2008 QP not driven for 5 years - recommissioning issues?

[Harvey_Tim]

Hi All,

Potential new owner here. A 2nd car that has come onto my radar is a 2008 QP that only has 48k miles but appears (according to MOT and HPI check) not to have been driven since 2018 - it was also last serviced in 2018.

Garage says it will put a full MOT on it, but I guess that doesn’t really mean much. How do these cars take to being left undriven for so long and what is the likelihood of major recommissioning costs?

Also I note that the central display has a message saying “Manual Method Unavailable” any idea what this implies?, car has a ZF gearbox but no flappy paddles.

Any input is much appreciated.

Many thanks,
Tim

 

[Bebs]

Hi All,

Potential new owner here. A 2nd car that has come onto my radar is a 2008 QP that only has 48k miles but appears (according to MOT and HPI check) not to have been driven since 2018 - it was also last serviced in 2018.

Garage says it will put a full MOT on it, but I guess that doesn’t really mean much. How do these cars take to being left undriven for so long and what is the likelihood of major recommissioning costs?

Also I note that the central display has a message saying “Manual Method Unavailable” any idea what this implies?, car has a ZF gearbox but no flappy paddles.

Any input is much appreciated.

Many thanks,
Tim

Sounds like a headache. You really do not want a V that potentially needs 5-10k spending on it before you even start.

 

[Alan Surrey]

Lots of unknowns here Tim. Perhaps others can say how you might start to qualify a car like this before buying.
@philw696 perhaps.

 

[Andyk]

These car do not like being stood and need to be driven. Before you part with you well earned cash get a specialist to give it an inspection as it could cost you a fortune to get back in the road.

 

[Wack61]

If it's at a garage presumably there's a warranty on it.

I bought an abarth 595 a few months ago in a private sale , the seller only had it 3 weeks , just wasn't for him

The garage he bought it from sold it with a 3 month warranty , sounds great , I read through the T&Cs until I got to the £500 claim limit

Whether thats legal i don't know but it sounds like you'd have to take them to court to find out

If they offer a warranty don't assume it's a "this broke , fix it" warranty , they're written to make sure barely anything is covered

 

[philw696]

Lots of unknowns here Tim. Perhaps others can say how you might start to qualify a car like this before buying.
@philw696 perhaps.

Would love to Alan but just to difficult to buy from the UK now.
I've bought in Belgium and a few weeks ago Spain and so easy.
Money pits here are £10,000 minimum and we all know how much you can spend on top of that.

 

[Harvey_Tim]

If it's at a garage presumably there's a warranty on it.

I bought an abarth 595 a few months ago in a private sale , the seller only had it 3 weeks , just wasn't for him

The garage he bought it from sold it with a 3 month warranty , sounds great , I read through the T&Cs until I got to the £500 claim limit

Whether thats legal i don't know but it sounds like you'd have to take them to court to find out

If they offer a warranty don't assume it's a "this broke , fix it" warranty , they're written to make sure barely anything is covered

This is the car:

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

All I know about it is the advert, but I have done a cheap hpi / car check which is clear but shows no mot or mileage history since 2018. l am guessing that “part ex to clear“ means no warranty from the garage and is probably a sign that they know it has problems!

From the pictures alone the car looks nice but I think I will steer clear …. (and it hasnt got flappy paddles which I would have liked)

 

[highlander]

walk away...........fast!

 

[dickygrace]

It’s a standard car, not a Sport GT or GT S. You have to be very careful as others have said, when buying a 15 year old sub £10k QP. All these cars fall within the variator problem range, so you need to know a main dealer, Emblem, McGraths or Autoshield have done the upgrade. Also don’t even consider buying without a PPI. If I were buying a £10k QP I’d try to find a 56 plate Sport GT duo select which is a fantastic car, and no variator issues. Very hard to find, I’d suggest it would take you months of weekends and viewing of dog rough cars to find a diamond in the rough.

 

[dickygrace]

I know nothing other than the ad, but this is the only sub £15k one I’d consider looking at that’s on sale at present. It’s also in Clapham so you’d be able to get it inspected at Autoficcina who aren’t far away:

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

 

[Ewan]

Hi All,

Potential new owner here. A 2nd car that has come onto my radar is a 2008 QP that only has 48k miles but appears (according to MOT and HPI check) not to have been driven since 2018 - it was also last serviced in 2018.

Garage says it will put a full MOT on it, but I guess that doesn’t really mean much. How do these cars take to being left undriven for so long and what is the likelihood of major recommissioning costs?

Also I note that the central display has a message saying “Manual Method Unavailable” any idea what this implies?, car has a ZF gearbox but no flappy paddles.

Any input is much appreciated.

Many thanks,
Tim

The message and warning light implies it has a gearbox fault. It’ll work in auto, but you’ll not be able to go up and down gears manually using the gearknob (not that anyone does that anyway).
This car will need a very thorough specialist inspection. It might be lovely, or could need thousands spent on it. At the very least it’ll need a major service at £2k+. Plus the gearbox fix, which will be expensive. And it’ll always have a yawning 5 year gap in its service history, which won’t help you when you come to sell.

My advice would be to ignore Cat cars and ones with obvious re-sale problems. Look for one with proper history, checked by a specialist, and for sale with a decent warranty. Yes it’ll cost a few £k more upfront, but it’ll be cheaper overall and you’ll do better at re-sale time.

A garage like Shiltech would be a good place to start. And try calling other specialists such as Emblem or SportsItalia to see if they have a client looking to sell.

 

[Harvey_Tim]

Thanks All - warnings taken and I will ignore this car.

 

[Tallman]

How much can you spend on a QPV if you know you need to keep say 4K extra ready for just in case? The general rule: as young as possible, preferably a 2009+ face lift, low to mid mileage to avoid longer term wear issues, regularly used and serviced. (Big) Bonus if garaged. Then look at colour and spec…Check the underside/sub frames for rust, sticky buttons, suspension/bushes, warning lights.

 

[Mattp]

If you want a 2006 Sport GT (MY2007 - last of the duo selects so better F1 ecu) with the carbon interior and pretty much all the options plus a brand new clutch, you could have a chat with me... But it would set you back £13k

 

[Harvey_Tim]

If you want a 2006 Sport GT (MY2007 - last of the duo selects so better F1 ecu) with the carbon interior and pretty much all the options plus a brand new clutch, you could have a chat with me... But it would set you back £13k

Thank you for the offer Mattp however since this thread was originally posted I have purchased a 2008 QPV Sport GTS-A that has the carbon and leather / alcantara interior with just 52k on the clock and that was freshly serviced and inspected by Shiltech and I paid less than £10k … although to be fair it is a Cat D car hence the price.

 

[Mattp]

Thank you for the offer Mattp however since this thread was originally posted I have purchased a 2008 QPV Sport GTS-A that has the carbon and leather / alcantara interior with just 52k on the clock and that was freshly serviced and inspected by Shiltech and I paid less than £10k … although to be fair it is a Cat D car hence the price.

Nice even being a cat car you can't complain at that price!