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About to pull the trigger... Anything i should know?


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Ayup gents, 

 

been lurking on the forums for the past few weeks while i did some research into a new car.

 

Finally found a contender to upgrade to from my 1.4 Corsa SRI :lol:

Its a '57 HR GT, in very good mechanical nick. Just some cosmetic marks on the inside (scratches on drivers side arm rest area, and the white leather seats have seen better days!)

65k-ish on the clock, black. 

 

Just wondering if theres anything i should know before i pull the trigger? Already been to view the car of course on Saturday, the missus swears she heard a creaking (maybe the rear axle click but i dont know if thats common on HRs?) but i didnt hear it myself, and it was something i was looking out for. (Although my excitement may have dulled my senses)

ive checked the various other things in the buyers guides on here, such as all the controls working, idle oil temp etc. And since its been SORNd for a month or so now due to not being used i had a check of the oil (squeaky clean) and a few once overs of coolant levels and a torch underneath to look for anything glaringly obviously wrong.

 

Im definitely not a mechanic though, never really had the tools or space to work on my own car for anything more than basic servicing and headlight changes. So Im likely gonna take it to some sort of specialist once ive had a few days with it, just to ensure its completely sound. (Although maybe too late at that point lol) Any reccomendations?

 

Ive not finalised the bid yet so if any of you lovely gents have a tastey HR for sale let me know.

 

good to finally come out of the closet

 

Edited by Reg97
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3 minutes ago, coldel said:

Have the oil gallery gaskets been done? If not and they go thats a big bill.

 ah, knew there would be something id forget to check.

 

From what i remember reading (correct me if im wrong) oil pressure is a good indicator of their health right?

If they havent been done in the cars lifetime is there a more reliable way to check if they need doing?

 

cheers mate

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Im sure there is a guide on here somewhere, do a quick search, I havent owned an HR so cannot remember off the top of my head - sure someone will mention it soon. It is one of the big bills though to look out for on an HR as I understand it. 

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3 minutes ago, coldel said:

Im sure there is a guide on here somewhere, do a quick search, I havent owned an HR so cannot remember off the top of my head - sure someone will mention it soon. It is one of the big bills though to look out for on an HR as I understand it. 

yeah from what im reading it sees that the oil pressure is the main indicator. Pressure at warm when i went to see it did sit around 30psi~

will definitely be something i double check on. though before i hand any cash over.

 

appreciate the heads up !

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Only other bargaining points are perishables, things like clutch, brakes etc. are quite expensive on these cars - will cost multiples more than a normal hatch back. last thing you want to do is spend £1500+ on all that lot. 

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12 minutes ago, coldel said:

Only other bargaining points are perishables, things like clutch, brakes etc. are quite expensive on these cars - will cost multiples more than a normal hatch back. last thing you want to do is spend £1500+ on all that lot. 

clutch was something i fretted about. Felt absolutely fine, very very bitey (although the only thing close i can compare to is a c6 vette) but has never been changed. vented grooved disks and hawk performance pads.

 

i keep talking myself out of pulling the trigger by worrying lol 

 

and polybushes all round which is a plus, saves me getting them done at some point

Edited by Reg97
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Just be realistic in your running costs. Clutch could last longer or might not, if it’s the original one then there is risk there. Just make sure you have a fund to bail you out of any surprises, don’t spend every penny you have and overstretching and you will enjoy the car :thumbs:

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Just now, coldel said:

Just be realistic in your running costs. Clutch could last longer or might not, if it’s the original one then there is risk there. Just make sure you have a fund to bail you out of any surprises, don’t spend every penny you have and overstretching and you will enjoy the car :thumbs:

thanks cold,

i had seen some cleaner lesser mileage examples but for much much more money. Im keeping a couple of K aside until i can take it to a specialist and get absolutely everything perfect on it.

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If you know of a specialist, i would offer them a few quid to come and look at the car with you (if that's an option) before you buy.

May be a daft question but have you checked the service history and MOT History? Everything been done when it should have etc 

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Check the tyres.  With 308 bhp hitting the rear axle, you really want rubber that has good tread depth AND is new (check the year markings on the sidewalls) AND is a premium brand (MPS4s are most popular but any top-name brand is good) AND is the same on all four corners.

Or you can be like me, and drive your new HR back happily and then next day discover aged ditchfinders all round, and promptly shell out £500+ for proper tyres.

 

Also ideally check the _inside face_ of the brake discs for rust, not just what you can see thro' the wheels.  Another nice bill there if you need new discs and pads.

 

Check the wheelarches carefully for rust.

