Although the car hasn't done many miles for it's age, I think you just have to apply the same approach to buying any 15 year old car.

Check the service history, look underneath for rust, watch for smoke, listen for any unusual noises etc. As long as it's been looked after and it drives ok then I wouldn't be too worried about any major issues.

I notice you already own an R53 so the engine is really the only unfamiliar territory. If the timing chain hasn't been done then I would factor it in.

There are a lot of horror stories out there about N14 engines but they can be a good reliable engine if they're looked after properly. The problem is all the ones out there that have been neglected. I had one engine fail on me due to a random underlying fault but I'm meticulous about looking after the new one. You're on a changeover year anyway so it might be an N18 you've got in there.

 

That was a walk away from car.

Probably ok if you want to spend a few £ on doing it up, but damaged alloys, big dent in the quarter, badly painted bonnet and loose aero grille, water in his boot, worn gear lever and pulling bad to the left.

 

Thanks, appreciate that. My sons checked and said it’s the N18, not the N14 which was my concern, so will give it a good check on the body and at least the engine major worry is alleviated

Thanks again

 

It sounds like it's been a hard 43k miles!

 

It was not a nice one and would’ve only been worth a punt for probably half the price it was up for