Found a car, need advice please

Hi, sorry this is a bit long but please read!

I posted on here a couple of days ago and have since found a car in the north east and spoken to the guy whose selling it. Seems really nice and genuine, older guy who has owned a supra before. I'll put the link below from gumtree but briefly it's only on for £2400 and has done 80k, n/a v nice condition so he says as only been taken out on sunny days since 2001 with the exception of his use over the last 9mnths. No rust and he's gonna send me more pics. Sounds perfect except that he has no service history as the guy who had it from import did all the work himself. Was imported from some place in the northwest that he couldn't rember the name of but is going to email me. When he bought it he took a mate who is a mechanic and does mot's who said it looked great and the cambelt had been done but there's no paperwork to back this up. As he's had it less than a year he hasn't had it serviced or mot'd and there is 4months mot and tax on it still but because of this I have no idea what it's really like. Says it drives great and he's only done 2000m since owning it and as he's owned one before I'm inclined to believe him. Would I be crazy to dismiss it because there's no paperwork or would I be crazy to consider it with no paperwork? I'm not a mechanic and don't know anyone who is and live about 3hrs away from where he is.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Jude

Also how easy is it to take those eyelids off?

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/toyota-supra-sz-non-turbo/1013557729

I wouldnt worry too much about the paperwork tbh fella, alot of the jap imports arrive with no papers at all, generally if things look correct the usually are, mileage isnt massivly importent on an import either as most believe they are tampered with in japan anyway

Things like the timing belt being change arent a huge issue like they are with most engines because the 2jz is a non-inter engine so worst case is you get stuck somewhere, not ideal but not the end of the world either, if its been done as he says then great

Its a decent price for a manual in good condition, baring the headlight covers it looks a nice car

Do you know which part of durham its in?

Thanks for the info. Not sure where abouts it is yet no, think there is a map on gumtree. Is it a pain in the arse to take the eye lids off?

As above, mine has sod all history and my mechanic mate does 99% of the work to it too, get the eye lids off of it at ALL costs.... I would rather replace both lights than drive around with those sodding things

Thanks for the info. Not sure where abouts it is yet no, think there is a map on gumtree. Is it a pain in the arse to take the eye lids off?

They are probably only on with doublesided tape mate should be a piece of cake to remove them

Edit: its only 10mins from my place, if you gonna view it I can take alook over it with you if you like.

Hpi it aswell mate just to confirm the milage if its been in the uk since 2001, does he not have any parts receipts or old mots? strange if he hasn't, I didn't notice it had been In the uk that long til just now

As above, mine has sod all history and my mechanic mate does 99% of the work to it too, get the eye lids off of it at ALL costs.... I would rather replace both lights than drive around with those sodding things

Do you have to replace the lights to get rid of them?

Mine had little paperwork when I got it, so I had all of the fluids changed, including gearbox, all belts and all filters along with a full alignment. That way I knew it was good! Didn't cost the earth either.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh and the brake lines too!

Do you have to replace the lights to get rid of them?

No I meant I would rather smash the lights if need be just to not have eyelids on my car

They are probably only on with doublesided tape mate should be a piece of cake to remove them

 

 

Edit: its only 10mins from my place, if you gonna view it I can take alook over it with you if you like.

 

Hpi it aswell mate just to confirm the milage if its been in the uk since 2001, does he not have any parts receipts or old mots? strange if he hasn't, I didn't notice it had been In the uk that long til just now

That would be great if you're free. Am probably going to head up on Thursday this week. He said he doesn't have anything but I'll check again when he emails me more pictures. Will def hpi it but wondered whether to pay for one of those inspections that the AA and people like that do. Do you reckon it's worth it? Read some mixed reports on some inspection companies so unsure whether to or not. My mates live in Stockton and know a few good lads at a local garage so may ask them if they'd take a look.

- - - Updated - - -

No I meant I would rather smash the lights if need be just to not have eyelids on my car

Yeah I'm not a fan either!

Mine had little paperwork when I got it, so I had all of the fluids changed, including gearbox, all belts and all filters along with a full alignment. That way I knew it was good! Didn't cost the earth either.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Oh and the brake lines too!

