Ebay 55K miles, owner seems to be a car lover. Looks very tidy.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1996-FIAT-COUPE-16...0#ht_7586wt_946

I'm certainly not going to say all eBay cars are shite, but lets face it you "must" try before you buy. Simple car buying practice...

You're right jimboy....but I've only touched on the state of this car....like you, I'm ...let's say experienced in life...I've had the good fortune to own over 60 cars and 50 bikes in the past 35 years...so I've had a reasonable amount of experience sussing out sellers.

Believe me, this seller had every opportunity to back away...16 e-mails..very specific questions trying to ascertain the condition of the car before travelling....also about a total of 30 minutes total on the phone going through the cars condition over the last week.

I do not expect too much for my money...all I wanted was a basically honest and reasonably sound car that I could use as a base to improve to a good solid car...not the filthy non working shed that was presented to me...angry...yes you bet I am!

This extended journey wasn't taken lightly....the guy either deliberately lied or is seriously deluded....and he wasn't there today...left the job to his wife!..after I travelled for 3 hrs++

And you're right re the photo's...the camera never lies...but photoshop does....none of the major imperfections..and these were bloody great scabs, rust, dents and gouges...major ones...are anywhere to be seen on the photo's....the bumper had more stonechips than paint forchrissake...

After going through all this trouble...the guy still let me travel!!

So lesson learnt...unless it's a damn sight nearer...I'll not bother in future....

Sorry to read about your bad experience Jon

Jings Jon, I'm sorry but I had you down for a young guy I've kind of been a cynic for a long time, mainly down to my childhood This has its benefits. I have this knack of smelling out a turd from miles away

Thanks, I've looked at this a couple of times but think it's a bit too good and too expensive for me (for a 16vt)....I want a sound car that I can bring up to standard..

Granted bout Ebay, horrible place to sell a car, but the search for a good Coop must be far and wide.

This particular seller does offer potential buyers a test drive.

The oldest swinger in town (only because my balance has gone)

Yes I can normally smell them ...but this guy was real good...shame the car wasn't

Jon

Yep totally agree...that's why I backed it up with specific e-mails..e.g. does the turbo smoke. Does it overheat or use water/oil....are the tyres safe and legal etc etc...

All came back positive...also had long conversations about length of ownership/servicing/body condition/stonechips/dents etc...

But as you say, the only way you can tell is to stand there and look at the car....buyer beware!

I've bought and sold loads of cars and bikes on EBAY...the first was a newish Porsche 928 and the most recent a mint Alfa Spider 916....now I've heard horror stories but must admit I've been really lucky it would seem. certainly I always make sure my cars are tip top and properly described...

Could have been worse Theresa...I could have sold the Vis and be car less...or would that be careless

At least I still have the yellowperil...and I've realised I had drastically undervalued her based on condition...she's a minter compared to everything else I've seen for sale

Jon I'm truly gutted for you. Its no secret that I'm an old grumpy git ,but if truth be told I'm in pretty good form at the moment if you keep up with the forum drums .

Getting back to the car buying in hand, its of no help really when I say to you , at least you weren't daft enough to put down a blind deposit. At the end of the day, down to experience, makes you wiser etc. Hey we're only human. So the next transaction will be a winner.

There's a Rose
In a fisted Glove with a thumping turbo
and the eagle flies
with the dove
and if you can't be
with the one you love
it's alright
Go ahead and love the one,
love the one,
love the VIS your with

What was the money involved our of interest?

Dave,

It's the same with all 'specialist cars', lots of people can afford them but few are prepared to pay the money for the correct upkeep...a real recipe for producing sheds...

It's the same with 944's...you can buy one for £800 on EBAY...might last you a year ...due to the inherent strength of the car...but it's a bomb waiting to go off and when it does...mine's cost me £10k in the past 2 years..and what's it's current market value £2..£3k at best?

Sorry, the Vis is off the market - based on what I have seen...without a doubt I undervalued it...even if Vis's and std N/A's aren't worth anything to anyone else....it is immaculate inside and out apart from a slight mismatch on the boot colour...which I'll now get rectified.

I think I'll give it a miss at the moment..too deflated to bother...Just going to enjoy the coupe for a while...even in unblown form it's still a hoot

Yes, my sentiments exactly...not everyone feels the same though

Normally I'd agree...I'd covered all points including checking the area where the owner lives...it's good and their other cars are newish quality cars...so it's not a shortage of the ability to look after the cars...it's just that this coupe is only fit for scrap and he needs to recognise that before wasting anyone else's time.

Sod that Jon, sell it a get a TURBO

This is supposed to be in the 'other thread', you know what I mean though