buying an LCR - money pit or sensible purchase?
- Thread starter rasco
- Start date
Hi Ravi, I was hoping you could tell me how you painted your centre console, I.e. did have to sand it down etc? And what kind of paint did you use?
Thanks
Thanks
nope didn't sand it down at all, just take it off give it a good clean (I washed and dried it then used a little bit of vodka
) then I just sprayed a couple of coats of plastikote plastic primer then plasticote whatever colour you want, all paints and primers you can get from B&Q or I usually get matt blacks from poundland
Thanks Ravi!! I shall be doing this at the weekend, need my bay looking a little smarter, especially if I'm going to try and attend some meets ;-)
I don't think they are a money pit any more than another second hand car. I've had mine coming on two years now in standard form and it has cost me money in tyres, brakes, oil - things that are consumables on any car. The only real issues I've had were the coolant temp. sensor, which was repaired under warranty and wasn't expensive in any case, and my aux. belt tensioner giving up. Again, not an expensive fix. The kinds of problems you are likely to find will be found on any car of a given age or mileage - it's just wear and tear. As a stand alone example, the Leon has been very reliable.
RaviR50, how did you paint the ring around the gear stick? Does it pry out or did you just paint it in situ? Mines worn and could do with a touch up.
RaviR50, how did you paint the ring around the gear stick? Does it pry out or did you just paint it in situ? Mines worn and could do with a touch up.
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The bit on the top that shows the gear positions pop that out with knife careful not to take chunks out. underneath that you'll find a screw take that out then the whole ring section comes off
I've just done the exact same thing my man. I had £6k to spend and finding a decent one below 60k miles was a nightmare. I'm in Nottingham and in the end I had to travel to Durham to get a 2005 LCR in the dark silver (anthracite grey?) with 54k on the clock. Full service history with all the stamps though and cambelt done at 40k. I've had it 3 weeks and i love it more than i love my missus! If you find one get in there quick because i was looking for about 5 weeks before the one i bought came up. There's lots fro around the 5k mark but i was seeing a lot of 75k-90k milers.
In a nutshell, you'll love it. I had a 2003 Astra Turbo convertible before which was a lovely, quick car (200 BHP) but impractical with a 2 year old. The LCR blows it out of the water.
In a nutshell, you'll love it. I had a 2003 Astra Turbo convertible before which was a lovely, quick car (200 BHP) but impractical with a 2 year old. The LCR blows it out of the water.
Awesome congrats! I'm finding it difficult to tell what a mint LCR is worth at the moment, as they are so few-and-far-between and each is individual, but two have gone at *supposedly* the £5,800 mark (one with mileage just over 40k, the other with full seat service history). Way more than I was expecting!
I think I'm going to have to compramise somewhere. Ideally I'd have one in black but platinum grey would be the second choice and they seem to be cheaper. Started out wanting a standard one, and now want a modded one. Doh. Have spotted a 2005 one with supposed full service history (though due a service around now) has had services at
6k, 24k, 34k, 43k, 58k and 65k, and is now on 72k. Im not sure of the importance of the 15k between the services at 43k and 58k - they were a year apart but the service should have been done after 10k. Does that imply neglect/negligence, or am I being overly paranoid? Also it's had 4 owners, which puts me off a bit. Last owner (who owned it since june 2011) spent money on it apparently though. Got the cam belt etc done because he didn't know if it had been done previously, custom remap at "South West In Car Tech" @ 268.8bhp, cat-back exhaust at "infinity" (not heard of this place), silicon hoses, dump valve, air filter, EBC discs and pads, new battery and recent windscreen. Traded it in for a diesel. priced at £5k, and I can see from the photos that the caliper paint and wheels need some attention, the rest looks pretty tidy. Its quite a way from me though, so it's not like I can just pop out and check it out. Just not sure how high I should set my standards!
I think I'm going to have to compramise somewhere. Ideally I'd have one in black but platinum grey would be the second choice and they seem to be cheaper. Started out wanting a standard one, and now want a modded one. Doh. Have spotted a 2005 one with supposed full service history (though due a service around now) has had services at
6k, 24k, 34k, 43k, 58k and 65k, and is now on 72k. Im not sure of the importance of the 15k between the services at 43k and 58k - they were a year apart but the service should have been done after 10k. Does that imply neglect/negligence, or am I being overly paranoid? Also it's had 4 owners, which puts me off a bit. Last owner (who owned it since june 2011) spent money on it apparently though. Got the cam belt etc done because he didn't know if it had been done previously, custom remap at "South West In Car Tech" @ 268.8bhp, cat-back exhaust at "infinity" (not heard of this place), silicon hoses, dump valve, air filter, EBC discs and pads, new battery and recent windscreen. Traded it in for a diesel. priced at £5k, and I can see from the photos that the caliper paint and wheels need some attention, the rest looks pretty tidy. Its quite a way from me though, so it's not like I can just pop out and check it out. Just not sure how high I should set my standards!
Mines had 4 owners before me, but has been well maintained and ultimately; it drives perfectly. The proof is very much in the pudding.
If its a garage, ask if you can put a small, returnable deposit on the vehicle for them to take it off sale for long enough for you to get to have a look, and then plan a day/weekend away. Me and the missus caught the train from Notts to Durham and had a night out and spent the night in a Premier Inn, whilst also checking out the car and ultimately buying it. Can't hurt to ask!
If its a garage, ask if you can put a small, returnable deposit on the vehicle for them to take it off sale for long enough for you to get to have a look, and then plan a day/weekend away. Me and the missus caught the train from Notts to Durham and had a night out and spent the night in a Premier Inn, whilst also checking out the car and ultimately buying it. Can't hurt to ask!
there's also one in Swindon, 55 plate with 50k on the clock, with some mods. 9 services apparently, so it sounds looked after, but it's now being sold by some sole trader type - which instantly feels dodgy to me. I'd rather buy from the owner, or a proper garage/trader with somewhere to go back to if the car dies on the way home etc....
I think this an example of 'Fast. Reliable. Cheap.' Pick two. They'll never be the cheapest of cars to run simply because they use up front tyres at a quicker rate than other cars, they quite like a drink when you use the power and the tax and insurance will always be more than other cars. Good fun though!
if you want one get one.problems is problems but they can always be fixed and thats it,its a car.as for the interior looking dated haha............not sure about that one.my leon cupra face lift has nice interior but i wouldnt say its dated at all.i like the old french cars now there dated but i like it lol get it std no mods and looked after,id not use the internet for major opions go on your own instinct
get it std no mods and looked after,id not use the internet for major opions go on your own instinctjust a thought but does anyone know if a mid-year oil change would get stamped in the service book?
Say if you've done 15k in a year, do you get an oil only change after 10k then a service again at the end of the year (after 5k) or do you wait until part way through the next year, when you hit the next 10k? If the former, do you get two stamps or just one?
Say if you've done 15k in a year, do you get an oil only change after 10k then a service again at the end of the year (after 5k) or do you wait until part way through the next year, when you hit the next 10k? If the former, do you get two stamps or just one?
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