Cheers, may do that if I go ahead.

That would be great if you're free. Am probably going to head up on Thursday this week. He said he doesn't have anything but I'll check again when he emails me more pictures. Will def hpi it but wondered whether to pay for one of those inspections that the AA and people like that do. Do you reckon it's worth it? Read some mixed reports on some inspection companies so unsure whether to or not. My mates live in Stockton and know a few good lads at a local garage so may ask them if they'd take a look.

The more people who look at it the better imo, as its easy to miss something obvious with regards to the AA/rac checker ive never used one so cant really comment it would depend on the cost, do you know how much it is?

At that price just buy it, it's cheap enough

It's about £220

First and foremost, discount the mileage completely, secondly service history isnt really that much of an issue, you really should service a car once you get it anyway.

First and foremost, discount the mileage completely, secondly service history isnt really that much of an issue, you really should service a car once you get it anyway.[/quote

 

I read the guide on here to buying a supra so will take that with me but if mileage and service history aren't that big a deal is there something else that is or is it just the look/feel when u drive it?

First and foremost, discount the mileage completely, secondly service history isnt really that much of an issue, you really should service a car once you get it anyway.[/quote

 

I read the guide on here to buying a supra so will take that with me but if mileage and service history aren't that big a deal is there something else that is or is it just the look/feel when u drive it?

 

Same as any car to be honest dude, listen for knocks from suspension and wheel joints. Get on your back and have a good look underneath for rust or damage to the chassis rails, check for rust around the boot lid, they're quite common to go.

Don't worry of the lights are yellowish, they come back with a machine polish or some hard graft with a light abrasive (tcut etc). These are nice solid cars that go on and on. I would strongly recomend the whole service everything when you buy it, then you know it's done and you have started the service history.

For me at this price range yes it's 90% about the visuals and test drive feel rather than history/bills.

Visually - Bodywork, panel gaps, paint work colouring/condition not necessarily to discount it but just to satisfy yourself with the condition and that you can live with it or are conscious of what it would cost to get it up to a standard you could live with.

Engine bay, look in the oil filter cap and to the right you can see a cam cover cap the more metallic this looks as opposed to black the better.

Coolant bottle at the front, is the coolant a nice bright red or blue? like wise under the rad cap which should be brimmed is it free of brown rustiness.

Brake/clutch fluids back left as you look from the front clearer the better.

Does it have abs this is a cubed shaped box on the back right as you look from the front with multiple solid brake pipes in and out of it.

Look for oil leaking on the cam covers, particularly at the rear near where the clutch fluid reservoir is.

Test drive,

On turning the ignition do the warning lights on both sides of the dash (Air bag etc on the left, Oil pressure etc on the right) light up prior to ignition?

Does it fire up fine? It'll rev a little high (if cold) that's normal.

Let it idle and crank the heater to max temp

Play with the fan speeds and directional changers and other electrical gubbins including the seat electrics.

Check the idle starts to drop, if left to idle it does this quite evenly in 2-300 rpm steps of fairly consistent times.

Is the heater now starting to blow warm air?

On the drive itself, you want as few suspension noises as possible and the car should feel tight, although it may tramline a bit on uneven roads. If it's got abs and if you've got the owners say so do some sharp stops (no abs slightly less sharp!) and again it should all feel tight and even j-spec brakes should pull you up nice and sharply. It should always feel smooth in acceleration with a slight step up when high up the rev range.

The 5 speed should be nice and slick with no transmission clunkiness.

Tyre noise can be quite loud and is sometimes mistaken for wheel bearing noise.

A few miles in...IS THE HEATER BLOWING HOT/VERY HOT AIR? If real hot that's good and you can now try the aircon

Have a nice drive, aim for a for bumps (not potholes!) and just try and make an assessment of the 'feel'

In short though they are hardy beasts and difficult to kill, you are better off with a nice one but none of the above pointers are 100% crucial if essentially you like the way the car looks in the flesh and feels once in motion (loads of suspension clunks and vague steering/handling could see the need for suspension parts for just one corner that could easily set you back 25% of the purchase price). The heater though can be a massive pain to fix, so of all the things not visual or feel related its the one to focus on...for me even at this price point if the heater doesn't get hot (and it's not the behind dash rod mechanism that's busted) I'd find another.

