Dodged a bullet

[Jamin]

I'm on the hunt for a new toy to replace the Maserati

must be
absolute max £35k
good to drive
4 seats (whilst my children still like me)
must look stunning, eye catching, special (I am obviously very shallow and want people to think I am younger and more attractive than I really am on the school drop off)

preferably
sub £695 (stupid pot hole road tax fine as the car won't be doing many miles)
available parts (without Maserati tax)
non chocolate sub-frames
no time bomb failures (IMS bearings, bore score etc)

so I was looking at the bmw i8,
now I know most on here are real men / woman and V8s are great and hybrids are the devils dangly's but I quite like them and they tick a lot of boxes for me.


Now the bullet dodge, at £35k I'm right at the bottom of the market but did find a Unicorn and after some negotiating it came within my budget



Good old autotrader highlighted it was a cat S though which justified the lower price but I was ensured that this had been professionally repaired.
I was about to place a deposit but thought I'd do my own checks as concerned about a cat S on a car with carbon fibre tub

This is what I found




So, the moral of the storey
even unicorns can catch chlamydia so best take a test before entering a relationship.

I'm still on the lookout for my next car affair so any advice or suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks all

 

[zagatoes30]

Ouch a bit more than a parking knock good dodge

 

[Zep]

Yikes. Where did you go to find the details of the shunt?

 

[gb-gta]

Could try a Lexus RC-F. Get one post March 2017 and it will have the £180 road tax, since the 5 years extra ‘luxury tax’ has now expired.

You get to still have an NA V8 but one that you’ll just have to service once a year and nothing will ever break on it, or give you a big bill. These lower road tax ones are hard to find though and you may have to haggle a bit to hit your 35k price.

 

[Jamin]

Yikes. Where did you go to find the details of the shunt?

I used checkcardetails.co.uk, you can get a free basic report, but for £10 a more detailed one with the salvage details,
money well spent in this case and about half the price of the youtube crew car vertical

 

[dem maser]

That is one that you dodged…….love an i8 though, still think they look good and decent performance out of a 1.5 engine

 

[dem maser]

Or maybe go for an M2? Or M4 Comp?

 

[Jamin]

Or maybe go for an M2? Or M4 Comp?

That is the problem though, there are lots of very fast german cars, all of which would be a sensible buy, but I don't want sensible, I want sensational, school boy poster stuff.
Life is short and I'm still a big kid inside,
there just aren't many 4 seat options which reminds me why I ended up here

Dam you Maserati

 

[Phil H]

Eye-catching

4 seats

Special

On budget

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

 

[Gazcw]

Ouch a bit more than a parking knock good dodge

Rubbish. It polished out didn't it!

 

[Ewan]

How brave are you feeling?
How about the V12 Aston Martin Rapide for sale at Roadstar Automobiles in Coventry? Great car for the school run. And £3k under budget.

 

[DLax69]

For Sale - Maserati Granturismo Sport MC Shift

View full details of this vehicle to purchase from Richard Grace Cars in Chester, Cheshire

www.richardgracecars.co.uk

 

[mjheathcote]

I've had an eye on the i8 as a possible daily for a few years.
From my research though it would have to be a main dealer car with BMW warranty. I've heard too many stories of the ac compressor failing. Problem being when they fail the ac system cools the battery pack and the whole ac cooling system apparently needs to be replaced due to the debris that can't be reliably flushed out.
The tax situation is weird with the current tax system for cars over £40k when new. High taxation cars post April '17 becoming cheaper to tax than some sub £40k cars pre April '17.

 

[conaero]

I used checkcardetails.co.uk, you can get a free basic report, but for £10 a more detailed one with the salvage details,
money well spent in this case and about half the price of the youtube crew car vertical

Carbaba is another, just enter your reg and mileage into the valuation box and you get a load of detail.

I have a VIN decider so if you ever need one PM me the reg. I can only do it at work.

 

[Guy]

4 seats, still fab looking after 16 years, sounds incredible, proven reliable, if I were you I would buy my old MC Shift from Richard Grace. It was a great car when I had it and suspect still the same or RG wouldn't be retailing it. Definitely prefer to the Aston.

For Sale - Maserati Granturismo Sport MC Shift

View full details of this vehicle to purchase from Richard Grace Cars in Chester, Cheshire

www.richardgracecars.co.uk

 

[Phil H]

Absolutely ideal, albeit a little over budget:

1933/2018 Packard Special 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'

1933/2018 Packard Special 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'

www.handh.co.uk

 

[Wack61]

I'm not sure putting 32k into a 10 year old audi is a great financial decision but they do give me the horn


Though without question , this is where my money would be going

 

[Scaf]

My son has just got himself an Audi RS3, it’s a real pocket rocket but they are a bit pricey IMO.

 

[Jamin]

So with a heavy heart I am saying goodbye to my Italian mistress.

It’s not you it’s me, you’ve not changed, I have. I knew when we met that you were high maintenance, my friends warned me you liked a drink and they said you couldn’t be trusted. I’m sorry to say I am no longer prepared to support your champagne taste and constant need for expensive rare Italian gifts.

I’ve found a new mistress, this time one without a checkered past. I wasn’t intending to leave you but like most middle-aged men, my eyes drifted through a well-known dating site Autotrader and I’ve met something new. Yes, the rumours are true, she is half your age, and weighs less but it’s not all about the looks. She is smart, fast and handles well too, she makes a good noise even if it is a little artificial and doesn’t need a monthly subscription to DVLA.

I know most of our friends reading this will think I’m mad and will take your side, some probably won’t talk to me anymore but I just hope we can still be friends and who knows, one day in the future our paths may cross again.

arrivederci mi amore

 

[ChrisQP09]

So with a heavy heart am saying goodbye to my Italian mistress.

It’s not you it’s me, you’ve not changed, I have. I knew when we met that you were high maintenance, my friends warned me you liked a drink and they said you couldn’t be trusted. I’m sorry to say I am no longer prepared to support your champagne taste and constant need for expensive rare Italian gifts.

I’ve found a new mistress, this time one without a checkered past. I wasn’t intending to leave you but like most middle-aged men, my eyes drifted through a well-known dating site Autotrader and I’ve met something new. Yes, the rumours are true, she is half your age, and weighs less but it’s not all about the looks. She is smart, fast and handles well too, she makes a good noise even if it is a little artificial and doesn’t need a monthly subscription to DVLA.

I know most of our friends reading this will think I’m mad and will take your side, some probably won’t talk to me anymore but I just hope we can still be friends and who knows, one day in the future our paths may cross again.

arrivederci mi amore

View attachment 116625

Congrats!!

Very keen to learn how you get on with the i8! Been looking at these too