After 9 1/2 years of working in the same place, a 20 min drive from home, the company I work for are closing down the office and asking everyone to move to the London office. I'm gutted because I've spent so much time and money restoring this car and now I am faced with having to leave it in a station carpark in a less than nice area. I'll also be left wondering if my beloved car is safe and sound for about 10 hours a day .

I'm wondering whether or not to let her go to a new home and replace it with a heap to leave at the station each day as I can't afford to fund a growing family, and a third car! I haven't made up my mind yet.

So, what is she worth? I've spent a fortune on her in the last 6 months.

99" Black Limited Edition
58K miles (every single MOT to verify milage)
12 Months MOT
12 Months Tax
New PowerItalia Hybrid turbo (fitting Sept\Oct 2010)
New clutch (fitting Sept\Oct 2010)
New OEM shocks all round (fitting Sept\Oct 2010)
Remapped to 303bhp by Flea (Sept\Oct 2010)
New Thatham 1 alarm\immobiliser (Sept\Oct 2010)
New upper and lower foam bolsters\black leather on both front seats. (Sept\Oct 2010)
New radiator (2010)
New handbrake cables (fitting Jan 2011)
Full respray (Dec 2010)
Wheels refurb'd (Oct 2010)
refurb'd rocker cover (Nov 2010)
New Highflow CAT (Dec 2010)
PACE SMIC
H&R lowered springs all round (July 2010)
Cybox catback (May 2010)
New lower arms\droplinks\anti rollbar bushes\track rod ends (Apr 2010)
OMP brake discs (Apr 2010)
Cambelt and full service (Mar 2010)

I have receipts\invoices for all this stuff and more.

£5k all day long imo - beautiful car there matey

I'm gutted, I don't really want to sell it. I still might not but I just can't bear the thought of having chav's damage it and car doors opened into it!

Jintell, Too much work to just let her go - and you've no guarantee to either get what you want or sell her quickly either.

If you can, keep her and buy a station hack - something as cheap and chips with as much MOT as possible that you can bin if it doesn't pass next time round, and then restart the cycle if necessary.

if you buy a heap to leave at the station all day and keep the Coupe for other occasions, will it really cost that much more? Can you get to the station any other way?

That's a gorgeous looking car.

Most station car parks have excellent CCTV and if car is damaged you can report it to BTP as criminal damage, so they will trace owner of other car after viewing CCTV.

We used to get lots of thefts from cars and damage but since CCTV and scroats being nicked it's fallen dramatically.

Make sure you park close to cameras and in perfect view of them.


Some stations have "premier" parking spaces you can hire for a year. At wickford in Essex you will often see a few 911s and a 458, must have traded in his 360.

Lovely car jints with desireable low mileage, the sort that would tempt me back to the fray if I was looking to come back.

Tricky dilemma for you but it's looking like time to sell as if you buy a heap for the station run chances of getting many runs out in the LE will become less and you'll start struggling to justify the expense and thinking about flogging every time it needs tax, insurance, tyres etc. There always seems to be a bill when you run two cars, even if the hack is cheap as chips. Can't begin to think of what running three would cost (missus has a company car so doesn't really count, fortunately)...

As for price, I'm not sure of values but 5k sounds about right. when I flogged my Plus four years ago I asked top dollar (nearly 7k) cos I wasn't in a rush to sell but knew what it was worth and fancied my chances of getting it before beginning my search for the next beast. Waited patiently for about five months then got the result at just the right time as a good Cerb came up.

Good luck whatever you do...

The Only coupe I'd swap my plus for would be a mint black LE

DONT do it you should buy a runabout far to much work done to let it go.

Give me a pm if and when you want to sell it

I would pay £5k for this in a heartbeat.

Thanks for all your comments guys. I need to spend the week thinking about it. I'm leaning towards just keeping it and taking the risk of parking it at a station on the chin.

I'll PM everyone back Friday once I've decided.

FYI, if you do decide to sell I would like a chance to make an offer after any else who has already asked the same thing

Sure.

Are you happy with £5k for it? It owes you so much more. I think a buyer would have the deal of a lifetime, the amount of work gone into this car.

You WILL NOT find another like this, black LE's are rare as it is, not to mention 58k truly perfect examples.

I think a long wait on piston heads at £6995 is worth a shot. It's quite simply the most perfect coupe i know of in existence.

have you thought about this option -
http://www.yourparkingspace.co.uk

for instance there are several spaces around Wickford
station for £10 a week. Prob cheaper than car park
and have security of someones drive.

You'd have to work out the most cost effective
station to park near, train fair vs good coupe run.

Not used this service myself but looks ok in theory.

Thanks for the comment Rog. I'm not sure yet, and you're right I'd lose a bit of cash even if I did sell it for £6+.

Good to know Andy, but I've just spent £814 for a parking space at the station for the year .

Nim..your inbox is full.

How far is the station from you? Cant you bike it or get a cheap ped?

Wow..303bhp on that spec! Thats help me decide on my tuning level. Can i ask which hybrid you have fitted?

By the way,lovely car. Good luck with your sale

Do not sell it.

I had a stage 1 hybrid fitted at PowerItalia.

This is the only car i`d have over my 66k yellow plus,it`s a stunner,hope you can keep it.

Dave

Hi yes it was full ! it only has space for two messages !! I have deleted them now so there is space. please let me know what you have decided ?

Cheers Neil

I agree.

You can't let this example of an LE go for so little money.

Do all that you can to keep it - I had/have a similar dilemma with my LE.

If Solo Italia were selling it, you wouldn't get much change from 8k.

I would ask 6k for mine - so you have priced it well, problem is if you dont need the money you will find it very hard to part with Good luck get a runabout (i use a 156JTD) and keep it

What a lovely car, this standard don't come up very often.

Can we see more pic`s of this stunner please? please please please please

Entire forum.

I would never park it at the station. I never park my coupe anywhere where it can have other car doors slammed into it, or people walking past and scratching the paint work.

Do your cbt and buy a cheap scooter to commute to work.