Best thing would be to take another owner with you, if at all possible drive theirs beforehand as then at least you've got a reference point.

For me at this price range yes it's 90% about the visuals and test drive feel rather than history/bills.

 

Visually - Bodywork, panel gaps, paint work colouring/condition not necessarily to discount it but just to satisfy yourself with the condition and that you can live with it or are conscious of what it would cost to get it up to a standard you could live with.

 

Engine bay, look in the oil filter cap and to the right you can see a cam cover cap the more metallic this looks as opposed to black the better.

Coolant bottle at the front, is the coolant a nice bright red or blue? like wise under the rad cap which should be brimmed is it free of brown rustiness.

Brake/clutch fluids back left as you look from the front clearer the better.

 

Does it have abs this is a cubed shaped box on the back right as you look from the front with multiple solid brake pipes in and out of it.

 

Look for oil leaking on the cam covers, particularly at the rear near where the clutch fluid reservoir is.

 

Test drive,

 

On turning the ignition do the warning lights on both sides of the dash (Air bag etc on the left, Oil pressure etc on the right) light up prior to ignition?

Does it fire up fine? It'll rev a little high (if cold) that's normal.

Let it idle and crank the heater to max temp

Play with the fan speeds and directional changers and other electrical gubbins including the seat electrics.

Check the idle starts to drop, if left to idle it does this quite evenly in 2-300 rpm steps of fairly consistent times.

 

Is the heater now starting to blow warm air?

 

On the drive itself, you want as few suspension noises as possible and the car should feel tight, although it may tramline a bit on uneven roads. If it's got abs and if you've got the owners say so do some sharp stops (no abs slightly less sharp!) and again it should all feel tight and even j-spec brakes should pull you up nice and sharply. It should always feel smooth in acceleration with a slight step up when high up the rev range.

 

The 5 speed should be nice and slick with no transmission clunkiness.

 

Tyre noise can be quite loud and is sometimes mistaken for wheel bearing noise.

 

A few miles in...IS THE HEATER BLOWING HOT/VERY HOT AIR? If real hot that's good and you can now try the aircon

 

Have a nice drive, aim for a for bumps (not potholes!) and just try and make an assessment of the 'feel'

 

 

In short though they are hardy beasts and difficult to kill, you are better off with a nice one but none of the above pointers are 100% crucial if essentially you like the way the car looks in the flesh and feels once in motion (loads of suspension clunks and vague steering/handling could see the need for suspension parts for just one corner that could easily set you back 25% of the purchase price). The heater though can be a massive pain to fix, so of all the things not visual or feel related its the one to focus on...for me even at this price point if the heater doesn't get hot (and it's not the behind dash rod mechanism that's busted) I'd find another.

 

Best thing would be to take another owner with you, if at all possible drive theirs beforehand as then at least you've got a reference point.

Blimey, this post should be a sticky! Great information there for a newbie!

As Scooter has kindly mention all the things you need to do. Take someone with you who knows a bit about cars. Then after looking it over make up your mind with his/her aid as sometimes buying your own car can put on the blinkers!

For me at this price range yes it's 90% about the visuals and test drive feel rather than history/bills.

 

Visually - Bodywork, panel gaps, paint work colouring/condition not necessarily to discount it but just to satisfy yourself with the condition and that you can live with it or are conscious of what it would cost to get it up to a standard you could live with.

 

Engine bay, look in the oil filter cap and to the right you can see a cam cover cap the more metallic this looks as opposed to black the better.

Coolant bottle at the front, is the coolant a nice bright red or blue? like wise under the rad cap which should be brimmed is it free of brown rustiness.

Brake/clutch fluids back left as you look from the front clearer the better.

 

Does it have abs this is a cubed shaped box on the back right as you look from the front with multiple solid brake pipes in and out of it.

 

Look for oil leaking on the cam covers, particularly at the rear near where the clutch fluid reservoir is.