 

An HPI check is probably worthwhile on such a car.

 

Presumably you're aware of the annual road tax cost on the HRs.

 

 

Overall though, I got my HR six months ago and despite having some bills early on, I'm pretty happy with her, definitely recommend buying one and your stance of having some money in reserve to get it up to scratch is exactly the right approach I think.

 

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14 minutes ago, Samoht said:

Check the tyres.  With 308 bhp hitting the rear axle, you really want rubber that has good tread depth AND is new (check the year markings on the sidewalls) AND is a premium brand (MPS4s are most popular but any top-name brand is good) AND is the same on all four corners.

Or you can be like me, and drive your new HR back happily and then next day discover aged ditchfinders all round, and promptly shell out £500+ for proper tyres.

 

Also ideally check the _inside face_ of the brake discs for rust, not just what you can see thro' the wheels.  Another nice bill there if you need new discs and pads.

 

Check the wheelarches carefully for rust.

 

An HPI check is probably worthwhile on such a car.

 

Presumably you're aware of the annual road tax cost on the HRs.

 

 

Overall though, I got my HR six months ago and despite having some bills early on, I'm pretty happy with her, definitely recommend buying one and your stance of having some money in reserve to get it up to scratch is exactly the right approach I think.

 

Hey mate

cheers for the response,


new tires have been put on the front, I wrote the brand down somewhere but they weren’t premium “high quality sports tyres”

rears are some generic bridgestones, not great in terms of tread but passed MOT (not enough for a car like this I wouldn’t think)

and I’ve already Accounted for having to get some fresh rears to replace them.
 

brakes are upgraded vented and grooved, did have a few flecks of rust on the outside face but was just surface rust. Backs of them (although I didn’t have the car up on stands so could only see from the underneath looking from the other side) looked to be the same situation. Pads were fitted 3k miles ago (hawk performance? If that means anything to anyone) 

 

bloke had done a hpi check himself for buyers, had a look at it, all clear (dated a couple weeks back). I’m confident in it.

 

im currently struggling to sell my Corsa lol.

and given the odd bits I’ll have to pay to do, I’m not looking to pay anymore than £8k for this one. If bidding goes any higher than that (Friday) then I’ll have to have a long think. (Bloke told me reserve is at £7.5k)

 

if I can’t get this one for a feasible price, I’ve spotted a sale on here from a bloke selling a HR. (Although I couldn’t reply to the post so I’ve had to dm him)... although he’s about a 2hour drive away from me in Staffordshire (he’s in Bedfordshire I think)

 

inner wheel arches were one thing I didn’t check though, might have a gander if I get chance to pop back over before Friday.

 

thanks again mate 

Edited by Reg97
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Just now, Kieran O'Quick said:

Its difficult to be patient when you're about to grab a big V6 but remember there are lots of them out there. 

I looked at a few before pulling the trigger and was glad I did. ..

To be fair, I’ve not seen that many HRs within a reasonable distance. 
a fair majority of them are 100+ miles away somehow haha

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11 minutes ago, coldel said:

Do the HPI yourself also. It’s not unheard of for sellers to fake them. It costs peanuts.

I was reading the one I bought just as the notification for your reply came up haha

 

all come up completely normal!

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1 minute ago, Kieran O'Quick said:

Ah, yeah, true enough for the HR, they only had them for a year or two. 

Yeah, had thought about a DE, would have to be a facelift, couldn’t say no to the extras really... but I know I’d end up seeing a HR about and having envy. Why not go all the way lol

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Just now, Kieran O'Quick said:

370s are under 10k now.... 

(Sorry) :stir:

 

Well...

I have been quite tempted. But honestly, I’m not much for the shape honestly. And given the choice between a last gen 350z (hr) with most of the kinks removed, and an early 370, I’d imagine there would be less stress involved...

 

might have to have another look though ;) 

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If you go with an early 370Z, the gallery gasket is still an issue pre 2012.

 

When we bought my wifes 370z roadster, I took the decision to do the gallery gasket and clutch, slave etc for piece of mind, so the more history you get with the car the better.

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:welcome: cheapo tyres on it would worry me tbh, very few members on here would put crap tyres on their Zed, even when putting it up for sale. Have you run a mot history check on it, that'll tell you if it's been looked after generally and also very good service history is a must. Zeds are brilliant cars if looked after but theres a lot of dogs around that have been abused. My advice would be always buy off a member here when possible. Theres a much stronger chance it will have a documented history. And any problems its had has been disscussed on the forum amongst members. Good luck with your purchase.

PS: Hope you've got a understanding s/o, the virus is real and consuming. 

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