Should I buy it?...I bought it!

[Josef]

Someone is coming to view the mini this weekend, a friend of a friend...
He's very keen and is already getting the money out of the bank
I've been keeping my eye out for a nice D Turbo 3 door, nothing has caught my eye for the past week or so, but then this:

1997 - 3 Door Hatchback, 1.9 Turbo Diesel . Ct 1 alarm, RCL ,E/W, E/M, comfort seats, 1 year mot & 6 months tax, FSH and all old mots and tax, 2 keys, new tyres and exhaust, great alloys, 55 mpg first time starter loads of paper work first to see will buy no offer, collar coded trim, radio tinted windows. £990

It looks very tidy in the photos and doesn't show any wear on the drivers seat, it does have a towbar on it though...is it worth £990?

[declantg]

I would say 750 at the max

[Piggy]

seems pricey

[Bananalad]

Phase 1 or 2? What colour? Any pictures?

[r3k1355]

How much is the mini up for?

[Matt]

That sounds like a typical write up tbf.

Are there any details on the good/bad points? Or any pictures? Need to see the condition of it all.


Baring in mind I picked up a dturbo like a month ago £300 otr, and it was the mintest 306 I've seen.

[declantg]

That sounds like a typical write up tbf.

Are there any details on the good/bad points? Or any pictures? Need to see the condition of it all.


Baring in mind I picked up a dturbo like a month ago £300 otr, and it was the mintest 306 I've seen.

You usually find its the younger sellers that value the cars around the £900 region

[samass]

Yeah I'd say 900 is a bit ott, I wouldnt pay more than 750 for a tidy phase 2 dt

[Josef]

It's phase 2, can't upload any photos at the moment but it does look well kept.
Full MOT and 6 months MOT is good news for me too.
I really want an unmolested car so I think I would be prepared to go to £900 if it is.

---

How much is the mini up for?

£2500ish
It's not actually for sale yet but this guy has first refusal.
Do you want seconds?

[Mattcheese31]

everyone will come and say i paid this etc . . . . .but i paid 350 for my phase 1 D-turbo spec with Bosch pump, i do think the price of them has crept up a little last year or so though as people are starting to realise you can have decent power and good economy from them at the same time . . . .you can get a big turboed fmic car from one of our members for about the same money so i know where i'd go . . . but hey that's me . .

[Josef]

I've seen a couple of tempting cars on here but I want to keep it boring for the first 6 months, so bigger turbo and fmic are not what I'm looking.
I can start playing and modding with a blank canvas with this one!

[puglove]

That discription means fook all IMO.



But yeah i dont think £900 us unreasonable price for an OE one seeing as prob over 50% of the dt spec ones have been moded these days.

[Josef]

Thread revival!
Mini viewing is going down tomorrow, should be a sale.

Then I'll be going to view the 306 in question:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/a...?logcode=p

Any tips for checking it out before I hand over the wonga?

[puglove]

It says no offers but i wouldnt give more than 7 personaly

[rd070707]

You English crew and cheap prices. That would be over a grand in ni! I need to come over and get a few to bring back lol

[Jenkosowls]

Tow bar so check clutch condition need to get your hand up inside passenger rear arch as majority of 306s have for rot in there. Door wiring looms make sure c/l doesn't bounce a good indicator loom is screwed. Start engine from dead cold if possible usually warm engines a sign if hiding something. Get the car on a dead level surface and look at the rear beam from far away to judge for camber.

Just look for things to haggle on such as corroded radiators knocking suspensions. Exhaust etc all stud you can say needs sorting for. Which you can use against them to get price down

[Bananalad]

Buy a phase 1

[Eeyore]

^^ what is said above. Would be £800 max if it was a standard one.

[Josef]

Tow bar so check clutch condition need to get your hand up inside passenger rear arch as majority of 306s have for rot in there. Door wiring looms make sure c/l doesn't bounce a good indicator loom is screwed. Start engine from dead cold if possible usually warm engines a sign if hiding something. Get the car on a dead level surface and look at the rear beam from far away to judge for camber.

Just look for things to haggle on such as corroded radiators knocking suspensions. Exhaust etc all stud you can say needs sorting for. Which you can use against them to get price down

Thanks!

[Arron]

Definitely got the right idea bout a 'blank' canvass. I'd try and barter them a lil closer to 800 if possible. keep up to the service history too.. Ive pretty much got fsh for my car

[ozonehostile]

£900 is waaaay to much for a phase 2 these days,especially if its only on a lucas pump however, if possible check the rear seatbelt mounting points for corrosion as this is known to be a bit of an issue with phase 2's. underside of sills is worth checking for dents/rust if people have incorrectly jacked up the car, check all electrics work, take the back of the rear lights off and check the light card for any corrosion, take a jack with you and get the front wheels off the floor to check for any grinding or movement in the bearings or bushes.
look under the door seals and the roof gutter trim for any flakes./bubbles.
If the seller is determined to sell it for such a high price you are going to want to make sure it really is immaculate. also check the towbar mounting points for rust as people often just bolt them on without any thought to protecting the metal they've exposed in the process.

under the bonnet your checking to see if theres any wet/green patches on the radiator, any oil leaks around the rocker cover seal, injector leakoffs and the front of the block. also shine a torch down the back of the block to look for any wet patches around the turbo as it can be a sign of failing oil seals. check inner wings and underneath of scuttle panel for rust
as previously stated, try to start it from dead cold, lumpy idle can be a sign of a dead glowpluig.

if you find any fault atall like a rust bubble or scratch you can use it as ammunition to drive the price down.

sorry about the essay, but i have bought about 22 cars in the last 4 years haha
good luck anyway

[Josef]

Another great reply, thank you!
30 mins until the mini viewing

The 306 in question is still for sale so looks like I'll be heading straight over to view it if the mini sells.

[ozonehostile]

oh forgot to say, test drive it, check that it builds up boost ok, goes in a straight line under acceleration and braking. get it nice and warm to see if the temp sits at a steady 80-ish degrees then when you get back leave it running to make sure the fans kick in when the water temp reaches 90 degrees

[the milkman]

Don't wanna put you off but my mate about 3weeks ago got one same phase and colour with tax and test for 300 but to be fair had afew scratches here and there but still you basically buying his car 3 times over for that..... 750ish take it any higher no

[Josef]

I bought it for £800, generally very good condition apart from the door strips being a bit scabby.

Not all good news though....
When accelerating pretty hard in 3rd or 4th it judders a little and the gear stick wobbles.
Google tells me that this is due to dodgy driveshafts?

Annoyed with myself that I didn't drive it harder on the test

*Note to self: Must change avatar*

[ozonehostile]

£800 is a bit better, but still slightly too much especially if it has a couple of issues.

as long as your happy with it though, welcome to the love/hate world of the 306

[Josef]

Slightly less happy than I'd planned but I'll get it sorted soon!
Thanks again for the advice.

[Oil-burner]

As said 800 is pretty high for a ph2 especially with issues but if you're happy with it then thats all that matters.

[ozonehostile]

get it jacked up asap and have a real good look underneath with a torch, especially checking the front wheels for movement and rear beam condition

[C.A.R.]

What's the mileage on it? There's a really nice HDi DTurbo nearby with 108k on for £950! 3dr in China Blue. Kinda thing I was looking for when I ended up with mine...