 

Test drive,

 

On turning the ignition do the warning lights on both sides of the dash (Air bag etc on the left, Oil pressure etc on the right) light up prior to ignition?

Does it fire up fine? It'll rev a little high (if cold) that's normal.

Let it idle and crank the heater to max temp

Play with the fan speeds and directional changers and other electrical gubbins including the seat electrics.

Check the idle starts to drop, if left to idle it does this quite evenly in 2-300 rpm steps of fairly consistent times.

 

Is the heater now starting to blow warm air?

 

On the drive itself, you want as few suspension noises as possible and the car should feel tight, although it may tramline a bit on uneven roads. If it's got abs and if you've got the owners say so do some sharp stops (no abs slightly less sharp!) and again it should all feel tight and even j-spec brakes should pull you up nice and sharply. It should always feel smooth in acceleration with a slight step up when high up the rev range.

 

The 5 speed should be nice and slick with no transmission clunkiness.

 

Tyre noise can be quite loud and is sometimes mistaken for wheel bearing noise.

 

A few miles in...IS THE HEATER BLOWING HOT/VERY HOT AIR? If real hot that's good and you can now try the aircon

 

Have a nice drive, aim for a for bumps (not potholes!) and just try and make an assessment of the 'feel'

 

 

In short though they are hardy beasts and difficult to kill, you are better off with a nice one but none of the above pointers are 100% crucial if essentially you like the way the car looks in the flesh and feels once in motion (loads of suspension clunks and vague steering/handling could see the need for suspension parts for just one corner that could easily set you back 25% of the purchase price). The heater though can be a massive pain to fix, so of all the things not visual or feel related its the one to focus on...for me even at this price point if the heater doesn't get hot (and it's not the behind dash rod mechanism that's busted) I'd find another.

 

Best thing would be to take another owner with you, if at all possible drive theirs beforehand as then at least you've got a reference point.

Wow, thanks so much that's fantastic!

Blimey, this post should be a sticky! Great information there for a newbie!

 

As Scooter has kindly mention all the things you need to do. Take someone with you who knows a bit about cars. Then after looking it over make up your mind with his/her aid as sometimes buying your own car can put on the blinkers!

Yeah someone on here said they'd come and have a look so that's great. Am so glad I joined the forum. You guys are ace!

When you check the car just do the usual stuff, check colour of oil, if she runs up ok from cold, all electrics work and all the normal things, when you get home give it a full service, and I recon you'd be fine, it's not turbo,d which if I'm honest does simplify things a bit really.

I don't quite get how not knowing the history of a vehicle isn't an issue, personally i'd rather

know if the car i'm buying has had regular oil changes etc.

Seems to be a whole new concept in buying cars to me, pretty much cross your fingers and hope

as a visual inspection more than likely won't show anything wrong but if you keep the car will it do

150,000 miles or more like it should do easily if its been looked after.

I personally wouldn't touch a TT without service history but yes some will be great and have no issues

and some won't.

And yes i know having a full service history isn't a guarantee to your car lasting longer or simply

running better but i prefer to hedge my bets

I don't quite get how not knowing the history of a vehicle isn't an issue, personally i'd rather

know if the car i'm buying has had regular oil changes etc.

 

Seems to be a whole new concept in buying cars to me, pretty much cross your fingers and hope

as a visual inspection more than likely won't show anything wrong but if you keep the car will it do

150,000 miles or more like it should do easily if its been looked after.

 

I personally wouldn't touch a TT without service history but yes some will be great and have no issues

and some won't.

 

And yes i know having a full service history isn't a guarantee to your car lasting longer or simply

running better but i prefer to hedge my bets

Think it is more the issue that a service history doesn't mean a car has actually been looked after. I know of car dealers who stamp up all the "missing" history to show a car has had a full service history when in fact it wasn't looked after properly by the owner and the previous owners. I'd personally rather buy a car off someone who knows about cars and does the work themselves then someone who has no idea but knows the car has service history. These are the same people who run the car low on oil and only take it in to be serviced once a light comes on.

If that all makes sense