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Bargain or not?

Mummy dearest has just bought herself a new car. It's replacing a Metro^H^H^H "Rover 100 Kensington" so it's definitely a step up, *whatever* it is...

However, I can't decide whether it was a bargain or not...

Y-reg Micra, mid range, mint condition. £2650. . The tricky bit: 2,900 miles from new. Hmm.

Her local one man band garage (looked after her old car well enough, has a good reputation) has serviced it from new for an 80yo who pottered to the shops once a week. She decided to give up driving and got her friendly garage man to sell it for her. (All pretty much verified - it's a small town).

For the last nine months the 80yo has had a friend take it out for a 30 mile run every couple of weeks as she knew a long stand wouldn't be good for it.

So... bargain? Or not?

Reply to
PC Paul
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Sounds like a shed load of money for an ageing car.

Reply to
SteveH

PC Paul ( snipped-for-privacy@bitrot.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Seems like one helluva lot of money for a 6yo Micra, but having a quick look at Parkers suggests it's about right.

Irrelevant...

Reply to
Adrian

i would pay more attention to the history ie services etc. and the real bonus is the very low milage. £2695? cheap for the low use, minimal wear and tear .

i would take it for a drive, and see how good they drive.

Reply to
banjo

Full service history, no expense spared.

I've driven it once - it felt very tight, like when you get a hire car with

27 miles on the clock. She wouldn't let me loosen it up for her ;-)

I suspect it's a pretty good deal really, I guess pipes and stuff don't perish as easily as they did 30 years ago...

Reply to
PC Paul

You'd be wrong.

Reply to
SteveH

For a limited mileage runabout that's expected to last a few years with not much doing to it other than servicing, I think I'm right.

We can't all run Alfa's and fix them as a hobby ;-)

(And yes, I've had one...)

Reply to
PC Paul

Par for a micra maybe. one of my old ladies had an L reg one. The last couple of years before she died, it covered 700 miles per year. She went to her coffee morning, she went to church on Sundays, and she went to Tesco once a week. She wouldn't go out in the rain or dark, and wouldn't go anywhere not on her normal routes, because her cataracts meant she could barely see, and she could remember those routes. I asked her what she'd do if there was a diversion, and she had no answer. I suspect she'd have called me to come and get her.

Anyway, the last time I saw it, it was still on its original front pads and discs, the rear shoes had been changed, but only because a cylinder leaked on them. I changed two small links on the rear suspension, a couple of silencers, a few tyres damaged by banging on kerbs, and that was about it. The rest was original apart from service parts, and her "old" spark plugs went in my daughters car. Shame to waste them.

Steve

Reply to
shazzbat

some people think low mileage is a bonus however as most wear is in the first 10seconds and near enough no wear and tear rushing up a motorway ....

The exhaust may be in a very poor state (due to condensation) for a 3000mile car also the discs/brakes corroded

2650 sounds a bit high for a car that age - If its already bought I would suggest a "thorough" service - including change all fluids including brake and coolant, maybe an oil flush, fill with the expensive Shell/BP ultimate petrol and then go for a nice long fast journey and then after a couple of months change the oil again
Reply to
Tommy

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